The Truth About Moving Season (And Why Now Is the Time to Plan)

If you've been thinking about moving this spring or summer, here's something most people don't realize: the decisions you make in the next few weeks will determine whether your move feels seamless or chaotic.

February might seem too early to start thinking about a move that's months away. But the truth is, spring is the busiest moving season of the year, and the families who plan ahead are the ones who actually "own" the process instead of surviving it.

At The Modern Steward, we've managed hundreds of moves across Pittsburgh and beyond. And every single time, the difference between a smooth relocation and a stressful one comes down to one thing: preparation.

Let me show you why now is the time to start planning, and what happens when you wait too long.

Why Spring Is Peak Moving Season (And What That Means for You)

Spring isn't just when the real estate market heats up. It's when everything in the moving ecosystem gets more competitive, more expensive, and harder to coordinate.

Here's what's happening right now:

Families want to move before the school year starts. If you're relocating with kids, summer is the window. That means listings go up in February and March, closings happen in May and June, and moving trucks are booked solid by April.

Corporate relocations ramp up in Q2 and Q3. Companies transfer employees in waves, and spring is one of the heaviest seasons. If you're being relocated for work, you're not the only one. The best move managers and moving companies book up fast.

The weather cooperates. Nobody wants to move in January snow or August heat. Spring offers the Goldilocks zone: not too hot, not too cold, just right. Which means everyone else is thinking the same thing.

The real estate market follows a predictable rhythm. According to the National Association of Realtors, homes listed in late winter and early spring tend to sell faster and for higher prices. Buyers are motivated, inventory moves quickly, and if you're selling and buying simultaneously, you need a plan that accounts for overlapping timelines.

All of this creates a perfect storm: high demand, limited availability, and families scrambling to coordinate movers, cleaners, packers, and organizers at the last minute.

So what does this mean for you if you're planning a summer move?

The families who start planning in February get first pick of everything. The families who wait until April? They're calling us days before their closing, panicking because the moving company they wanted is booked, and they're trying to stage their home, pack, and coordinate two closings all at once.

Don't be the second family.

What Happens When You Plan a Move 8 Weeks Out (vs. The Long Weekend)

I've seen both scenarios more times than I can count.

The 8-week plan looks like this:

You call us in early February for a June move. We sit down, assess your home, and create a custom timeline. We help you declutter and donate before you even start packing, so you're not paying to move things you don't need. We coordinate with your moving company, schedule your listing photos if you're selling, and handle all the hard-to-recycle items like old paint, chemicals, and building materials before they become a closing-day crisis.

By the time moving day arrives, you're not stressed. You're not scrambling. You walk into your new home, and it's already unpacked and organized. Your kitchen works. Your closets make sense. Your kids' rooms are set up. You're not living out of boxes for three months. You're moved in, settled in, and ready to live from day one.

The long weekend plan looks like this:

You call us in a panic. Your house closes in 72 hours, you haven't started packing, the moving company you wanted is booked, and you just realized the new homeowner is demanding you remove the leftover paint cans and fertilizer bags from the garage before closing.

We can still help (we always do), but now it's triage. We're focused on damage control, not creating the ideal outcome. You're paying rush fees. You're making decisions under pressure.

And when you move into your new home, you're exhausted, overwhelmed, and facing months of living in chaos because there wasn't time to plan the setup properly.

Which scenario sounds more like the move you want to have?

Both families moved. Only one of them protected their sanity in the process.

Pro Tip: Wondering if you need professional move management services? Here are five signs it's worth the investment.

The Hidden Costs of Waiting Too Long

Most people think of moving costs in terms of the moving company's quote. But the real costs? Those are the ones nobody talks about.

Your focus at work suffers. Ever tried to concentrate on a big presentation while mentally cataloging which box you packed your kid's school forms in? That's the tax most people don't account for. You're in meetings, but running through where you packed the tax documents. You're trying to finish a project, but worried about what your family's walking into at home. High-performing professionals and executives don't have bandwidth to waste on a chaotic move, and yet, that's exactly what happens when there's no plan.

Your family's stress compounds. Kids are anxious about the transition. Your partner is juggling their own work deadlines. Everyone's patience is thinner because the home environment is in upheaval for weeks (or months) longer than it needed to be.

You waste money moving things you don't need. Without a pre-move decluttering process, you're paying to pack, transport, and unpack items you'll donate six months from now anyway. According to  Good Housekeeping, the average family spends 30% more on their move by not decluttering first. We've seen families spend thousands moving furniture that didn't fit their new space, collections they no longer wanted, and boxes of items they forgot they even owned.

You lose time you'll never get back. The average family who DIYs their move spends 3 to 6 months "settling in." That's three to six months of living in a half-unpacked house, searching for things, feeling unsettled, and putting off having people over because the house still feels like a work in progress.

That's the hidden cost. And it's completely avoidable.

What Planning Now Actually Looks Like

If you're reading this and thinking, "Okay, I'm convinced. What do I do next?" Here's where to start.

Step 1: Know your timeline. Even if your move date isn't set in stone, having a target month helps. Are you trying to move before school starts? Before a new job begins? Before the market gets too competitive? Lock in a general window.

Step 2: Assess what's coming with you (and what's not). This is where most people get stuck. You don't need to purge your entire home in one weekend, but you do need to start thinking about what fits your next chapter. If you've already bought your new home, walk through it (or review the floor plan) and start visualizing what works and what doesn't.

Step 3: Handle the hard stuff early. Old paint. Chemicals. Building materials. E-waste. These are the items that trip people up at closing because most moving companies won't transport them. In Pittsburgh, we work with resources like Construction Junction, Habitat for Humanity, and PRC (Pennsylvania Resources Council) to responsibly donate and dispose of these items. But it takes time. Don't wait until the week before closing.

Step 4: Decide what kind of support you need. Some families want full-service move management. We handle everything from decluttering to coordinating movers to unpacking and organizing the new home. Others just need help with specific pieces, like pre-listing decluttering or post-move setup. Either way, knowing what you need (and booking it early) is what separates a smooth move from a chaotic one.

Want to understand when professional help makes the most sense? Check out our guide on the five reasons to hire a move manager to see if it's the right fit for your situation.

If You're Planning a Spring or Summer Move, Let's Talk

Here's the question worth asking yourself: Do you want to spend the next six months slowly settling in, or do you want to feel at home from day one?

The families who reach out now get the support they actually want. The families who wait get whatever's left.

We're already booking moves for May, June, and July. And while we'll always do our best to help families in a crunch, the truth is that the earlier you plan, the better the outcome.

If you're selling your home, relocating for work, downsizing, or just ready for a fresh start, reach out. Let's talk about your timeline, your goals, and what support could look like.

Because you deserve a move that doesn't cost you your sanity. You deserve to walk into your new home and feel settled. Not someday, but from day one.

Book your free consultation here or download our Intentional Decluttering Guide to start planning your move the right way.