From the team at Sorensen, congratulations on your relocation! We’ve put together a week-by-week checklist to include in your command central planner. We hope that this helps you stay organized during your moving process!
2 Months Prior:
- Get binding estimates and compare moving companies thoroughly
- Create a moving budget
- Notify your landlord if you are renting, and make sure to comply to their requirements so you can get your security deposit back
- Talk to your children about the moving process, and address their concerns
- Compare companies of utilities or services you will need at your new location, including new physicians and daycare/schools
- Create your moving command center, and keep all important moving-related documents in one binder
- Have a printed floor plan of your future home, and start planning for furniture placement
- Make a list of people who need your new address immediately, including family, close friends, repair/utility companies
- Start purging items that you don’t want or need
- Inventory major valuables for insurance purposes
6 Weeks Away:
- Collect boxes and packing materials, if you’re packing up yourself
- Pack up items you don’t use often (i.e. seasonal decorations and clothing) -make sure to label clearly what’s in the box and where it belongs!
- Pick an official moving date
- Make your travel arrangements. Especially if this is a longer move, you need to reserve accommodations ahead of time. Don’t forget to plan accordingly if you are traveling with animals!
- Obtain records. If you have children, notify and request a transfer of documents to their new school or daycare. Make sure you notify and get copies of medical and dental records for the whole family, including pets!
- Research insurance carriers and decide on a new policy that fits your new home
- Have a yard sale
1 Month Until the Move:
- Check in with your loan officer to make sure you submitted everything you need to
- File a change of address with the post office and start forwarding mail
- Call your chosen utility companies and set up services for a particular date (most people choose the day before they arrive at their new home, or moving out day)
- Collect extra keys, dry cleaning, prescriptions, and cancel monthly services. If you can, transfer prescriptions or membership locations to your new area
- Properly dispose or recycle things that movers can’t move. However, keep some cleaning items as you will need these supplies to clean up before you leave and right away in your new home
- Return borrowed items
- Make an appointment for your car to be serviced, especially if you are driving to your new home
- Notify your employer that you are leaving. If your move is work related, confirm your last day of work at your current location, and your first day at the new office
1-2 Weeks Out:
- Confirm all travel arrangements
- Confirm your moving date with your chosen company and prepare your payment
- Change your address with creditors, online companies, financial institutions, magazines, and other organizations
- Check in with your children and discuss their concerns again. We have a series on how to help children adjust to moving!
- Host a farewell party
- Disassemble large furniture
- Start cleaning your home, and keep those supplies in an “open first” box to take with you. You will need them!
- Give your new address to your list of people who need to know it
- If you want to, subscribe to the local paper or community newsletters in your new town
- Pack up a suitcase, and continue packing/arranging as much as you can around the house
- Empty, dry out, and clean the fridge. It’s a good idea to thoroughly clean smaller appliances too before packing them
- Dry out the washing machine/dishwasher hoses
- Arrange for child or pet care around moving day, in both locations!
- Print a map/directions to your new location for your movers
- Empty your current safe deposit box so that you can transfer things to your new bank
- Have another garage sale, or make your final donations to local charity shops
On Moving Day:
- Stand back and let the movers work. Keep your pets contained so they don’t escape, and ask your children to stay clear of main entryways! Give them direction and assistance where needed
- It’s a good idea to have a note prepared for new residents with your new mailing address, just in case the post office doesn’t forward your mail right away
- Walk through the house multiple times to make sure nothing gets left behind
- Say goodbye to your old home
- Turn off the lights and water, lock windows and doors
Phew! There’s definitely a lot to do during the moving process, but hopefully your trustworthy moving team has helped make your move less stressful. Here’s a print-ready version of our moving checklist list to keep handy!
Don’t forget to print out our New Home Checklist, so you can be prepared for what to do when you arrive, and our 4 simple tips to Stay Organized After a Move. (Don’t worry, they are much shorter lists!)