Ways that Tech Can Improve Your Moving Experience

Moving is never fun. But that doesn’t mean it has to be trying or overly difficult either. There are a multitude of tools available that can help ease your burden and make the process of moving from one place to another less of a chore. When it comes to moving in the 21^st century, you will find that technology can greatly improve your moving experience. Here are some ways that technology may play a role during your next move (which if you’re reading this, is likely right around the corner):

Keep an Eye on Your Things

If you plan on hiring movers to transport your goods and furniture, research your options. Many moving companies, like Mayflower, offer online tracking and reporting so that you can follow your shipment through each step of the process. Online tracking can not only provide a much-needed window into the moving process (which can help set realistic expectations for when your items will arrive), but can provide peace of mind as well. Why be left in the dark when you can follow your goods every step of the way?

Find Your New Home Online

Finding a place to live is often the most difficult part of a move. After all, the actual job of moving may be tiresome, but it’s often completed in just a day or two. Finding a place to move? That can take weeks or months! This is where you can leverage online tools to your advantage. For example, let’s say you’re looking at Los Angeles apartments. With websites like ForRent, you can find all of the apartments currently available that meet your criteria. You can search by budget, neighborhood, pet friendliness, and a number of other filters. Cut down your search from weeks and months into mere days.

Research Your New Neighborhood

With websites like City Data, you can research your prospective neighborhood to determine if it suits your needs. Crime statistics, school reviews, demographics data, tax information, and more, right at your fingertips. And with Google Earth, you can virtually visit a town or city without having to pay for a ticket to fly there. Yes, you may still want to visit in person prior to moving, but with high-resolution imaging and comprehensive mapping, there is almost no corner left in America that you can’t see on your computer prior to seeing it in person.

Put Your Apps to Use

Apps. We all have them. Why not put them to use during your move? Apps like Sortly and TaskRabbit, for example, can aid in the moving process itself. Sortly allows you to keep a visual inventory of your personal belongings, while TaskRabbit helps you create tasks that you can keep track of and check off. On the other hand, apps like Nextdoor, a private and local social media network, can help in your transition to your new life post-move. Meeting people outside of work can be difficult; with Nextdoor, you can connect with people who live nearby.

Don’t Sweat the Legal Stuff

If you need to view, sign, or verify email leases, contracts, amendments, or other official paperwork, consider using services like DocuSign instead of relying on old-fashioned methods that are ultimately inefficient. Doing so can greatly help with your move, as it allows you to take care of legal obligations without having to run off to the post office or local FedEx multiple times per day to sign, scan and fax documents. Digital signatures are becoming increasingly common; if the other party in your move isn’t aware of these services, see if they will accept a digital signature in lieu of a physical one.

Don’t Dread Your Move, Embrace It

Whether you’re hiring the pros or plan to reimburse your movers with pizza and beer, technology can help make the entire process that much easier. And when it comes to moving, anything that makes the job easier should be embraced with open arms. Thankfully, there are a wide variety of mobile apps, online services, and user-friendly websites that can help lighten your load and ease your burden. So why not use them? They’re out there just waiting to be used.