How to Plan a Move
The first of our steps to moving out is to figure out how you are going to be transporting your belongings to the new house. The biggest part of this decision may be whether to hire professional movers or rent a truck to do it yourself.
Which you choose can depend on several factors. Renting a truck and doing the heavy lifting yourself will save some money but hiring professional movers may be the easier way to go, depending on your circumstances. Those with plenty of brawn who want to save the money for something else may have no problem moving on their own. Others may find it worth the money to skip this physically demanding task.
For locating professional movers, the best experiences often come from referrals. Personal references will help find the best resources, so you can trust that your belongings will reach their destination safely and on time. You may find that smaller moving companies staffed by college students or off-duty firefighters to be a less-expensive option than national movers.
Truck rental prices vary widely so be sure to check around. Home Depot and U-Haul are known for having some fairly inexpensive options especially for in-town moves. Budget and Penske are widespread and may be a better choice if you are moving from out of state.
Once you have quotes from both types of movers, you can weigh the pros and cons and decide which are most important to you, and if the financial commitment will work. Then, make your reservations as soon as possible to make sure you get the dates you want!
Moving Timeline
Now that you have your moving day planned, it’s time to start preparing for your move. Here is a basic timeline for planning your move:
Early Stages (30 days or earlier if possible):
Pack items you don’t often use, making sure breakables are wrapped securely. This can be holiday decorations, collectables, out of season clothing, books, and other seldom-used items. Start cleaning areas that will not easily get dirtied.
Take this opportunity to purge anything you doot use. A good rule of thumb is that if you have not used the item in the last year, you do not need it. Be sure to look through clothing, books, decorative items, and kitchenware. Shedding items you don’t need means you have less to move. When you donate these things to charity, you save money on truck space and just might make someone else’s day.
Getting Closer (30-15 days):
Start packing things you can do without for the next few weeks such as decorative accessories, non-essential electronics, artwork, extra clothes, toiletries you don’t use often, second sets of bed linens, towels, etc. Think like a minimalist here.
Stock up on bubble wrap or packing paper to cushion breakables during the move or use extra bed sheets or towels to save space. Just make sure to label boxes with their contents and the room they belong in. This simplifies unpacking and ensures someone looking for a towel doesn’t get a cascade of crystal along with it.
It’s Almost Time (15-5 days):
Pack almost everything in the kitchen, keeping out the dishware, cookware, and cutlery you need for one family meal. Pack up closet contents into wardrobe boxes. Start deep cleaning everything you can including blinds, kitchen cabinets, etc.
It starts getting real once you cancel utilities and forward your mail. If you haven’t done it already, this is the time to make sure that utilities at your new place are ready, and the old ones cut off on time to avoid any extra charges.
USPS has an online address change and mail forwarding setup, and they often send discounts on things you might need at your new home!
Go Time! (5-0 days)
It’s time to pack everything except the absolute necessities. Do any last minute cleaning to save trips back to the old place. It’s also a great time to get in contact with friends and resources near where you are moving to, so you can be connected as soon as you get there.
Frequently Asked Questions about How to Prepare for a Move
How early should you prep for a move?
It’s different for everyone. Some thrive on the rush of procrastination, and others need order and organization. If you can, start planning your move and doing preliminary packing as you know you are going to be moving, maybe even when you are just looking at houses.
This can help you sort through old things and give them away, so you don’t have to move them. It can also allow you more time to organize and pack fragile things carefully.
What should I pack first when moving house?
In general, focus first on holiday decorations, out of season clothing, anything in storage, and kitchen tools you do not use often.
What should you not pack when moving?
Don’t pack passports, wills, deeds, jewelry, or other valuables when moving. These items should be kept with you in your personal luggage. It is also not safe to pack ammunition, flammables (lighter fluid, gasoline, paint, matches, etc.), garden chemicals, household cleaners, perishable foods, and car batteries. All of these things can leak and be dangerous when left in a moving truck.
Make Your Move to a Hillwood community
Moving can be stressful, but living in your new home will be so exciting, especially if you are moving to a new home community by Hillwood Communities! When you move into a Hillwood community, we are here to help. Your HOA manager can answer any questions you may have and help you set up your home services.
Our award-winning communities feature fantastic amenities like parks, amenity centers, walking trails, pools, fishing ponds, green spaces, and sports courts where residents can build lasting friendships. Our Live Smart communities have full time, on-site Lifestyle Managers who plan and host hundreds of events each year designed to bring homeowners together for fun and fellowship!
We can’t wait to see you! Contact us today to see how we can help you find the Hillwood community that’s right for you.
However, live-work-play developments have made their way out of the city into suburban and rural areas. Their neighborhoods often include spaces for businesses and shared areas for work and play, providing residents with numerous resources that can support a multifaceted lifestyle.
Live-Work-Play Communities Vs. Typical Neighborhoods
Live-work-play developments have become increasingly popular due to the advantages they have over your typical neighborhood. Some of these benefits include the following:
- Convenience – One of the major benefits of a mixed-use development is its convenience. In addition to great homes, live-work-play communities are built close to employment centers, shopping and services, plus they support remote working and a multitude of recreational and leisure pursuits.
- Broad Options – New homeowners can find a place in a mixed-use neighborhood alongside larger homes. Singles, couples, growing families and seniors can all be part of the community.
- Community – Shared areas and quality amenities make it easy to form lasting bonds with your neighbors, creating a real sense of connection.
Ways to Live, Work, and Play
There are many ways in which planned communities help their residents live, work, and play. At Hillwood Communities, we place special emphasis on designing our masterplans to be an ideal place for you to live a full, enriching life.
Live
Hillwood Communities has a longstanding reputation for creating sustaining value for homeowners. We do this by partnering with respected builders that meet our high standards for quality and service.
Homes for Every Age and Every Stage
Our communities offer homes in a range of styles, sizes, and prices for every stage of life, whether you’re buying your first home, feathering the nest for a growing family, or enjoying an active senior lifestyle.
Designed for Community
Each of our neighborhoods is carefully designed to bring people together. Walkways, gathering places, and amenities are all built to foster spontaneous encounters, creating a foundation of long-lasting friendships built with shared interests and common values in mind.
Work
Mixed-use communities give residents many options when it comes to work, whether that’s from home or in traditional workplaces.
Smart Home Technology
Homes in our communities are designed for the 21st century with smart technology upgrades, and some neighborhoods even have on-site tech experts who can assist residents with setup. The end result is a modern environment that is perfect for working from home.
Co-working Spaces
In addition, our Pecan Square community in Northlake, TX includes an expansive co-working space, complete with all the equipment you’ll need to work remotely. Features include:
- High speed WiFi
- Printing, copying, and scanning equipment
- Meeting rooms
- Private phone booths and rooms
- Lounge areas
- Self-service snack station
All you need to do is bring a laptop and you’re set!
Short Commutes
Of course, not everyone has the option to work from home. Because of this, we make sure our communities are short drives to major commercial centers, providing numerous employment opportunities as well as access to the best that city life has to offer.
Stellar Education
For families with kids, education is extremely important. Our communities are located within top school districts and most of our neighborhoods even have on-site schools. We work with local school districts to try to ensure we have an elementary school within each of our neighborhoods in the future.
Play
What’s life without time to relax? Enjoying time with loved ones, perfecting favored hobbies, and more fun pastimes are part of what living is all about. At Hillwood Communities, we provide many opportunities for play!
Fabulous Amenities
Each of our communities have so many wonderful ways to spend your play time. Just a few examples include:
- Resort-style pools
- Outdoor fitness parks
- Fitness centers
- Catch-and-release fishing ponds
- Dog parks
- Playgrounds
- Food truck parks
- Hiking and biking trails
- Outdoor kitchens
- Game rooms
- Party venues
There’s so much to do, you may have trouble fitting it all in!
Lifestyle Programs
Our Live Smart communities feature award-winning lifestyle programs that enrich our residents lives and foster connections between neighbors. Each Live Smart community has a full-time, on-site Lifestyle Manager who plans and hosts more than 300 fun events each year! Some examples include:
- Movie nights
- Craft classes and workshops
- Community barbecues
- Teen events
- Concerts
- Holiday parties
- Community markets
- Children’s activities
- Game nights
And so much more!
Get to Know Hillwood Communities
Our live-work-play communities help people live enriching, fulfilling lives. If you like the way this sounds, learn more about how we create community. If you like what you see, contact us to learn more about our neighborhoods, or start looking for the perfect place for you.
When it comes to creating a secure environment, a master-planned community offers homeowners many benefits that begin from the moment they move in.
Communities Designed for Safety
Our residential real estate experts think through every detail when designing our master-planned communities, from location to neighborhood layout to amenities and services. We know safety is of utmost concern to our residents and safety guides everything we do.
Our communities are located in semi-rural areas and have limited access points, so you’ll have far less through traffic than you would in suburban or urban areas. That means reduced traffic congestion, making our streets feel safer than those in more densely populated places.
In addition, the data speaks for itself when it comes to crime rates in rural versus urban and suburban areas. According to statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Justice, violent crime rates were roughly 74% higher in urban areas than in rural zones between the years of 1993 and 1998. By moving just a bit farther away from the city, you choose a potentially safer location for you and your family.
Thoughtful Community Design
Of course, one thing that holds people back from moving away from dense city centers is the convenience of having everything you need close at hand. But residential real estate is evolving, and people are ready for change. The old urban/suburban/rural concept is no longer relevant for the 21st century. Today’s homebuyers want neighborhoods that are built to be sustainable, pleasant, and healthy places to live. Some call this concept New Urbanism. We call it living smart. Hillwood’s Live Smart communities fulfill homeowners’ needs for neighborhoods that offer enrichment, connection, convenience, stewardship, and well-being.
In our neighborhoods, much of what you need is on-site: schools for your kids, places to walk and exercise, pools and recreational centers, entertainment and social opportunities, state-of-the-art amenities, and even community farms to grow your own food. There’s minimal need to leave the community, which cuts down on traffic and enhances safety.
In addition, we make sure the blocks are sized so you can get where you need to go without having to cross multiple streets. It’s a pedestrian-friendly concept that incorporates many design disciplines.
Security Features for Individual Homes
You might wonder if Hillwood Communities are gated. They are not, by design. One of the drawbacks of putting a gate around a community is that this can create a false sense of security. Gates can be bypassed and individual houses can be vulnerable if they are not adequately secure.
Individual home security is a better way to go for those that wish to do so and with the growth of the smart home technology industry, this has become easy to accomplish. For example, at Pecan Square by Hillwood, our technology-driven community in Northlake, TX, every home there comes equipped with our Canopy technology bundle. This means each home has a Ring Video Doorbell, an Amazon Echo Show, full home Wi-Fi coverage, super-fast half-gig internet service and the Pecan Life App from the very first day. These features offer homeowners a baseline level of security that can be enhanced with additional smart security devices if they so choose.
Community Connections Promote Safety
Another way we plan for safety is by promoting a culture of community. Every design choice we make for each of our developments is centered on fostering a sense of community, from initial planning stages to the efforts of our HOA and Lifestyle Team. We invest in our residents to create a connected community, and one of the end results is a neighborhood that feels safe.
Some of the ways we create a sense of community include:
- Shared amenity areas where you can meet people with common interests
- Layouts designed to allow for spontaneous encounters with other residents
- Planned events to connect neighbors and their families
We design everything to be a catalyst for everyday interactions that can spark lifelong friendships. In such a close-knit community, crime is less likely. Everyone knows everyone else, and they look out for one another.
Join One of Our Communities
At Hillwood Communities, we’re known throughout Texas for the quality of our master-planned neighborhoods. We strive to foster a true sense of community where you can get to know and trust your neighbors. Explore all our properties and learn more about how Hillwood Communities can help you Live Smart and feel safe.
