Moving Checklist
Get a moving quote from us now. When you make the decision to move, the clock starts clicking to your moving day.
But don’t worry, we can help. This is a handy checklist of major accomplishments you should tackle before you move.
The tasks to accomplish further from moving day might seem trivial now, but staying on schedule will help you avoid last minute headaches. Time will be at a premium on the days right before your move, so be diligent in checking off these tasks.
This is the time to start strategically planning your move, step-by-step, to alleviate the stress of last-minute packing and planning.
Your Move
- Get quotes from at least three moving companies, and make sure they do in-home assessments so your quote is as accurate as possible. Talk to family and friends for recommendations, or get free moving quote.
- Determine how many packing supplies you’ll need, and designate a room where you can begin to store and organize them and other items that will assist you in your move.
- Research your new community and schools so you know as much as possible before you move.
- Got enough people to drive your cars to your new home? It not, you’ll need a car mover.
- Get an appraisal on your expensive items so you can insure them for your move.
- If you are being transferred by work, understand your company’s moving policy.
- Pare down — use up, sell, recycle or donate anything you don’t want to move. Make it a family project.
- Make a moving folder or booklet — include an inventory of your household items with a video or photos.
- Check with you mover to confirm all the details of the move are set. If you are packing on your own, make the proper arrangements and get the right supplies.
- Make the arrangements to connect and disconnect your cable, internet, electric and any other services you currently use and arranged for service at your new home. Dealing with this at an earlier date will prevent any date and time conflicts you may incur.
- If you need new blinds, curtains or furniture for your new home, buy them now and arrange it so they arrive at your new home when your things do.
- Start planning where things will go in your new home.
- Create an inventory of your stuff so that you can compare against the moving company’s list to ensure you don’t lose anything in the move. It’s also a good aid in determining how much moving insurance you need.
- Are you taking appliances? If so, draw up a plan for how to handle them.
- Get a head start on your packing by packing things that you won’t need before the move, like seasonal items such as summer sporting gear.
- Arrange childcare and pet care for the day of your move, or think about a “safe” room they can be during the move itself so they’re out of the way.
- Begin cleaning any rooms in your house that have been emptied, such as closets, basements or attics, and check to make sure you did not leave anything unpacked.
- Moving plants? Check on their special moving needs.
- Make arrangements to clean your new home, and the home you’re moving out of. Also, arrange for any services for your new home that will be easier to do before your things arrive: carpet-cleaning, wood floor cleaning, painting, etc.
Your Records
- Find pharmacies in your new town that you can transfer your family’s prescriptions over to. Make sure you have enough required medication in case you don’t locate a new pharmacist/doctor immediately.
- Organize important documents — will, passport, deeds, financial statements — to carry with you when move; make copies that you can pack with your household goods, but carry the originals with you.
- Contact or visit your local Post Office to obtain a Change of Address form. You can also obtain this form online at the Postal Service Web site.
- Give a change of address to the following: Banks, schools, friends & family, insurance company, doctors and specialists, cell phone company, credit card companies, and magazine and newspaper subscriptions. Read Moving Black Book: The People Your Should Tell.
- You may have to switch banks because your current bank doesn’t have branches in your new town. Investigate the popular banks in the area you will be living in so that you can close and open new bank accounts as needed.
- Check the requirements for a new driver’s license and complete auto registration at your new motor vehicle location.
- If you will be making an international move, make sure your passport is up to date and has not expired. Passports generally take three weeks to process.
- Let service providers — landscapers, cleaning services — know you’re moving, and look for new ones in your new hometown.
Your Family and Pets
- Is your pet ready for the move? Make sure you have transportation arranged, and that you have someone who can watch the pet during the move. Also, make sure the pet is up to date on its shots.
Quick Tips
- Collect valuable items such as jewelry or heirlooms and keep them separate from the rest of your packed belongings so you don’t risk losing them.
- Return any borrowed items, such as library books, and collect any clothing that you may have taken to be dry-cleaned.
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