Moving Tips
Packing Tips
Moving Checklist
6 Weeks Before
Questions for the Moving Company
Are on-site estimates offered?
How is Pricing Determined?
Will the movers pack items? If so, at what additional cost?
Request a copy of your signed contract.
Go to protectyourmove.gov to learn more about your rights and responsibilities as you prepare to work with a moving company.
Things to Do:
- Get estimates and hire movers.
- Get estimates and schedule a rental truck.
Make arrangements for school transfers
Ask for doctor & dental referrals. Arrange for transfer of medical and dental records.
- Organize your moving binder to hold all move-related paperwork.
- Create your property binder for your new home.
- Have utilities and phone/internet services disconnected at old home the day after you leave and installed in your new home the day before you arrive.
5 Weeks Before
SORT ITEMS TO KEEP, DONATE, DISCARD, AND SELL.
Things to Do:
- Conduct a room-by-room survey.
- Plan a garage sale.
Start using up food and cleaning supplies.
Schedule carpet cleaning and/ or drapery cleaning.
Start spring-cleaning the house or hire house cleaning.
Have valuable items appraised.
Begin packing items that aren’t used frequently.
4-6 Weeks Before
Mark boxes and furniture With appropriate labels.
Keep a Master Inventory List with the contents of each box.
Things to Do:
- Gather packing supplies including:
- Boxes (Various Sizes; Wardrobe Boxes)
- Box Cutters
- Tape (Packing, Colored Tape, and Blue Painters’)
- Tape Dispenser
- Wrapping Material (Bubble, Plastic, Packing Paper)
- Labels
- Remember to order specialty items like dish boxes, wardrobe boxes and mattress bags if your movers don’t supply
them.
- Fill out change-of-address cards with post office
- If you’re moving locally, put in for vacation time at your job
3 Weeks Before
Arrange to have a cleaning company prepare the new home before you arrive and tidy the old home after you leave if desired.
Scheduling Cancellation for your Utilities
Electricity
Gas
Telephone/Internet
Garbage/Recycling
Cable/Satellite
Things to Do:
- Pack contents of garage, attic, and storage areas.
- Assign a color to each room.
- Label and number each box.
- Make travel arrangements for the move.
- Prepare the new home.
- Cancel all utilities and phone/internet services disconnected in the old home the day after you leave.
- Get the word out to friends and family that you’re moving.
2 Weeks Before
Keep your valuable items separate from your moving boxes and plan to transport them by hand or via a trackable shipping service with insurance.
Installations
Electricity
Gas
Telephone
Internet
Garbage/Recycling
Cable/Satellite
Water/Sewer
Address Changes
Newspaper
Magazines
Bank Accounts
Insurance Policies
Credit Cards
Employer
Landlord/HOA
Things to Do:
- Get valuable paperwork. jewelry. and small family heirlooms.
- Withdraw cash to tip the movers and make sure you have enough cash, checks, or a credit card to pay for unexpected expenses.
- Refrain from doing too much grocery shopping or buying in bulk before the move. Pack the bulk of your items.
- Have utilities and phone/internet services connected and installed in the new home the day before you arrive.
- Transfer prescriptions.
- Change address or cancel. Make a list of businesses you will need to contact in order to change your address.
- Call a locksmith to have your new home’s locks changed on moving day or before.
- Complete a change-of-address form online (usps.com) or at post office.
- Request a relocation package from chamber of commerce of your new town.
1 Week Before
Check with the moving company one last time to confirm arrival time, cell phone numbers and last minute details.
Get each family member to pack a suitcase like they’re going on vacation for 2 weeks. Remember all toiletries and comfortable clothes for Un-packing.
Keep these items accessible
Bedding
Towels
Toiletries
Toilet Paper
Basic Tools
Cleaning Supplies
Medications
Camera
Snacks
Dishes & Utensils
Things to Do:
- Print an information sheet for the movers. Include the old and new addresses, directions & your cell phone number
- Set aside clothing for two weeks. plus a suitcase or more for those items.
- See if you have accumulated anything else in your “donate”, “pitch” or “sell” piles for one last pickup or drop off to your chosen charity.
- Put small valuables and important documents in a box or bag.
- Discard all hazardous materials that can’t be moved in the moving truck.
Create a last-out, first-in box with all day-to-day necessities.
- Back up all computers and have a plan in place for checking email and paying bills online while your computer is in transit, if needed.
- Hire a cleaning company to come in and do a quick clean after the movers leave or schedule a day that you will come back and make sure that everything is clean and in place for the new owners.
3-5 Days Before
- Defrost freezer.
- Empty ice maker and ice cube trays ( turn off ice maker).
- Clean fridge, stove, and oven.
- Make travel arrangements for the move.
- Prepare the new home.
- Close out safe deposit box.
- Confirm arrival time of movers.
- Confirm pick-up time of rental truck.
- Have payment, water, and snacks ready for movers.
- Gather and clean outdoor furniture.
- Return cable box, cable modem, DSL, if necessary.
- Organize keys.
- Finish cleaning house.
- Prepare food for moving day.
- Finish packing.
Moving Day(s)
Leaving Your Old Home…
- Do a walk-through before movers arrive to make sure everything is packed.
- Disassemble beds.
- Make sure there are no items left behind.
- Give keys to the real estate agent or landlord.
- Arrange for someone to direct the movers at your new home.
Arriving at Your New Home…
- Check items off the inventory list as they are unloaded.
- Inspect for damages.
- Test faucets, toilets, utilities, phones. smoke detectors, and security systems.
- Turn on water heater if necessary.
- Begin to unpack.
- Change Address: Drivers License/ID, Voter Registration, Auto Registration, Insurance Policies, etc.