Relocating Cross-Country? 6 Apps to Help with Your Move

 

Whether the move is across town or the country, moving is a pain. It’s rated as one of the most stressful experiences a person can go through. Even if you take advantage of the move to purge your household of no longer needed items, you will want every bit of help you can get to make the move work as pleasant as possible.

You’ll need to make sure you have the best shipping materials for your belongings and a well thought out plan for the moving process.

Take advantage of your ability to be connected and use these six Apps to help make the move go well.

1. uShip

uShip is an app directly out of the gig economy. The site and app connect people who are moving stuff with people who can move that stuff. People join to post the items they need moved, as well as the target price. Movers then bid on the project. Potential bidders can ask questions publicly; the answers are public, also. Transporters take on boats, cars, and household goods packed in Gaylord boxes.

Reviews for uShip are mixed, however. Yelp has 59 reviews from 2012 to 2017, with an average of 1.5 stars. Trustpilot’s rating of 9.2 is based on over 7,000 reviews, most of which are 4 or 5 stars. Before using them, as with any company, consider their record of accomplishment. uShip may save you money on the cost of transporting your houseful of goods, but you’ll want to be smart about whom you use.

2. Sortly

Sortly’s app allows you track which boxes contain which items. It will allow you to establish and maintain a full inventory of your household before, during, and after the move. The free app, currently iOS only, is powerful, offering many of the features most people want.

Sortly Plus, an in-app purchase for $4.99 monthly, syncs data across all devices and prints QR code labels for all those boxes. It also allows saving of files to a variety of formats, including .csv and .pdf. Sortly is rated 4+ on the App Store’s rating system. The ability to make labels is one of the most attractive features of Sortly—and, if you’re just using it for a move, you can cancel the subscription once you’ve produced everything you need.

3. MagicPlan

You can keep track of where things are going to go in your new home with MagicPlan. This app, also for iOS only, connects your iPhone or iPad’s camera to the drawing software. You use it in each room, aiming at each corner. You only need to do that once—after that, the basic room plan is saved. You’ll be able to arrange things in the app and produce potential floor plans, even while someone else is driving.

The in-app purchases will allow you to download and print the floor plans you’ve created. MagicPlan also works in conjunction with the same firm’s Floorplanner, which will help produce 3-D renderings of your new home.

4. Move Advisor

MoveAdvisor, available on iOS, Google, and Amazon, is a complete, integrated moving package. It will track your home inventory, find movers, create a timeline for the move, and get free moving quotes for you. The detailed timeline provides the ability to annotate tasks, mark them completed, or add additional reminders and actions. The moving timeline is not available yet for iPhone users.

The reviews for Move Advisor are mixed on GooglePlay. The app does link you with moving companies, which means they will contact you. Many of the negative comments stem from app crashes, and their customer service seems to be on top of their game in fixing bugs. This app is a solid, general app for your move.

5. MyMove

MyMove, available for iPhone and Android, can help you create a timeline for the eight weeks before your move. Also, it will provide reviews of movers, obtain free quotes, allow note taking, and possibly give you access to moving discounts. It allows searches for licensed movers in each state.

This app is focused on people moving with the use of professional movers. If you want to take advantage of their services, rather than do your move yourself, this app should be most helpful for you.

6. Moving Checklist Pro

This app, available on iTunes, does exactly what its name says. Its built-in lists—containing people to contact and things to do during a move—are thorough and complete. Color-coding is possible to ensure you can visually see your progress, as well as prioritize items.

You are not restricted to their lists and can add and delete categories freely. While this app is not free, the cost is $0.99, and the reviews suggest it’s more than worth the price.