As the winter approaches, snowbirds start moving down south. Of course, if you are a novice snowbird, it will take some time to get used to moving back and forth. However, you will become a professional after a while. With the right advice, you will adapt to the snowbird life easily:
Packing up Your Summer Home
When packing up your summer home to head south, you need to prepare it for the winter. Here are some things that you should do:
Invest in a storage unit – because you will only be living in each of your homes for half a year, you should consider investing in a storage unit. Choose a storage facility that is complete with equipment like hand trucks, shelving, specialty racks, pallet racking, etc. Doing so ensures that your belongings are safe in your absence. This is especially true if you are only renting one of your homes.
If you need to transport a car, use something like A1auto Transport. Look at all your options.
Fill your prescriptions – do you have any medication that you cannot live without? Make sure that you fill out your prescriptions before you head to your winter home. This way, you will not have to fly up north when you finish your meds.
Bring the important documents – you need to carry important documents, including your ID. If you are flying to your destination, you should bring your reservations and boarding passes as well. Keep your passport and driver’s license in a safe place because these documents are a pain to replace. You can place your important documents in heavy duty mailing tubes.
Leave your house under someone’s care – while you are gone, a close friend or neighbor should check in on your house to make sure that everything is okay. If anything is wrong, the person that you leave in charge should let you know. Give the person the necessary security codes and a key to your house.
Shut off utilities – you should shut off your water so that it does not freeze inside the pipes during winter. Frozen pipes end up bursting and they will cost you hundreds of dollars in water damage repair. You should also turn your thermostat down to 55 – 60 degrees to keep your pipes from freezing. There are many reasons to contact the best professionals in your local area for water damage restoration. One reason is that the professionals have the training and experience necessary to do the job correctly. They also have the right equipment to get the job done quickly and efficiently.
Preparing for the Winter Home
Once you prepare your summer home for the coming winter, you should do the following before you head to your winter home:
Pack enough clothes – of course, you are going to your winter home to escape the snow but this does not mean that you will not encounter a few cold nights down south. You need to pack some heavy clothes for the chilly nights. You can put them on heavy duty plastic storage bins so they will be safe and stored well. Moreover, you should pack the recreational and formal clothes that you will need.
Book transport – are you taking your own car down south or shipping with an auto moving company such as Executive Auto Shippers? When using an auto shipping company, you should book the services a few weeks or months in advance to make sure that your car will get to its destination on that given day. Moreover, booking in advance will help you to get the best rates.
A good auto shipper will get your car to your winter home before you arrive.
Check whether you will need another driver’s license – if you plan to drive in your winter home state for longer than a month, you should confirm whether it is required that you register for a driver’s license. You can get in touch with the local DMV to ask about the driver’s license laws. Knowing what to do will help you to stay on the right side of the law.
The above tips will come in handy if you are heading down south to escape the winter cold for the first time. Make sure that you create a checklist so that you do not forget anything.
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