You've researched California home builders, found the perfect home, and now you're ready to move in. Avoid damaging your home's pristine condition with these smart moving techniques:

The Heavy Stuff: Damp-Mopping, Masonite, and Furniture Gliders

The moment has arrived. You're standing next to your moving truck, staring with apprehension at the beast inside it - a major appliance or an enormous piece of furniture with hard, pointy edges.

Whether it's a washing machine the size of a small car or an antique cast iron stove that seems to weigh almost as much as the moving truck, the thought of moving that thing across brand new floors and walls makes you gulp nervously. Here are a few tips to help with the big objects:

• Damp-mop bare floors first unless they're already spotless. Dirt causes friction on hard surfaces, which increases the likelihood of rips, especially on vinyl floors.
• Use Masonite (hard board) as a more reliable, sturdy glide. If you are having trouble moving the heavy item on the Masonite, smaller furniture glides can be used to easily position the item on the Masonite.
• Or, if Masonite doesn't seem necessary, you can use furniture glides. Towels and rags also work well as glides on bare flooring.
• Cardboard works well as a glide on carpet. Choosing the right glide means making a judgement call about how much weight each material can handle. Check out this EZ Moves Furniture Glide Kit.

Protect Your Carpets

What about the extra foot traffic (and extra dirt) from move-in day? What about potential stains from people spilling drinks or food while they take a break from moving? It might create extra work for you, but these additional steps are worth it:

• Have everyone take their shoes off when they come in. Yes, this is a hassle, but once you do it a few times, it becomes a habit you do without thinking - especially as you get in a good rhythm of going back and forth between the house and the truck.
• If you intend to do this (the no-shoes-in-the-house policy), let everyone know ahead of time. If people have shoes that are easy to slip on and off, they will know ahead of time to bring them.
• Use carpet masks and rug runners to add extra layers of protection from dirt, stains, and rips.
• Tape the masks and/or runners down. Use carpet tape. It works wonders.
• Sure, it will be tedious to take these extra steps, but after you've removed all the protective layers and you behold your beautiful, damage-free home, all the work will have been worth it.

Wrap Your Furniture to Avoid Bumping and Scratching Walls

Here are some great ways to add that extra layer of protection from the pointy edges of appliances and furniture:

• Use blankets or paper padding secured by plastic wrap to keep furniture and appliances from scratching the walls.
• Tape all drawers so they don't fly out and put a gash in a wall.
• Remember to empty any appliances or furniture items that have storage areas. The lighter an item, the less damage it can do.

Plan Ahead: Draw Up a Floor Plan

Put a floor plan together. Draw the plan for the new house and sketch in where each major item of furniture will go. You can assign each item with a letter or number, and then label the actual item with the corresponding letter or number to keep it organized.

Having a plan in place before move-in day allows you to create the smartest, safest, smoothest move-in strategy. This will avoid messy, confusing move-in day situations or home-damaging mishaps. Chaos from non-planning wears people down. And worn down, fatigued, cranky, impatient people tend to make careless, home-damaging mistakes more often.

Protecting your home takes hard work. But once you behold the beauty of your new abode after move-in is complete, you'll be glad you went the extra mile. For more ideas, check out The Moving Blog.

To learn more about buying or moving into a new home, contact us.