Home

Moving Companies

Car Transport

Moving Storage
    Containers
    Portable Storage

Moving Truck Rental

Moving Supplies

Moving Tips
    Packing Tips
    Moving Checklist
    Moving Boxes
    Announcements
    Utilities

Favorite Links

Site Map

BIO ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vivian Cragg is a veteran at moving. She has been left behind by her husband 18 times to move their house while her husband starts his new job. She has used both professional moving companies and done it herself with the help of day laborers. This article is part of the information she learned during the last 30 years of following her husband and taking care of their move.

Home Moving Checklist

You’ve found your new home and now the fun begins!! Let’s take a look at the timeframe we need to get things going. Most moving guides say you should start planning your move 6 weeks before your move-in day. Decide what stays and what to leave behind. Give anything you want away and then have a garage sale. If you don’t want to go through this process, contact the Salvation Army, or other charitable organizations.

Moving Company

Normally two days before you move the moving company will begin to load your items on their van. Be sure to be available on moving day. Accompany the movers in taking an inventory of what your boxes are and be sure they are noted on your Bill of Lading. Remember to get a signed copy of the Bill of Lading. Before the moving van leaves, take one last look in your home.

Important People to Contact

Fill out change of address forms. Give out your new address to anyone that may need it. Such as family, friends, insurance companies, magazine subscriptions, credit card companies, bank, etc.

Companies to contact are: utility companies (electric, gas, water, trash, telephone, cable) Three weeks before you leave arrange to have your utilities shut off and bills forwarded to your new location.

Get records from: school, doctor, dentists, and veterinarians

Insurance companies must be contacted so you can get new rates for your vehicle, medical, homeowners and life.

Be sure all of your important papers are hand carried, such as, insurance, house deeds, jewelry appraisals, stocks, registration and will.

Hopefully your bank is available at your new location so you don’t have to open a new account. You will still need to advise them so you can have a new home bank. A week before you move, transfer all bank accounts to your new one. If you have a safety deposit box, empty the contents at this time.

Remember to cancel any newspapers being delivered. Contact your moving company to make arrangements for payment. By this time you should have decided on a moving company or moving yourself.

Get your vehicle ready for transporting; whether you drive it yourself or decide to have a vehicle transporter take it.

Clean your freezer and refrigerator. Start using your freezer items so when you leave you will not have to dispose of too many items.

Make sure your plants are properly packed. Water them and place them in a plastic bag then put in a box so they don’t roll all over the place.

Essentials

It’s a good idea to remove items on your furniture that might fall off and place them in a container. Items such as mirrors, art work, etc. should have all the hardware to re-hang taped on the backside of each item. You could also just keep all these items together. This way you will not have to try and locate them later. Be sure to wind all electrical wires up and tape them to the side of the unit.

What to do with Children

It is important to keep them as informed as possible. This is hard enough on parents, can you imagine what your children are going through. Make your children realize that this is a new adventure and a lot of fun things are in store. Keep them involved. Have them pack their toys (obviously not everything, but their most precious items) and have them write their names on the boxes.

One idea is to have a friend keep your children. Make it a play day for them. This way you will not have to be focused on the children and their safety. The only negative is that they may feel sad that they didn’t get to say “goodbye” to their home. Another option is to get a babysitter to take care of the children. This way you can have piece of mind that they are all right and they will not be under foot. If you choose not to have them away from you, give them an idea of what the day will be like. This will make it less traumatic when they start seeing their house empty.

And Your Pets

Pets are a little easier, fortunately they love you no matter what. Be sure though to have their regular food. We tried taking our min-pin on a road trip and decided to give him “treats” my goodness was it hard to break him of that. So for your own sake, be sure to give them their regular food and take plenty of water with you.

Be sure to visit your veterinarian and get all of their records. Make sure all of their shots are up-to-date. Also carry an extra copy of the records, in case of an emergency. If you are traveling with your pet, be sure to talk with your veterinarian so he can give you recommendations on how to make their trip more comfortable. Airlines like at several weeks notice (more if you can) if you are going to carry a pet. Most carriers will require a $75 fee, so make sure you ask what the extra charges will be. If you are traveling with a cat, be sure to keep them in their moving carrier, they will feel safer and will do much better.

If you choose not to deal with carrying your pet, there are always animal transport services available.

Delivery Day

On delivery day, make sure you are there to receive your shipment. You will need to pay the driver for any balances due. Normally with cashiers check, cash or whatever you decided upon earlier. Keep track of the items coming off the van. If you have any discrepancies, let the driver know at that time. Having a floor plan available at the entrance of your new home will be helpful for placement of furniture. Since you will not be able to direct everything, make sure your family helps out. Give everyone a room assignment, it will make things go smoother and everyone will feel involved.

Supplying water for everyone is a good idea, especially during the summer months. Tipping the movers is a very nice touch after a long day for them. We recommend $50 per mover plus $100 for the supervising mover. It’s not mandatory but a nice touch.

Have a wonderful life in your new home and remember to create lots of memories.

BIO ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vivian Cragg is a veteran at moving. She has been left behind by her husband 18 times to move their house while her husband starts his new job. She has used both professional moving companies and done it herself with the help of day laborers. This article is part of the information she learned during the last 30 years of following her husband and taking care of their move.