Make Your Move Less Stressful With These Pro Tips

Did you know that more people move during the month of August than any other month? Whether you’ve bought or sold a house, or are moving into a larger or smaller rental, we have some ideas to share to help make your move a smooth and less-stressful experience!

 

Set a moving budget and stick to it. Moving can be very costly! Even if you aren’t paying a moving company to help you, renting a moving truck and paying your friends in pizza to help you do a DIY move all come at a cost. It’s smart to start shopping around and estimating your moving costs in advance so you can create a budget and start saving up for it, if necessary. Don’t forget to pick up some cash the day before your move, to tip your movers!

 

Check your credit before your mortgage lender or a property management company does. It’s best to not be surprised if they will find something negative on your credit report, and have an explanation or referral in the wings if that’s the case. You can also ask a property management company what credit information they are considering specifically, and which credit bureau(s) they might be pulling from, to be better prepared heading into applying for a rental. If you’re applying for a mortgage, you will want to double check that your credit score will be high enough to qualify, and that your debt-to-income ratio is low enough to take on a monthly mortgage payment.

 

Set price change alerts for any big-ticket home items you’re planning on buying. Many home goods retailers and department stores with online shopping access offer the ability to create a personal shopping account and set an alert for when the price changes (in this case, when it drops!). If you don’t need to buy a new couch or bedroom set right away, you could save hundreds of dollars with a little patience and a friendly reminder about when the price becomes discounted. You can also ask furniture retailers if they’ll be offering promotional financing during your move-in dates – you can always count on a Memorial Day sale or Labor Day special financing promotion during these specific times of the year, and there are many other occasions when they might be running these deals.

 

Change your address right away with your credit union and other important financial services! It’s important that we have your most current address so that we can get you timely details about the status of your accounts, account and loan statements, and other crucial information. Another pro-tip to save you time and resources while moving: create digital copies of old needed documents (like tax returns and account statements) so that you can safely shred them and not move them to your new place.

 

Cutting Edge offers many affordable savings and loan options that can help you with your move. Reach out at any time and one of our Member Advocate Specialists can help find the right choice for you!