Planning Your Move

A Guide for Planning Your Move

Planning Your Move – Two Months Prior to Moving Day

• Begin to remove clutter (start with the basement, attic, garage, and other storage areas).
• Start a file for all your moving paperwork (estimates, receipts, etc.).
• Arrange to transfer school records.
• Choose a mover (or truck rental company).
• Get your new home ready. Contact painters, carpenters, plumbers, roofers, etc. so your new home is ready when you arrive.
• Remember to change the locks on all the doors in your new home.

Six Weeks Prior To Moving Day

• Subscribe to the paper in your new hometown to learn more about your new community.
• Make arrangements for storage if necessary.
• Ask your doctor or health plan provider for referrals and obtain all medical records.
• Clean all closets and drawers.
• Use food and cleaning supplies that cannot be moved.
• Create a floor plan of your new home for furniture and appliance placement.

Four Weeks Prior to Moving Day

• Schedule disconnection of all utility services to your old home, and connection of them at your new one. Be sure to disconnect the day before you arrive. If you have “last month” deposits with the services, such as the telephone company, request your refunds.
  If you are packing yourself, obtain packing materials and start packing items you won’t need until after you arrive at your new house.
• Arrange for cleaning and repair of furniture, drapes, and carpeting.
• Arrange for special transportation of your pets and plants if necessary.
• Check with your insurance company to see how your possessions are covered during transit.
• Collect your important records. Gather personal and family records, including medical and dental, veterinary and school records,
• legal and financial documents, birth certificates, passports and insurance.

Three Weeks Prior to Moving Day

• Properly dispose of items that cannot be moved.
• For apartment moves, arrange for use of an elevator.
• Make child-care arrangements for moving day.
• Take animals to vet for immunization, if necessary.
• Hold your moving sale.

One Week Prior to Moving Day

• Confirm date and time with your moving company.
• Provide moving company with new phone number.
• Remove fragile and loose items from drawers.
• Notify gas company to schedule disconnection of gas dryers and stoves.
• Start moving precious items (e.g. plants, unpacked electronics, figurines, etc.).
• Pack a travel kit. Put aside critical items like a checkbook, credit cards, personal phone book, ID, flashlight, keys, toiletries, tools, paper plates, cups, towels, travel alarm clock, aspirin, bandages, pet food and games for the kids. Also, pack a suitcase with clothing and other personal items.
• Settle any bills with local businesses.
• Find new home for plants that will not be moved.
• Arrange disposal of anything not sold at moving sale.
• Schedule cancellation of newspaper delivery.
• Service your car for the move. If you’re moving from a warm climate to a cold one, check your antifreeze.
• For front loading washers, locate the bolt that came with the washer to stabilize the washer drum during the move. If unable to find the bolt, purchase another bolt from local appliance store to stabilize the drum during the move.
• Transfer prescriptions and be sure you have an adequate supply of medications on hand.
• Return any borrowed items and retrieve loaned items.
• Obtain and fill out post office change-of-address card.
• Be prepared to pay your move with cash, certified check, or traveler’s check unless other arrangements have been made in advance. If paying cash, withdraw enough to cover the move. People often forget they have daily withdrawal limits on ATM’s.

One Day Prior To Moving Day

• For front loading washers, install stabilizing bolt.
• Check your belongings carefully and note on the inventory paperwork any damaged items.
• On an interstate move, be prepared to pay the driver before your possessions are unloaded.
• Assemble files to leave the new owner of your home
• Transfer your bank accounts.
• Close and empty your safe deposit box.
• Drain power equipment of oil/gas. Drain water hoses.
• Confirm any travel reservations.
• Defrost freezer, propping doors open.
• Let movers pack your belongings.
• Disconnect and prepare major appliances for move.
• Set aside anything that will not travel in the truck(s). 
• Pack a box of items that will be needed first at the new house. Clearly mark the box “Load Last.”

Moving Day

• Note all utility meter readings.
• Read your bill of loading and inventory carefully before signing. Keep this paperwork in a safe place.
• Supervise unloading and unpacking.