Every winter, many people go through cold temperatures and dangerous conditions to relocate to another city, or even country. Suck is the case for people moving to Toronto, to New York City, one of the America’s most popular cities. That being said, even though you might save money, moving in the winter comes with some challenges. These include home maintenance, icy roads, and hazardous weather conditions. To make sure you are properly prepared for a winter relocation, Number 1 movers Van Lines has prepared some tips for organizing a winter relocation from Toronto to NYC.
Preparing for the winter relocation from Toronto to NYC
If you are moving to New York City from Toronto on your own, be sure to plan the route in advance. Local movers Toronto recommend you to choose the main roads instead of deserted back roads. If it’s snowing, it’s most likely that the main roads are going to be cleared of snow first. Since you will be driving at least 8 hours from Toronto to NYC, service your car before the relocation. Examine your tires before the move, and make sure you replace them with winter tires. It’s not without a reason – winter tires are made to provide better traction when driving on icy roads.
Also, when preparing for the relocation, keep your kids and pets in mind. It’s best to relocate during winter break, so they don’t have to miss school. Still, the best thing you can do for your kids when the moving day comes is to keep them out of the house. Ask a friend or a family member to babysit them until you finish moving. If not, hire a babysitter if you can. As for pets, if you don’t intend on keeping them in a crate or small space, it’s a good idea to board them or have a dog walker or a friend take care of them on moving day. Because moving day involves many open doors, it will be easy for your cat or dog to get lost or run away. This certainly won’t be a great way to start anew in your new apartment in NYC.
Get help before the move
Moving your kitchen appliances, furniture, and other belongings during the winter’s short days will be a difficult challenge to tackle on your own. Whether you enlist your family or friends or decide to hire long distance movers Toronto, you will need help. The distance, budget, and size of the move will impact your decision on the type and how much help you’ll need. If you are moving just a couple of belongings and a couch around the corner, you can most likely get a couple of friends to help you with the move.
However, since you are moving long distances, you will need to hire a professional moving company that has the equipment and skills for a winter relocation. This is the most efficient and safest option for winter relocation. Also, make sure to book the movers as far in advance as possible, because they might not be availiable during the holidays.
Keep walkways snow free
When it comes to moving during the winter months, safety is one of the most important priorities. No matter how you look at it, winter relocations are dangerous, and you will need to do everything you can to keep things safe for everyone during the moving process. The first thing you need to do to make the relocation process safe is to clear the driveway, walkways, and sidewalks around the house of accumulated ice and snow. This is going to be your responsibility and not the movers’!
If you don’t do this, there will be a high chance of someone slipping while carrying a large furniture piece, a large box, or a heavy kitchen appliance. As a result, they may end up severely injured. In order to avoid rushing to a hospital instead of your new house, get a bag of sand or salt and a shovel and clear out the snow and ice around your house. Also, make sure to clear out the parking area for the moving truck.
Wear the right clothes for your winter relocation from Toronto to NYC
You have probably heard this countless times. However, repeating it won’t make it less true. Wearing the appropriate clothes for winter is going to make sure you don’t get cold while moving. Wintertime will expose you to a wide variety of temperatures. In one moment, you are going to be inside picking up the moving boxes. In another, you are going to be loading them onto a moving truck. Also, sweating doesn’t help in this situation either.
And for this reason, you shouldn’t pack up all of your winter clothes. Leave a few hoodies, a hat, a coat, and mittens to wear on your moving day to NYC. Having more than one layer of the thick jacket is going to give you the option to warm up when you go out and cool down when you go inside. But don’t strip down to less than a hoodie as this way you can get sick. Also, if your children are going to be there on a moving day, bundle them into more than one layer of clothes.
Be sure the utilities in the new home in NYC are turned on
Nothing can be worse than entering your new home and realizing you don’t have electricity and heat on. And can be quite dreading in the wintertime. This is why you will have to check multiple times if the utilities are turned on in your new house. Make sure to check the utilities at least two days before you leave the old home. This procedure is quite simple. All you have to do is go online, look for your provider, and give them the address and the date when you want your utilities to begin.
Start your moving day right
Make sure to start the moving process early in the morning. Days are quite shorter during winter months. And this is why you will need to start early so you save as much daylight as you can when moving with the help of movers Vaughan ON. Also, if the weather is bad, as we mentioned before, dress appropriately. Wear gloves, a coat, a scarf, a hat, and snow boots. You can also pack a thermos with some hot drinks. Because you are moving to a city’s that’s almost four times bigger than Toronto, big city, the chance is that your street won’t yet be clean of snow. Therefore, be ready to shovel street parking spaces, if neccessary. Moreover, when you get inside your new home, protect entryways and doors using flattened cardboard boxes or plastic film. This is will keep the house dry and free from the icy slush dragged in.
Packing your items for the move
Even if you are a good packer, you might not realize some differences between packing for a summer and a winter relocation. Even though your house is warm, you will need to think about the sub-zero temperatures your items are going to be exposed to the moment they are out of your house. Also, if the moving truck doesn’t have climate control, temperatures can get extremely low. This means your items might end up being damaged. That is why it’s best to let office movers Toronto pack and move extremely fragile and delicate items in the winter months.
Moving temperature-sensitive items in the winter
You can’t really move your plants to NYC in the wintertime. The low temperatures are quite risky for them, and there are chances they won’t survive the moving process at all. What you can do instead is find a new home or just leave behind. The new owners of the house can take care of them. However, if you don’t want to part with your plants, make sure to wrap them in a couple of layers of packing paper. Use bubble wrap as well, as these will serve as decent insulators.
Actually, you will need to spend more effort and time packing your temperature-sensitive items. These include:
- China pieces, since they may break when exposed to low temperatures.
- Electronic equipment. Take a look at the operating temperature ranges of the devices in the manuals.
- Delicate items made of wood
- Musical instruments should be in their protective cases if possible.
- Information plates
- Antique furniture pieces
What should you know about NYC neighborhoods before moving there in wintertime?
Before hiring Toronto moving companies to help you with the move, choose the neighborhood that will feel right for you. This is going to affect how much you enjoy the experience of living in NYC. Also, make sure to consider commuting before moving. There are five boroughs that make up what is usually referred to as “New York City.” And each one of them has its own unique feel, with hundreds of neighborhoods inside.
Manhattan, the iconic island, is usually referred to as the City. It sees a huge turnover of residents. Someone who grew up in the Bronx considers themselves as much a New Yorker as a State a Bronx resident, and a Brooklynite. And all of them believe they live in the best part of New York City. If you plan on studying or working in Manhattan, you should know that the north is in the direction of Central Park. South is in the direction of Wall Street. Traveling is easier from north to south in comparison to traveling from east to west. Make sure to keep that in mind when choosing your new home. Almost half of NYC’s residents were born outside of the US. So if you feel alone, remember that 1 in every 2 New Yorkers has had a similar journey.
Real estate market in NYC is better in winter
If you’re moving from Toronto to NYC in the winter, you’ll make the right choice, since the rental competition decreases dramatically in the winter. There’s also a high chance the rent prices will drop as well, sometimes by a hundred dollars or more. This sizable contrast between moving to NYC in the winter and moving in different months can spare you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars yearly.
Hire professional movers for a stress-free move
Does a DIY move during winter seems like it’s too much? Are you overwhelmed with countless tasks that need your full attention? If you hire long distance movers Canada to do the hard work for you, you will be able to sit back and enjoy your time.
But before you hire a team of movers, be sure to avoid moving scams when researching moving companies. Go online, take a look at the reviews of the companies and ask for free estimates. Make sure the professionals can offer you all the services you need for your relocation. Also, with the right packing services movers offer, you will not have to worry about packing glasses or other fragile items. Having GTA movers to help you with the winter relocation from Toronto to NYC will make the whole process swift, easy, and stress-free. While movers are doing all the heavy lifting, you’ll be able to enjoy the beautiful winter wonders without having to do anything! Good luck with your upcoming relocation!