THE
(ULTIMATE) MOVING CHECK LIST
~~Find out as much as possible about the new
location, use networking first. Ask
everyone you know, preferably by email, if they have any contacts there that
they could put you in touch with. If
you have no contacts, call churches that you might attend & ask them for
area recommendations. Call police
& fire stations (NON-emergency lines) & ask the people who answer to
give you recommendations “off the record”. Call clubs that you might join
like scouts, hobby groups, or sports programs.
Call the libraries. In
other words, whenever you speak with ANYONE in the area, ask him or her for
recommendations. Check for
welcome wagon programs. See if
you can find email/snail mail pen pals for yourself and your children.
~~Do an Internet search to look for area web sites,
usually entering the town & state will do it (e.g. “Fort-Collins-Colorado”).
Use national web sites like real estate companies, neighborhood info,
crime checks, environmental info, that might have sections on the local area.
http://www.homeadvisor.com
covers just about everything & is a good place to start. For environmental
issues go to http://www.scorecard.org
.
~~What should you be asking about?
Which of the following are good & which should be avoided:
churches (ask if they have tapes of services to help you decide which
ones you might like to attend), neighborhoods, schools, medical facilities,
grocery stores, recreation spots, clubs, doctors, vets/boarding, mechanics/car
dealers, repairmen, real estate agents (some companies have referral services
like USAA insurance that may help you find an honest agent), stores, jobs,
restaurants, babysitters (& regulations on child care), dentists,
orthodontists, streets, maids, gardeners, insurance agents, tax preparers,
financial advisors/banks, barbers/beauty salons, seamstresses, dry cleaners,
car wash, music teachers, radio stations, & anything else you can think
of. Whenever you call anyone, ask if they have a welcome/info
packet that they can send you. Use
http://www.infospace.com to get needed
numbers.
~~Many newspapers now have online versions, start
reading the local paper. If
necessary order a printed version. Ask
about “Best of” or “Readers’ Choice” results, where the community
votes for the places/people they like best in town every year, another good
source for reliable info. Also
call the phone company to order a phone book for the new location.
.
8 WEEKS BEFORE MOVE
~~If you will be selling or renting out your current
home, contact a real estate agent/rental manager. If you are renting, notify your landlord of your estimated
departure date. If you are
selling/renting out your own home, make a list of any repairs/improvements
that need to be done before you move & schedule them in.
If you are renting, make a list of things YOU need to repair AND a list
to give your landlord of things you think need to be repaired/improved after
you move out. If renting/in
military quarters find out what kind of cleaning will be expected upon your
departure (e.g. no sense in cleaning carpets if they will be replaced).
~~Start getting estimates from moving companies, but
stick to the national companies to protect yourself from possible fraud.
Read ALL fine print. If
you are military, contact the Transportation Office.
Schedule movers.
~~Make appointments for ANY medical, dental, vet,
vaccination, or eye services that can be done before the move.
This is especially important if you are retiring from the military, or
services will cost more at the new location.
~~Then get copies of medical, dental, & school
records for every family member. Get
copies of vet records. Make sure
that all vaccination info for family and pets is up to date.
Ask offices for any recommendations they may have for the new area.
~~Request letters from all utilities that you
currently use (electric, gas, oil, water, phone, etc) to present to the next
utility company. The letters
should state that you were a customer for “X” number of years and always
paid your bills on time. Most
utilities will waive deposits if you present such a letter when signing up for
new service. At the same time,
give the current companies an estimated departure date.
Make sure you have things closed out & shut off AS SOON as you are
out the door, so you won’t be stuck with someone else’s charges.
~~Check out what you may need to purchase for new
location & if they have stores that will carry what you need.
This is particularly important if you are going overseas or to a remote
area, where things may be unavailable or more expensive.
Will you need a new appliance, transformers for overseas, a new winter
coat that may cost twice as much in the new location, a long hose to get warm
water from the kitchen sink to the washer in the laundry room (yes, really),
carpets, furniture, etc. If you
are military, ask for a sponsor & check with them on it.
And don’t forget to BE a sponsor when you have the opportunity to
return the favor.
~~Update/Renew passports, driver’s licenses,
military ID’s, DEERS, car registrations/inspections. Arrange for sale or storage of autos, boats, or other large
items if necessary. Notify
insurance companies & see if any policy changes need to be made.
~~If going to a country with a different language
than your own, start foreign language lessons either from a class, a tutor, or
tapes (I highly recommend “The Learnables” programs at http://www.learnables.com
, best foreign language program I have ever encountered).
Don’t be an “ugly American”, in most countries if you even
attempt to speak their language they will be more than happy to help you.
Learn about the customs of the country (e.g. insulting to leave tip on
table in German restaurants, insulting to pat children on the head in Korea,
etc).
~~Schedule house-hunting trips, in most cases you can
get the best deals by going through travel agents.
Best day to have them making reservations for the best prices…Wednesdays.
If you will not have a street address right away when you move, get a
post office box while you are in the area.
Once you have a confirmed address, get a new driver’s license, car
registration, voter registration
(absentee if necessary), weapon registration, pet registration, and business
registrations if needed. Take
room measurements of new house to help plan location of possessions after
move. Check with utility
companies for bill averages for prospective homes, they may be giving you a
low rent because the insulation is poor & utilities are high.
~~Get a power of attorney for your spouse if they need to handle things on their own. If you will both be out of the country, get a power of attorney for a trusted friend or relative to act on your behalf stateside. This is also a good time to make sure wills are up to date, again, especially if you are retiring.
~~Get CERTIFIED copies of all important documents in current location: marriage licenses, divorce decrees, birth certificates, naturalization/immigration papers, car titles, etc.
~~Make sure transportation office AND movers have correct date in their appointment books. If going overseas get info on any briefings that need to be attended, shipping cars/pets, etc. Regarding weapons, w/the difficulty in shipping weapons to/from different countries, you might consider leaving them with a family member/friend to avoid hassles. NEVER put them with your packed household goods.
6 WEEKS BEFORE
MOVE
~~DECLUTTER YOUR HOME!! Need some motivation? Read Clutter’s Last Stand by Don Aslett http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0898791375/makeanote/105-4702392-5363928 The more you have, the more work it will be to move and to have, and the worse it will look. Sell or give away items that you decide to get rid of.
~~Use all the info you have collected to see if you need to put household goods in storage. Most companies will give you ways to estimate weight. Avoid putting things into storage as much as possible, even if it means paying for shipping if you can afford it. We often hear of things being damaged in storage, either by water or what looks like USE in some cases.
~~Get cleaning estimates for current home to be done after you move out.
~~Plan actual trip, make reservations (military lodging, discount motels, national parks, RV parks, etc) or see if you can work in visits with friends/relatives along the way. If you have pets, most motels will allow you to keep them in the room with you IN A KENNEL even if they don’t normally allow pets. They also will need to be reassured that you will pick up after them and PLEASE DO. If they don’t allow pets they will often refer you to a boarding business. To find facilities that allow pets go to http://www.petswelcome.com . A good estimate of how far you can get during a certain amount of driving time is an average of 50 mph, no matter what the speed limits are.
~~Join auto clubs that provide strip maps & motel
discounts, it is usually well worth the membership fee.
The strip maps that they provide will usually be a lot less cumbersome
than those you can print for free through web sites.
The tour books will include things like whether pets are allowed &
prices. Order strip maps & tour books. On the actual trip try to leave early in the morning after
breakfast, stop at a motel w/pool or playground (if you have kids) around 3pm,
relax/swim/play, get some dinner, go to bed & start all over again.
Try to stop every hour or so for kids & encourage them to run up
& down at the rest stops to burn off some energy.
~~Call your local friends/family & make
dates/appointments to get together with them before you move.
If you schedule it in, you won’t run out of time later.
Try to get together with more than one person at once, people who know
each other, to allow you more time for last minute move preparations.
Try to make these appointments as soon as possible, as things will come
up more often the closer you get to the move.
~~Arrange for closing or transferring of bank/credit union, credit/debit card, video store, department store, library, grocery store, or other accounts.
~~Get a list of ATM/office locations in new city (and
along travel path to get there) if transferring.
~~Open accounts in new location if possible, or make
arrangements for travelers’ checks or cash payments until you CAN set up new
accounts.
~~Get school records, or address of where new school
can request them from. Homeschoolers
contact local groups at new locations to get info on what is available &
regulations involved, start w/list of state organizations at http://www.hslda.org
~~Confirm with utilities & other services when
you want services discontinued. Most
phone companies will give you a nice credit if you stay with them after your
move. Get phone cards for trip if
necessary. Get inexpensive
walkie-talkies if you will be taking 2 or more vehicles to link back up if you
get separated.
~~Make arrangements to have all necessary yard work
done close to the moving date. Have
lawn mower & any other gas powered equipment drained & serviced.
~~Make appointment to have hair cut & car checked
a couple of weeks before you move. Get
prescriptions refilled, ask for larger than usual refill to give you more time
to get settled in new home.
~~Start doing Change of Addresses.
If you have a street address, then call (usually easier & cheaper)
or send a card with the new info on it to everyone.
Change of address cards are free at the post office.
If you don’t have a street address, then just turn in a change of
address to the post office to have all your mail forwarded to a post office
box, until you do get the permanent street address to avoid having to do it
twice. Use email to notify
everyone possible…family, friends, companies, catalogs, magazines, clubs,
utilities, etc. If email is not
possible, then use 800 lines, toll lines or snail mail.
When you move, if weight is not a problem, take the last issue of each
magazine/catalog that you have received in case you don’t start receiving
them at the new location. Order
new checks.
~~Buy & mail all gifts for birthdays, anniversaries, holidays for family/friends that will need to be done for the next three months (due while you are on the road or getting settled).
~~Arrange for cleaning of current home/quarters
(believe me, you will have plenty to do without worrying about that).
~~Retrieve items from cleaners, items loaned out to
people in area, return borrowed items.
~~Move items to rooms where they will be used at new
location. For example, you may
have a dish rack in storage in the garage or a closet because you don’t need
it in current location. But at
the new location you may need it, put it in a cupboard in the kitchen so it
will be packed with all the other kitchen equipment.
Or perhaps you were in Florida & put all your winter coats in a box
in the attic, but are moving to a cooler location, take them out & put
them in the closet with the rest of the jackets for the packers.
~~Separate items to be stored, shipped ahead, or
taken with you into different rooms or closets if possible.
If they are not to be packed, put it in a room or closet, close the
door and put a BIG sign on the door that says, “DO NOT PACK!”.
Set aside one cupboard in the kitchen for unshippables like light
bulbs, boxes/bags of food (just attracts bugs during move, but okay to have
them pack cans if weight is not a concern), candles, flammables, and liquids.
~~Put as many things into original boxes yourself as
you can. But make sure the moving
company will still cover it (some will mark it “customer packed” & won’t
pay for it if it is damaged in route). Remove
pictures from walls, tape the hooks/nails to the back of the pictures as you
take them down, spackle the holes as you go w/ready made spackle.
~~Remove air conditioners, hoses, or antennas from
outside of home if necessary.
~~Separate items that require special handling.
~~Pack suitcases for trip. Let children have one backpack they can choose what goes
into, favorite animal, book, games, etc.
Things to consider taking as space permits…irreplaceable sentimental
items, night-lights, phone, shower curtain, bedding, few kitchen things, etc.
If you are one of those people with plenty of room to spare you can
also load up the unpackables like plants, food, liquids, cleaning supplies,
etc.
~~Go to haircut and car appointments.
Have all work done on car that will need to be done for the distance of
the trip, plus 1,000 miles to give you about a month in the new location to
find a mechanic. Have EVERYTHING
checked out on car, let them know it is going on a long trip.
~~Empty refrigerator, finish last loads of laundry, & wash dishes at least 24 hours before packers arrive, so they have plenty of time to dry.
~~Make sure that all of the previous tasks have been
accomplished. Arrange for sitter
to help keep children out of the movers’ way on moving day if necessary.
It has been my experience & those of others, that children tend to
handle moving better if they see things being packed up & maybe even help
throw a few things in for the movers & know it isn’t just “GONE!”.
But do let them know that it is important to stay out of the path of
the movers & out of their truck. Let
children color some boxes after they are packed, as long as it doesn’t
obscure numbers or contents.
~~Call moving company & find out how many packers
will be sent out. Try to have one
family member or friend on hand for every packer (see note under “MOVING
DAY!!” below). Ask for
wardrobe boxes, so that things on hangers can be packed on hangers.
~~Call to confirm when packers will arrive. Notify your neighbors, so they can park cars elsewhere if necessary. Make sure your own car isn’t in a place where it will be blocked in.
~~Make sure you have drinks & snacks on hand for the movers. If you are in a season where you are dealing with flies or mosquitoes, buy citronella candles to put near every door that may stay open for long periods to keep the movers and you from being eaten alive as they take things in or out. Light them a little before hand to start repelling things before they open the door, & be sure to put them in a safe place where they won’t get knocked over or forgotten.
~~Take all items that you cannot pack to local family or friends. If not your family or best friend, may I suggest the largest family that you know. Give them all the frozen food, chilled food, liquids, food boxes, food bags, light bulbs, plants, cleaners, candles, flammables, etc. that you know you will not be able to use before you leave.
~~Gas up vehicle.
~~TRY to get a good night’s sleep, you will need it.
MOVING DAY!!
~~Get up early & make the final movements so that everything is in the right place before the movers arrive. Load up vehicles with anything going with you. Put any clearing documents in the car too, so they aren’t packed by mistake.
~~MOST IMPORTANT!!! From the time the packers/movers arrive, treat them as honored guests NOT as hired help, treat them with the utmost respect NOT with disregard! Remember, these people will be the ones taking care of your most treasured possessions and while most are honest, hard-working, & probably underpaid, you don’t want to give anyone a reason to rationalize theft, or poor packing/handling. You would be amazed how often this rule is ignored & a price is paid, how often people treat movers no better than slave labor. Remember the Golden Rule. Have donuts, muffins, coffee, & juice on hand when they arrive & encourage them to help themselves. Assign each family member/friend a packer to keep an eye on, but don’t stand & stare at them with suspicion. Just keep an eye on things to make sure things are being packed correctly, engage them in friendly conversation, ask them about their family, where they’re from, their interests, etc. (Mary Kay said to picture everyone with a sign around their neck that says, “Make Me Feel Important”), and periodically offer them food/drink. About mid-morning make sure to have sodas/other drinks and cookies/other snacks (the less messy the better) on hand & let them know what is available & again to help themselves. When lunch rolls around take a poll among the packers & ask them when they would like to break for lunch, what kind of fast food they would like, and make sure they know YOU are paying (believe me the cost of lunch is a small price to pay for the safe delivery of your household goods). Encourage them to sit down & eat for lunch. Continue to offer them food & drink throughout their stay, if they are there through dinner, get them that meal too. If you see them packing something in a way that you don’t feel is good enough, don’t approach them with accusations. Make a comment like, “I know I’m probably being silly & overly cautious, but would you mind humoring me & putting some extra padding around that item, I’d be so upset if something happened to it.” If you need to get insistent, do it, but try to be as unaggressive as possible. Find out if they are getting paid by the box, by the hour, or a straight fee. If getting paid by the box (or there is a charge per box)-watch for light packing (like one whole box for 2 plastic trashcans), if getting paid by the hour-watch for slow packing, straight fees usually work out the best. Often music with a good beat can help to speed things up subconsciously, but it may be hard to find music that everyone can agree on. Try not to have TV’s on, which will tend to slow everyone down. Make sure pets are out of the way. If needed, set up fans or space heaters, when doors are staying open (too expensive to run central heat/air conditioning).
~~Make sure each box is marked correctly, ESPECIALLY WHICH ROOM IT GOES IN. Some movers will tell you to label valuables as “toys” to avoid theft, but then if something does happen to them, then you will only be reimbursed the cost of toys. If an item of particular value is in a box, then mark it on the packing sheet NOT on the box. If you have collections of things like figurines, crystal, dolls, etc. DON’T let them all be packed in the same box. Try to split them up among several boxes, so you’ll be less likely to lose them all. Make them repack in new boxes, any old boxes that are no longer stable. Have them pack your local phone book, you may need it to finish things up at the new location. Try to do a door-to-door move, so that they can deliver things to the new house as soon as they arrive & not have to move it into temporary storage (the latter just increases the odds something will be lost or damaged).
~~If any items need to be disassembled, have baggies on hand to collect all the screws, nuts, bolts, etc. BUT do NOT let them pack these with the item or tape them to the item. One mover confided in me that some less scrupulous movers will throw away these parts at the new location so they don’t have to assemble things (“Sorry, we can’t put it together without the hardware.”). Either pack them in your suitcase, or have them put into another box with things that are less likely to disappear like clothes or towels. If it is a bed, perhaps in the box of clothes for that bedroom.
~~Make sure you get ALL the paperwork from the movers, make sure EVERY item box or furniture has a number on it & is on the list. Make sure the damage notes are accurate & not exaggerated to cover themselves at the other end. If you feel at any time that these things are NOT being done & you aren’t getting results trying to deal with the people on hand, call the moving company or transportation office to report the problem immediately.
~~If the movers do a good job, consider a tip, and be
sure to call their company in the morning to praise them. As you leave the house, make sure all utilities are turned
off, contact the police & inform them if the house will be vacant to keep
an extra eye on it. Notify the
neighbors of the same.
WHEN YOU MOVE
IN TO THE NEW PLACE
~~Follow the directions for “DAY BEFORE MOVE” and “MOVING DAY” above for treatment of workers & other directions that apply as well. Go shopping the day before for staples & snacks/drinks for movers.
~~Once you get a new phone number, call the old phone company & ask that a forwarding recording be put on the old number. There is usually no fee to have this done, then if anyone calls your old number, they will get a recording giving them the new number.
~~Try to get as much as possible done before the movers arrive. This could include local registrations, utilities, shelf paper, yard work, etc. Make sure to have tarps, or rugs down to protect the floor from all the in & out trips. Again use citronella candles at the entrances if needed. Make signs for each room of the house like “Living Room”, “Kitchen”, “Master Bedroom”, “Den”, etc so that it will be easy for the movers to know what room is what. If necessary, also make direction signs w/arrows, like, “To the Basement”, “To The Garage”, etc.
~~NUMBER ONE BEST WAY TO GET SETTLED FAST…HAVE THE MOVERS UNPACK!! Now I know a lot of you prefer to unpack yourself citing theft/damage concerns, but when you treat the workers well, it shouldn’t be a problem. However, movers typically do NOT like to unpack and will try to find excuses NOT to do it. Be sure to advise the company when you arrange for delivery that you WILL want your things unpacked & assembled (they will usually only assemble things that were unassembled by movers at the other end), when they ARRIVE at your door tell them that you WILL want your things unpacked & assembled and make sure you don’t sign any form that says you “waive unpacking”. They will usually not put things in cupboards, but only on counters, furniture tops, or the floor. At first things will be messier than if you had gradually unpacked things yourself, but unwrapping everything is half the work. Many trash companies will no longer pick up moving trash, & some moving companies will not return later for it, so you may be on your own in getting it to a dump…another reason to have them unpack you. As they empty boxes & unwrap items, make sure that a family member checks the truck to make sure it is empty, check the boxes to make sure they are empty & nothing has been missed, and that the wrapping paper doesn’t contain anything lost in the rush. Then put the boxes that you have checked outside the house in a pile so that you have more room inside. Another plus to unpacking all boxes at once is that you aren’t surprised by something that really should go in a particular cupboard that is now full of something else. More than anything else I would say that having the unpacking done for me was the biggest factor in now getting settled & things all put away in a week or two, vs. months.
~~ORDER TO PUT THINGS AWAY…things brought along before movers arrived should already be put away the night before, then beds set up & made, bathrooms, kitchen, laundry room, dining room, bedrooms, living rooms/dens/family rooms, garage, & finally wall hangings. Good stores to hit for new decorating themes…Linens N Things, Lechters, Bed & Bath, Wal-Mart, & Kmart.
~~Most of us are on a tight budget when we move, so make a list of things you would like to purchase in order of priority & get them gradually.
FINAL WORDS-My hope is that this list will be of use to you on many, many moves. That it will make things easier for you. Make it a working list, add things that I missed as you think of them, cross things out that don’t apply to you. Send me emails Make-A-Note w/any suggestions. But using a checklist is the best way to have a smooth move. Have fun!….Yeah, right!
