2 months before your move:

  • Start calling your local movers! Even if you don’t know the exact details of your move just yet, they are often happy to answer any questions you might have over the phone or even to schedule a walk-through of your home so you don’t run into any surprises come move day.
  • Start going through your home and deciding what needs to go and what doesn’t. Anything that you can get rid of at this point equates to money you’ll save on your move.
  • Stay organized! Keep track of all your moving quotes by keeping them in a “moving binder”. Having all your moving quotes in one place makes it easy to compare between companies.
  • Moving schools can be one of the most stressful parts of a move. If you know where you’re moving, it definitely helps to go to your child’s school and arrange for their records to be transferred to the new school district.

6 weeks before:

    • Start ordering supplies. Even if you’re not sure exactly what you need, start ordering your boxes, packing tape and paper as soon as possible. Even if you don’t buy enough the first time, you’ll have an idea of exactly what it will take to get the job done. You don’t want to run out of supplies the night before your move!
    • If you know the place you’re moving in to, it helps to take measurements of the rooms and passageways in the home. With this you can determine if some pieces of furniture will need special attention to get them where you want them (or help you determine if you want to keep those items at all).

    1 month before:

    • Book your move! The more time you give your mover to plan your move, the more time they have to make sure the trucks and men are available come move day. Be sure to get confirmation of your move day, the agreed upon rates, and any other specifics for your move.
    • Pack! Nothing is more stressful than having an unpacked house before move day. You can start packing the things that you don’t use very often. Anything you can pack now just saves you time and frustration in the coming weeks. Don’t forget to label your boxes! The more specific your labels, the easier it will be to unpack when you’re in your new home.
    • Make the arrangements! Change your address at the local post office. This is usually enough to make sure that your mail and bills are forwarded to the right place, but if possible, it helps to ask a neighbor to keep an eye out for any mail still coming to your old home. Also, don’t forget to notify banks, utilities, credit card companies, or anyone else who might need to know of your move.

    2 weeks before:

    • Reconfirm your arrangements with your moving company. If something was lost in translation, it can still be squared away at this point. Also consider that if you’re moving to another state, most interstate moving companies require 1-2 week notice before the pick-up date. If you’ve had a change of heart and want to go with a different company, now is the time to do it.
    • If you’re moving to a new climate, or if you’re driving your own vehicle long distance, it helps to take your car into the shop to find out what issues you might possibly run into at your new home, or to find out if your car will make the journey with no issues.

    A few days before:

    • Arrange to have your appliances unhooked. Most movers won’t do this for you on move day. If you plan on moving your fridge, remove all the food and defrost it at least 24 hours before move day.
    • It doesn’t hurt to call the moving company again to reconfirm the details! They should be more than happy to do so and to answer any last-minute questions you might have.
    • Make sure you can pay for the move! Most movers will not unload your belongings off their truck before payment has been received. If you can’t pay and they end up having to move your stuff into storage, you can be stuck with a much larger bill than you were planning for.

    Moving Day:

    • Do a "walk through" with your crew leader before anyone touches a box so that they know what goes, what doesn't, and what general order everything should be loaded, saving "last load" items for the back of the truck.
    • If possible, place carpet, floor and door frame protectors before the movers show up.
    • If you’ve hired a good company, almost everything should be taken care of and you should feel like you’re in good hands. With that said, it is still prudent to be vigilant during the entire move process, and pay special attention to the paperwork the movers have you sign on move day. If an inventory is being taken, make sure it is accurate and keep copies for yourself.
    • Always do a final "walk through" with the crew leader to make sure that nothing was left behind.
    • Call your move coordinator to let them know how everything went!