Moving companies such as Humboldt Storage & Moving Company can greatly expedite moving day, while custom relocation services can help with everything from selecting your new home to understanding the cost of living in the surrounding area. Even so, certain situations can add extra complexity to the process. Here are three issues you'll want to think about before the big day -- and some options for coping with them.

1. Pets

Pets add an extra wrinkle to any move. Not only must you handle the sheer physical logistics of getting them safety from Point A to Point B, but you also need to cope with their feelings of confusion, stress, abandonment, or other negative responses to being relocated. Tips to ease this process include the following:

• Crating - Understanding when and how to crate your pet will help him move with minimal anxiety. Make sure your pet is thoroughly comfortable with his crate well in advance of moving day, and keep the cate well stocked with favorite treats and toys during transportation to the new home. But don't crate your pet or lock him away while you're packing; he'll feel less stressed if he's allowed to watch the goings-on as a member of the family.
• Moving in - Cats like quiet and privacy, so give your cat plenty of both by providing him with his own special space and delaying the housewarming party for a little while. Dogs like to explore, so give Fido a (leashed) walk around the neighborhood and let him sniff around the house to his heart's content. Just make certain any cleaning agents or other poisonous substances are out of reach.

2. Downsizing

Downsizing is usually must when planning and implementing a move, particularly when you know that the place you're moving into simply can't accommodate your mountain of stuff. But even if you're moving into a mansion, strategic downsizing can make the move much quicker, easier, and cheaper. Unfortunately, some people find it confusing, overwhelming, or even downright traumatic to part with any possession, no matter how unneeded or easily replaceable it may be. If that description sounds like you or another party involved in your move, then you could have a nightmarish moving day unless this problem has been addressed in advance.

Fortunately, various solutions are available, depending on the nature and degree of your downsizing dilemma. If you simply don't know where to begin in attacking that pile of possessions, then your best starting point might be to contact a professional organizer. These consultants specialize in helping people decide what to throw away, what to keep, and how to optimize storage space for the items that survive the cut. Custom relocation services typically offer downsizing advice as well. If you'e dealing with an actual case of hoarding, it's best to consult a therapist who can help with this form of obsessive-compulsive disorder, along with the depression and anxiety that can accompany a move.

3. Move-related Home Damage

No matter how careful you strive to be, there's a very good chance that at some point during your move you'll do some damage -- and not necessarily to the items in those boxes. It's all too easy to ding banisters, scuff walls, crack moldings, or do other kinds of harm to your old home, your new home, or both. Messing up your brand-new residence is tragic enough, but damaging the old one can have a seriously negative impact on your efforts to sell it for a desirable price (assuming that you weren't able to sell it beforehand). if you were renting the home, then you might have to say goodbye to your security deposit if you leave it damaged.

You can prevent move-related damage by using the proper protective equipment. For instance, professional movers hired by custom relocation services always use blankets for padding furnishings and banisters, plywood boards for protecting hardwood floors, pads for sliding heavy objects across surfaces, and straps to secure doors and drawers. But just to be on the safe side, find a handyman who can repair chips, refinish wood, or touch up scuffed paint as needed.

Of course these aren't the only potential curve balls that can make a move especially challenging. Talk to your mover, organizer, or custom relocation service about any special needs or concerns you may have. Successful communication is a big part of a successful move!