- As soon as you know the contractual date for assuming possession of the home, start calling moving companies to check availability, to compare prices and to set up estimate visits.
- Notify your utility, telephone, and cable or satellite companies and newspaper delivery about canceling or transferring service, and the effective date.
- Fill out a change of address card at your local post office, or complete one online at the United States Postal Service website www.usps.com. Change the address on all your bills, magazines, and any other regular mail. Send changes of address cards to family, friends, and service providers.
- Start collecting or purchasing packing boxes, tape, markers, paper, and filler material.
- If you are moving out of town, be sure to request medical, dental, and school records to take with you.
- Donate unwanted clothes and household items to charity.
- Dispose of flammables that can’t be transported, such as cleaning fluids, marches, acids, weed control and other poisons, partially used cans of oil, paint and thinner, as well as other combustibles, Drain fuel from power lawn mowers and any other machinery to be moved. Discard the propane tanks used with barbecue grills.
- Get a written appraisal for any valuable or antique items to verify the value.
- Prepare your pets…decide how and when you will transport them, how they will be contained on moving day, and leave out food, water bowls, and leashes to take with you.
- Be sure to take a box with you that contains the family’s bedding, pillows, towels and medicines to be used on the first night. Also take a box with paper goods, soap, light bulbs, and household cleaning items.
- Pack a file of important papers to keep with you, such as birth and marriage certificates, bank records, closing papers and insurance policies.
- Leave some of your children’s favorite toys, games and books unpacked so they’ll have things to play with when they first arrive.
- Take some maps of your new area.
- Check your homeowner insurance to see what kind of coverage you have during the move and determine if you need to purchase extra coverage from the moving company
Packing Tips
- Try not to pack more than 50 pounds into any single box
- Mark boxes clearly with the corresponding room in the new house, and list the contents on the outside of the box. Be sure to indicate whether the contents are fragile or heavy.
- Use strong, solid boxes that can be closed and taped tightly. Tape the tops and bottoms of all boxes.
- Cushion contents with filler material like newspaper, packing paper, shredded paper, tissue, bubble wrap, and Styrofoam pieces. Wrap breakable items individually. You can also use towels sheets and blankets for wrapping and padding items.
- Styrofoam picnic plates can be inserted between china plates for cushioning.
- Pack books in small boxes…they can be very heavy.
- It’s usually best to fill boxes and cartons completely, but without overstuffing, to keep the contents from shifting in transport.
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