Moving Guide To South Carolina

Moving to South Carolina is exciting for most people after they purchase a home, and with so many of the real estate sales in SC being people moving here from another state we figured we’d help give you a guide on how to make the move here to our lovely state. 

The first obvious question to ask yourself is… Do you want to do it yourself? Or Hire a company to orchestrate it for you. 

No one likes moving. Let’s face it, it is awful, especially if you are moving into a large home with a family and a lifetime of stuff. I think most of us would agree that trying to lift the heavy things yourself is less than ideal, so we suggest IF you can afford it hire a moving company to at minimum lift the heavy items for you is the way to go. That’s just the obvious, so we went through the basics and made a quick “How to Move” reference guide with a list you can use. 

COMMON GOVERNMENT OFFICES OF SOUTH CAROLINA

CHARLESTON COUNTY – BERKELEY COUNTY – DORCHESTER – HORRY COUNTY – LEXINGTON COUNTY – RICHLAND COUNTY – GREENVILLE – SPARTANBURG

2 MONTHS AWAY (8 WEEKS)

1. Create a moving binder or set up a Google Doc where you can track everything. If you follow this first step, you’ll save a ton of time. A simple notebook would work as well, as long as you have somewhere or a way to keep your important papers organized. That’s why we suggest a binder. 
2. Identify all your appointments. We’re not referring to doctor visits as much as we are to-do lists for connecting your utilities, scheduling inspections, or enrolling your kids in the best SC schools.
3. Decide if you’re renting a moving truck and driving it yourself. IF NOT–>
4. Shop around and book your moving company. Moving companies can be easy or oftentimes a nightmare depending on your type of contract. Make sure you book them way in advance, otherwise you could find yourself without one if you wait too long and too close to your actual move date. There are three different types of moving contracts/agreements
   1. NON-binding – this is a quote based on an estimate of the weight of the customer’s belongings. As you can see you don’t want this because you are just setting yourself up for a higher bill later. It is basically a bait-and-switch scenario. Movers and scam artists may reel you in with a too-good-to-be-true non-binding estimate only to hit you after it’s been delivered with a much higher bill. 
   2. Binding – This is exactly the opposite of the above. When the mover guarantees a fixed cost estimate based on the approximate weight of the customer’s belongings. If the customer agrees to a binding estimate, then they will pay exactly what they were originally quoted.
   3. Binding “Not to Exceed“ – This is the most popular for making an interstate or long-distance move. This type of estimate means that even if the weight of a customer’s shipment exceeds the original estimate, they won’t be charged anything extra. Instead, they’ll pay what they were originally quoted. However, if the shipment weighs less than originally estimated, they will only have to pay for the cost of shipping the actual weight. So you could actually pay less. 
5. Schedule THE Movers– When choosing a move date, keep in mind that the specific day, week, and month you pick will affect the cost of your move. Moving during peak season (May to September) will likely cost more. The same goes for weekend moves. If your budget is tight, aim for a weekday move during the off-season months. At this time you’ll also want to order moving supplies. 

 

4.8

International Van Lines

Best overall

4.8

American Van Lines

Up-front pricing

 

4.6

Allied Van Lines

Excellent customer service

 

4.7

North American Van Lines

Customize your move

 

4.5

U-Pack

Best deals

 

5 – 2 WEEKS BEFORE

1. Start using up whatever food you have left in the house. 
2. Book your moving van/truck (if you’re driving yourself) OR schedule your “BOX” moving company.  
3. Before boxing up, your things, figure out a timeline for the packing process.
   1. Create a room-by-room inventory.
   2. Identify items that need special care. 
   3. Take photos of important items and valuables. 
   4. Consider moving coverage insurance. 
   5. Pack all non-essentials first. These include items you won’t need in the weeks leading up to the move, including books, home decor items, and electronics. Pack essentials last. These include kitchen items, dinnerware, clothing, toiletries, and any other items you’ll need in the days leading up to the move. This way you can also pull them out of the moving vehicles and have them handy upon move-in. 
4. Donate unwanted items, Host a garage sale, put things up for sale on online marketplaces like Facebook Market Place, Ebay, or Mercari. Only use Ebay if you’re familiar with their process and have used it before. 
5. Get your cars serviced. You don’t want to travel on long interstates without knowing your cars can make the journey hassle free. This is IF you’re not paying to ship your cars. Also, this saves you from having to have them serviced at a place you may not be all familiar with and do not know any trustworthy mechanics. 
6. Confirm Date and Time with the moving company. 
7. Contact your utility companies and confirm setup. 
8. Fill your prescriptions
9. Notify friends and family
10. Forward your mail
11. Forward medical records and find new healthcare providers (should you need them)