Moving guide and checklist to organize your move
Whether your move is inspired by a great job offer in a new city, a growing family, an empty nest, or a desire to upgrade your house, moving is inherently busy, complex and stressful.
This moving guide will show you what to consider at each stage of the moving process so you can make the best decisions for your situation and budget. Use the timeline at the end of the guide to stay on track.
Selling your home
Before moving into a new home, most people first need to sell their existing house. It’s often very difficult to time the selling of your current house with the purchase of your next house because of market demand, seasonality, and life events. We’re making this easier, allowing you to trade-in your home so you can buy and sell in one seamless experience.
Timeline
The earlier you can start to prepare for your move, the better. The first thing you should do is create a timeline for your move. Experts suggest two months is ideal, but circumstances (like a new job or selling an existing home) can influence timing. Use the timeline at the end of this article as a starting point, and add in other things specific to your situation as needed.
Budget
No matter how you do it, moving is not cheap. It’s helpful to develop a moving budget. This is especially critical if a new employer is not footing the bill. You’ll have to decide how much of the moving work you want to outsource versus how much you can do yourself to keep expenses manageable. Your biggest cost will be related to transporting your stuff from your old house to your new home.
Local Moving Guide
Do you plan to keep EVERYTHING that is in your current home?
Moving is a wonderful time to refresh your home’s decor. If you have a substantial number of items you’d like to get rid of, consider a yard or garage sale. Many neighborhoods do group Yard Sales to maximize traffic. If you don’t have many items, have unsold items from your yard sale, or would rather not spend a Saturday schlepping your belongings out in the yard- consider donating to a local or national non profit. Many of them offer pick up services and it is a tax deduction
Time to get boxes, tape, and padding supplies!.
If you will be packing yourself, it’s time to get started. But you can’t pack if you don’t have supplies will provide some complimentary boxes to customers. If you’re not using a professional mover, try a big box hardware store or department store. You can also occasionally find free boxes on Craigslist, Facebook groups, or at yard sales. Be careful to only use good, strong boxes in decent condition – moving boxes aren’t just to help transport your items, but to protect them, too.
Plan out your new living space. This is a great way to reduce your stress on moving day. First, measure your furniture: couch, chairs, TV stand, bookcases, bed, dressers. Then take a tape measure to your new home and plan out where you will place your main furniture pieces. By measuring the space and large furniture ahead of time, you’ll be able to direct the move teams (or your friends and family) without hesitation, making for a faster, easier moving day.
Start getting familiar with your new community. Request information on schools, community programs, parks and recreation from the local Chamber of Commerce.
All travel arrangements (hotel, flights, car rental, etc.) for your family should be made at this time. Try to keep your plan flexible as possible to accommodate any schedule changes or delays.
If your move is job related, you should keep all receipts for moving related expenses in a designated moving folder. Many moving expenses are tax deductible if related to a new or current job, even if they don’t offer you a relocation package.
Finalize all real estate and rental needs. Make sure you have a copy of the signed lease, and all the related documents you need.
Contact your insurance agent to transfer medical, property, fire and auto insurance. This can also be done ahead of time- sometimes the auto insurance premiums fluctuate based on your new address and commute to work.
All medical and dental records should be placed in a safe and accessible place. Be sure to include prescription, vaccination records and eyeglass specifications.
Plan on taking all important documents, such as wills, stock certificates, and other one of a kind items (jewelry, coin collection, photos etc.).
The Most Epic Moving Checklist in the History of Moving
Let’s face it, moving is stressful. That’s why we’ve created an epic moving checklist to help you stay on track. With some direction and this 8-week checklist for your upcoming move, you’ll be sure to have everything done between now and the big day, leaving you plenty of time to celebrate.
It’s important for you to plan for every aspect of your move. The good news? We’ve got you covered. We won’t lie–there’s a lot to do to prepare. Yet, you’ll be thankful you started early and had this epic moving checklist to ensure you stay on top of your to-do list.
- Create a digital “moving” folder on Google Drive or Dropbox.
Take pictures with your phone of quotes, receipts, and records related to your move and store them in an online storage system such as Google Drive or Dropbox. You’re not going to be able to remember all of the details, so throw them in a document for easy reference.
- Schedule in-home estimates with a moving company.
Get at least three estimates, if you can. If you’re doing a DIY move, check out our free discount with Penske.
- Create a budget for moving expenses.
We know you want to hire professional movers, buy that new sectional and wine fridge, but priorities, right?
- Read over documents from your movers before signing anything.
Learn about the documents you’ll be receiving ahead of time to avoid getting intimidated by contracts. We can’t emphasize enough how important this is, there’s a reason it’s #4 on our list.
- Request time off work for moving day.
If you can, plan to take off and move on a Friday. That gives you the rest of the weekend to get yourself organized. Nice tip, right?
- Choose a school for your kids.
Need a little help in the research department? Great Schools can help you choose the best school in your area.
- Request transcripts for your kids from their current school for their new school.
Regardless of how far you are moving, the new school your child attends will need these. Arrive prepared so your kid(s) don’t get left behind.
- Plan a garage sale.
Then, donate anything left that you couldn’t sell.
- Plan how to move fragile or unusual items, such as guns, pianos, fine art, pool tables, safes, etc.
The movers you hire may not be qualified to move some larger (or more expensive) items, so you may need to hire a specialty mover. Make sure you’re aware of exactly what the movers you hired will and will not move.
- Confirm your moving company is licensed and insured by verifying their Department of Transportation number (also referred to as a DOT number).
You have enough to think about when moving, make sure worrying about whether your belongings are safe isn’t one of them.
How To Move Locally – A Complete Comprehensive Guide
Whether you are moving locally or long distance, one thing is for sure, nobody likes to move for a hobby. You could be moving for different reasons like a better job, promotion or starting a new life with your partner. Whatever the reason is, each one of us has to go through the moving process at least once in our life. This is why you need to know the answers to basic questions like how to move locally or long distance. With this guide, learn the different modes of moving locally and a few tips to move without breaking the bank
Know the Different Modes on How to Move Locally DIY (Do-it-yourself) Moving
The best things about moving house locally, especially if it is a small move, is that you can call on family, friends and even your neighbors to help you out with the move. This is probably the cheapest way to move locally. You are only moving a few miles from your current home so you can ask your friends and family to come along with their cars, or loan a truck from your friend (if you can find one) to help move some of our moving boxes. Plan a lovely meal in the evening, like a house-warming party and you might be able to convince them to even help you unpack!
Moving with a Truck Rentals
The most obvious thought when you think about how to move locally, especially if you have lots of stuff, is to hire movers to do it. Isn’t that what we all do? Well, if you are moving locally, you do have some options. You can rent a moving truck and drive it to your new location yourself. You will have to do all the grunt work yourself like packing, loading and unloading the truck. To help you out, you can either enlist the help of your friends or hire moving labor. While this method is not easy but it will certainly help you save substantially.
Moving Containers
Another “do it yourself” moving category option that you have is renting Moving Containers for your move. These companies offer “You load, we drive” service, which means you will still have to pack, load and unload the container, but you don’t have to manage driving the heavily loaded container. The company will pick it up from your old home and deliver it to your new place.
Hiring Professional Local Movers
The most stress-free and easy way of moving is by hiring professional local moving companies. They have all the equipment and well-trained movers who know how to deal with all your moving requirements while taking care of your belongings. You can choose to hire full-service movers who will handle all your moving tasks from packing to loading to unloading and unpacking. All you will have to do is direct the movers as per your requirements.
However, if you are on a budget, you can choose to handle moving tasks like packing yourself while hiring local movers only to load, move and unload your stuff to your new house. You can also customize your move by handling a few of the moving tasks yourself and asking the movers to complete the rest. In any case, here are a few moving services that local movers offer:
Professional packing, proper labeling and unpacking
Disassembly and assembly of heavy furniture items
Handling fragile items with Care
Moving truck and transport
Safety and Insurance
Moving special items like a piano, pool table etc.,
Additional services like flight services, long haul services, hoisting services, handyman services etc as per your moving needs.
Storage services
Local Moving Guide & Checklist
Nothing make a move easier than being prepared and organized. If you are like most people, you haven’t moved in a while and don’t even know where to start. Since our mission is always to make everyone’s big life transitions as easy as possible- we have created a Local Moving Guide and a Local Move Checklist Planner to give you all you need to prepare for your best relocation ever!
Think of the time frames on this Local Moving Guide as deadlines- if you are able to work ahead of time; do it! Being ahead will only take more stress and pressure off you to be ahead than it will to be working on things at the last possible moment. This is especially true in peak moving season, which runs from late spring to early autumn. The more advance notice you can give your mover, the more likely they will be in accommodating the move day you want. Many of the country’s top moving companies are booked over a month in advance, in busy/ peak season. Don’t wait until the last minute and get stuck with the only mover in town with availability left on their schedule.
Once your move is complete- take your time settling in. You likely could use a break and making rash decisions when settling in will result in a disorganized home. Think on where the items were placed in your old home. Did it work well in that location or was it always just a bit ‘off’? Be aware that you may want to try a few locations for things before fully committing to it- like for artwork or which cabinet you keep your plates in. Unpack most commonly used items first, give them a ‘home’ in the most convenient and accessible locations- and work from there. You’ll be all settled in and loving your new space in no time