Summer is known as “peak season” for moving—anyone who’s anyone seems to be packing up and moving out under the hot summer sun. In fact, 70 percent of all moves take place between Memorial Day and Labor Day weekend! But, as your mother would say, “if everyone was jumping off a bridge, would you?” Is moving during the summer right for your situation? Why do so many people choose this time of the year to make this transition? And most importantly, how can you make a summer move as easy as possible?
Pros of a summer move
There are a plethora of reasons summer is such a hot time for house jumpers everywhere, and the reasoning is different for everyone, but here are some of the most common.
School’s Out: For families with school-aged children, summer is the optimal time for moving. A change of location can be hard for kids even under the best circumstances, but a mid-year school change can be even more difficult. With a summer move, kids are able to get a feel for their new surroundings, their new neighbours, and maybe even make some new friends before they’re tossed into the battle royale that is K-12.
Extra Help: For those same families, a plus might be a little extra free labour. Kids in school and even older kids in college may be more able and willing to lend a hand in packing, preparing, and setting up a new abode when they don’t have their GPAs and afterschool activities to worry about.
Longer Days: With the sun setting later in the summer, moving during this time of the year simply gives you more hours in the day. If you’re crunched for time, those extra few hours of daylight just might give you the time you need to get everything prepared and moved without the crushing weight of it flattening you like a fully-loaded moving truck.
Good Weather: Perhaps the most obvious reason, especially if you’re moving to or from somewhere like Chicago, is the weather. Nothing is worse than moving in the snow. There’s the cold of course, but it’s also much more dangerous, and slipping on ice can be a real fear, especially when carrying heavy boxes. Summer weather is warmer and often less prone to precipitation, making it a more ideal time to move. Of course, depending on where you are, summer can be too hot, but more on that later.
Curb Appeal: Warm breezes and sunny days just put people in the house-buying mood. Picture it: Sun glinting off the windows. Lush grass and flowers in full bloom. Birds singing in the trees and children laughing in backyards. It feels a lot more appealing than a house sitting in the cold silence of mid-winter. So because more people sell homes in the summer, it stands to reason that those people are moving during the summer too!
Cons of a summer move
It’s a busy time: Like we said, about 70% of all moves happen during the summer. That means that most movers’ schedules are pretty much packed. There’s less room for flexibility and change, which means you have to be certain and plan ahead before you book your mover. And if things don’t go exactly as planned, you may have to think creatively or pay extra to get everything done on time.
It’s expensive: The first rule of economics is supply and demand. More demand during the summer means movers can up their prices, and they often do. This is why it’s important to get a quote from your mover earlier rather than later to ensure you get a fair price and aren’t hit by a surprise fee later on.
It’s too hot to handle: Depending on where you live, where you’re moving, and the ever-changing weather forecast, the weather that seemed like such a pro can easily become a con. Risk of overheating including deadly heat stroke can be a major deterrent, especially if you live in somewhere that gets really hot like Florida or Arizona. And because movers are often busier, it can be difficult to re-book your moving day if the day you chose turns out to be a real scorcher.
Your possessions can overheat, too: It’s not just your own temperature that you have to worry about when you’re moving—some objects are really sensitive to heat too. Especially if you are transporting a lot of fragile items like expensive art, instruments, or antique furniture, you should be really careful how hot you let your possessions get. Of course, with well-qualified movers, this is rarely a problem. At Elite Moving and Storage, we have movers dedicated just to art and piano moving and storage, ensuring that your most prized (and expensive) possessions make it through the process unscathed. Unless you’re transporting your famed ice-sculpture collection, you should feel safe leaving your belongings in our care.
Tips for your summer move
Get an early start: Especially if the day of your move is hot, you want to get started as early as possible. The sun is generally at its strongest between 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. which means that getting as much done as you can in the morning can save you from hauling boxes in the heat of the summer afternoon. Starting early also leaves you with more time to solve problems that crop up and give you a little extra wiggle room when things take longer than expected. Those extra few hours can be a godsend, because no move—no matter how well prepared—ever goes 100% as planned
Check the weather: It may seem like a given, but don’t forget to check the weather a day or two before your move for other inclement weather conditions, such as heavy rainstorms or tornadoes, that summer is notorious for conjuring up.
Get a quote in advance: Like we said earlier, moving during the “peak season” comes with some downsides—one of those is scheduling and price. Make sure you’re prepared, that you have your movers chosen, that you know what it’s going to cost, and that you schedule it well in advance. We recommend gathering quotes at least eight weeks in advance to ensure you can get everything scheduled well before moving day. It may feel excessive at the moment, but it’ll save you a lot of stress later.
Bring Water. Lots of water: Staying hydrated is always a must, but it’s especially necessary when you’re exhorting yourself all day in the summer sun. Yet it’s so often forgotten in the moving day hassle. Moving goes from stressful to downright miserable when you’re dehydrated, cranky, and potentially even at in danger of major medical mishaps like heat stroke. So the night before you move, make sure your fridge is fully stocked with cold water bottles or that you have plenty of ice in the freezer.
The day of, stock a cooler full of water and any other beverages you want to have on hand. As an addition for kids—or anyone, really—you could even have popsicles or other cold treats to keep your strength up. There are tons of recipes or in-store offerings for healthy, frozen goodies available. Just remember to save some for the movers too!
Turn on the AC: It’s easy to focus so much on fighting the heat at your old home that you end up forgetting that your new place needs cooling too. And the last thing you want is for your first experience in a new home to feel like propelling yourself straight into the blazing inferno of the sun. If possible, make sure the air conditioning unit in your new place is functioning properly and is turned on one to two days before your move. If for some reason that proves impossible, make sure you at least have some portable fans to air out stuffy rooms and keep you from overheating while you move in.
Dress cool: And we don’t mean wear designer. Dressing in light, breathable clothing is a must when it comes to moving in the summer. Quality cotton or chiffon, linen, or even sheer fabrics are optimal for providing sufficient air circulation. Other important factors you should consider when choosing your moving day ensemble include the fit—loose clothing is typically best, but not so loose that it will snag or trip you up—and the color—dark colours attract sunlight, so opt for lighter shades. And don’t forget to accessorize. In this case, that means hats and sunglasses to keep the glare and heat at bay and, of course, every fashion maven’s favorite accessory: sunscreen.
Elite is here for you all summer long
Our team at Elite Moving and Storage are experts at moving any time of year. With over 15 years of experience in the field and 3000+ moving jobs per year, Elite can make sure your move goes smoothly, rain or shine (or thick, oppressive heat). The summer is already well underway, so bisit elitemover.com for a free quote now.