Have you been thinking about moving? If so, now's the time. As we've discussed, mortgage rates are on the rise, which means soon your money won't go quite as far as it has in the past few years. But if the prospect of moving during a pandemic has kept you in your current living situation, you're not alone. Even with the nation's booming housing market, many have been on the fence about buying or selling during such an unpredictable time.

The good news is that having a REALTOR® by your side through the moving process, especially during a pandemic, can help alleviate some of the stress. While the average person only buys or sells a home a handful of times in their lives, an experienced REALTOR® handles dozens of real estate transactions a year, including while COVID-19 has disrupted everything from supply chains to school schedules. Handling the buying or selling process isn't easy even during the best of times, but having someone to help guide you through the moving process now can be invaluable to making it smoother and safer.

Check out a few pro tips below for moving — and moving during a pandemic—to help you feel confident in your decision to enter the real estate market. As always, reach out if you have any questions!

When preparing to move:

• The safest way to initially view homes is online through videos walk-throughs, virtual tours or virtual agent meetings via Zoom, Facebook Messenger, FaceTime, Google Duo, etc. That's right. Your agent can walk you through a home from the comfort of your couch. If you find a home you like, inspections and other meetings can be done virtually or with limited in-person contact.Purchase all the packing materials you'll need at one time. You may even want to buy a bit extra. Supply chain issues caused by COVID-19 may mean the cardboard, tape, doorstops or floor liners you need are backordered – or might require stops to multiple stores to restock.

• Buy a few cheap doorstops to prop open doors on moving day. Without them, you run the risk of damaging your doors, having someone slam a hand in one or tripping over something else used to prop it open. They're a simple and inexpensive way to solve a potentially painful problem.

• Use plastic or sheets to cover materials that can't be easily cleaning, such as upholstered furniture.

• Creating a move-day system. Write the room the box should go when delivered so you don't have people hauling heavy boxes across the house multiple times. It's also not a bad idea to have one person designated to point everyone where each room is on delivery day. Minimizing the number of people in your home and how long they are there is key to safely moving during the pandemic.

• Don't pack away all your soap, paper towels, hand sanitizer or toilet paper. You'll need them once you make it to your new place.

Once you're in your new home:

• Deep clean first thing. It's much easier to deep clean a house that hasn't been decorated yet. Even if you have to clean around boxes, doing your best to clean fans, vents, flooring, carpets and shelving before everything is arranged will save you time in the long run. Be sure to clean high-touch areas, like doorknobs and faucets, often as you unpack.
• Change out your air filters. It's often not thought about until months after you've finished unpacking, but during a pandemic, it's best to start with fresh filters for you and your family.
• Change the locks. You have no way of knowing who may still have a key to your home, so it's best to switch them out first thing.
• If your home has a security system, make sure the previous owner has disabled service on it, or you may find yourself having to prove the house is yours with an alarm blaring.
• Forward your mail. Sometimes we take for granted the important things we have delivered to us. As soon as you forward your mail, begin switching over the address on all your accounts so you don't miss anything.