Moving can be stressful but if you plan ahead, it can actually go a lot easier than you expected. If you’ve got the time, start now by planning at least six weeks in advance. Many people don’t have the luxury of six weeks unless your home is been on the market for a while and you can prepare now even before you have an offer. Let’s start with this six-week checklist for moving into a new home.
Six weeks before moving.
If you have the luxury of six weeks start now by walking through your home and creating three lists: items are taking, things your leave behind, and those you haven’t decided on yet. If you’re paying a mover, you’ll need to take stock of all of your belongings and provide the moving company with a general idea of how much stuff you have.
Contact movers and get estimates. More people move in the spring and summer than any other time of the year so get in early and reserve your truck and moving company ahead of time.
If you have school-age children, now is the time to prepare the transfer if necessary. Contact both schools and find out information that you may need to pull kids out of one district and put them into another.
Five weeks before moving.
Start collecting packing supplies. One of the nice things about packing is that you can use a lot of your own items for dual purposes. Rapid dishes in your own linens and towels and start collecting bubble wrap, packing paper, and boxes.
Start listing things for sale or donating items. If you’ve made a decision on the items that you’re not going to keep, consider selling or donating them.
Four weeks before moving.
With about a month before you are moving, you should have a closing date or a lease start date for your new home. As soon as this information is available, contact removers and provide them with the right details so the team can get a more accurate moving estimate.
Reserve or book your moving truck whether you are moving yourself or with the moving company.
Start packing up her room by room with the items you know you won’t need until you get to the next house. Be sure to label every box with the items and the room in which those items belong.
Schedule shut off and set up of utilities. Many utility companies ask for at least one month notice if possible. Be sure to schedule the turnoff for after you have fully moved out of your home and not the morning of. When you’re setting up new utilities, many places will not let you set it up until the previous owner have turned it off. But contact them anyway to find out their policy.
Three weeks before moving.
Reserve any parking spaces that you’ll need or contact neighbors and let them know you’ll be having a moving truck in the neighborhood.
Two weeks before moving.
Go through the house and spackle in the nail holes, remove things from the wall, and start cleaning up baseboards, trim, and the little details to make the house as move-in ready as possible.
One week before moving.
Pack everything that you don’t need for the next week. Keep a week’s worth of clothes and enough kitchen utensils to make meals that are needed for the next week.
Donate any items that didn’t sell in a garage sale or that you know that you are not taking.
Check for major events in the area. The last thing you want is for the route you had planned to be closed due to a festival or road construction.
The day before moving.
Confirm with the movers and confirm a key pick up to your new place.
Clean everything. Whether you’re leaving a rental or your own house, it’s important to leave the home as clean as you possibly can.
Moving day.
Clean as you go or let the cleaners in. Clearing out one room and then cleaning it and shutting the door is the best way to completely clear out of the house.
Let the movers in, take out the trash, and finish packing or let the movers do it for you.
