Moving is overwhelming, exciting, scary… all of the emotions. Whether you’re downsizing, upsizing, moving across the state or even the country, this moving checklist will help you so you don’t miss a thing!
Research Moving Options
Make sure you have a moving plan set early enough in the process so you aren’t scrambling at the end. If you’re moving somewhere nearby, maybe the best and easiest option is to recruit some friends and family, load up a moving truck and unload at your new home. If you’re moving out of state or your busy schedule doesn’t accommodate for you to do it yourself, then hiring a moving company or using a company like PODS may be what makes the most sense for you. Whatever it may be, lock something in place so you know you can get from point A to point B with the least amount of stress. Make sure to get quotes from different companies, especially if you are hiring professional movers. Being in the business and moving to a new state myself, I have been victim to and witnessed horrible moving experiences. Talk to different companies, get quotes, read reviews and do as much research as you can.
Start to gather boxes, packaging and any moving supplies. If you have a neighborhood online group anywhere, ask neighbors for any boxes. You can usually get quite a few and not have to buy too many.
Tip: a lot of moving companies charge per box so try to use larger boxes rather than tons of small boxes. This could make it cheaper and will make loading and unloading quicker.
Purge Your Unnecessary Items
Packing up your entire life is a daunting task. Use this time to simultaneously go through the things that have piled up over the years. The less you have to pack, the less you have to UNPACK when you get there. Donate your gently used items, canned food items that have been in the back of the pantry and any items that you just don’t have the use for anymore.
As Your Approach Moving Day
As you get closer to your moving day, call your utility companies to cancel their services. Make sure they don’t cancel service until the day that you move out, and the new owners should have things set up in their names already to have it start for them that same day. You will also want to make sure that you have called to get home insurance for your new place. If you’re purchasing a home, your lender will require this anyways, but just so you are aware beforehand. Again, you will want your policy to start for the day you move in, not any prior.
Make sure you have your essentials with you in case you need it. If something is packed up in boxes and in a truck, who knows when you will be able to access it. Create a list of the items you will need to have accessible. You may want to hire cleaners or do a deep clean of the place yourself, we don’t want the new Buyers to come back and say it isn’t clean enough during their final walkthrough. You will most likely need to patch large holes so be prepared to do that or hire a handyman if you have a few small fixes.
There’s so much to think about when it comes to moving, we can’t even cover it all in one go! If you want a more detailed list or more helpful tips, let us know. Our company provides some really great resources that we are always happy to share.