The Ultimate Moving Checklist

Are you planning a move? Before you stress, please slow down and have a look at the moving checklist we’ve assembled. For things to go well, you should start taking steps several months before the move to make it run smoothly. Check out the following useful Moving Checklist to keep your day a bit less stressful.

Two Months Before the Move

• Do your research. While you may have your house all picked out and signed the papers, you may want to take the time to become familiar with your new community.
• Gather your records. From school records to dental and medical records, you should make sure you have everything you need to get your kids into school, set up a new doctor in your area, or get familiar with the options. Kid’s school records take time, so don’t wait till the last minute.

Six Weeks Before the Move

• Take an inventory. Instead of the stress of packing everything all at one time, take time to look at how to handle some of the more important items in your home. The last thing you want is to misplace some of your valuables during the move.
• Start packing. Once you’ve taken inventory and the garage sale is finished, now would be the time to start packing. The organization element is essential to keeping things as simple as possible. This will also make the unpacking process at your new home much easier and tell you which items need movers and which do not.

One Month Before the Move

• You should submit a change of address to the post office. It would be best if you assured the post office has the time to reroute mail to your new address. You can even request to move the mail address to a specific date to receive your mail at your current address until the move is complete.
• Call the moving and storage company. Call your selected professional movers in Dallas, Texas, as soon as possible to make sure you have the right size truck and availability for your move. The Movestar team can help you with this.
• Contact the utility companies. Even if you are moving across the DFW metroplex, you should notify all your utility companies at least a week before moving to give them a date for the utilities transfer and the new address you are moving into.
• Check your vehicle. No matter the distance you plan on moving, you need to make sure your car is in good shape. Check your tire pressure, fluids, etc. This will give you time to visit a mechanic if need be.
• Contact other important business connections. Now is the time to make sure you start contacting your insurance companies, banks, health clubs, pharmacies, monthly memberships, and any other businesses with which you regularly interact to make sure they are aware of your move.
• Make travel arrangements. Depending on how long your DFW move is distance-wise, you should make your travel arrangements to handle parking, meal plans, and scheduling your hotel.
• Remove perishable foods from your fridge. It is a good time to start checking and streamlining the perishables in your current house while packing up non-perishable foods as well.

One Week before the Move

• Review your plans. Make sure everything is in place by double-checking your travel plans, contacting the moving company to ensure they are in place, and making sure the movers are on schedule.
• Make any necessary payments. It would be best to get your bills paid and contact your credit card companies, banks, and retailers. It is a good idea to have fraud alerts in place, just if something were to happen that triggers suspicious activity.
• Prepare an essentials tote bag. It’s a good idea to pack a tote full of essentials you might need upon arrival at your new home. In addition to your clothes and toiletries, you may want to include:
  • Emergency first aid kit
  • Flashlight with extra batteries
  • Various sized light bulbs
  • Disposable plates, towels, utensils, and toilet paper
  • A small toolkit with screwdriver and wrench
  • Trash bags
  • A utility knife or scissors for opening boxes
• Pack your odds and ends. In addition to having a tote bag, you also should check toiletries and prescriptions to make sure they are ready for travel, especially if the move lasts more than a day or so.
• Prep your appliances. Gasoline should be drained from lawnmowers and other lawn care equipment. You also should check your gas grill and any portable heaters and generators. If you have not done so already, your refrigerator and freezer should be defrosted to keep out those undesirable smells.

Moving Day Arrives

• Do a final walkthrough. Once everything has been loaded, take a second or third look around and make sure you did not leave anything behind.