You know you’ll be relocating in a few months, and while your move date might seem far off now, it can creep up on you before you realize what’s happening. That’s why creating a well-thought-out move timeline is crucial.
Planning and organizing your move-related tasks well in advance will help you avoid a super-stressed, last-minute scramble to get everything done. Below, we’ve outlined a basic and customizable, eight-week moving timeline and checklist to help you organize your move and stay on schedule.
Eight Weeks Before Move Day: Plan and Purge
Two months before moving, you’ll want to start organizing everything you need to do. Giving yourself plenty of time will allow you to frontload some of your tasks so you won’t have so much to do as move day draws closer. Here’s what you’ll need to do:
● Build a moving binder. You’ll want to have a folder or binder in which you keep all of your move-related paperwork, including your contract, receipts, notes, checklists, and anything else you need.
● Get measurements of rooms in your new home. If you have a floor plan for your new home, measure your furniture and decor to make sure it’ll fit in the new space. Set aside things that won’t fit so you can donate, sell, or toss them later.
● Start sorting belongings. You might be surprised just how much stuff you own when you start going through it. To help cut down on everything you need to pack, tour every room of your home and decide what you’ll be taking with you and what you’ll be getting rid of.
● Begin researching moving companies. If you’re planning to hire a moving company, you’ll want to start the research process as early as you can. You’ll have about two weeks to find and vet moving companies before you’ll need to start getting estimates and make a hiring decision.
Seven Weeks Before Move Day: Get Supplies and Plan Packing
Decide whether you’ll be hiring full packing or partial packing services. If you’re hiring a professional packing team, they’ll handle all of the supplies for you. If you’re planning to pack some of your things by yourself, head to your local moving store to pick up supplies.
Week seven is also when you’ll want to figure out how you plan to get rid of the items you no longer want or need. If you want to have a yard sale or sell some things online, start organizing that process. If you need to hire a junk removal company to haul things away, start calling around to get quotes and schedule pick-up service.
Six Weeks Before Move Day: Hire a Moving Company
To ensure you’re able to snag your preferred spot on the moving company’s schedule, do your very best to book your movers at least six weeks before your move date. Be sure to:
● Get estimates from at least three moving companies.
● Determine if you’re getting binding or non-binding estimates.
● Ask each company whether they have specific experience providing the moving services you require.
Five Weeks Out: Arrange Alternate Transportation or Move Day Care You Need
When you hire professional movers and packers, it’s important to understand that for safety reasons, the movers cannot pack or transport certain items in their truck. These items include flammable substances, live plants, pets, and hazardous materials, among others.
At the five-week-out mark, it’s a good idea to start arranging any alternate transportation you may need for the non-allowable items you plan to move. You’ll want to:
● Get plastic pots for houseplants you plan to bring. Replant your pots and water them normally until a day before your move.
● If necessary arrange childcare and pet care for the day of your move (little feet running around can be dangerous!).
● If you have pets and don’t have enough room to transport them in your personal vehicle, hire a pet transport company.
● Determine whether you want to keep or toss any hazardous or flammable materials you currently own (ie: fuel in gas cans, paint thinner, nail polish remover, etc.). Figure out how to transport these items as well.
Four Weeks Before Moving: Notify Appropriate Parties and Transfer Information
One before your move day is when you’ll start tackling the finer details of your move, including records transfers and setting up new utility services. Make sure you:
● Request your move day off if you’d normally be working.
● If you’re moving from a rental, notify your landlord and give him or her your new address to forward your security deposit.
● Call doctors, dentists, and your vet to see if they have recommendations for providers in your new area. You’ll also need to request a records transfer.
● Transfer financial accounts, if necessary.
● Complete a change of address form with the USPS and notify any mail subscription services that can’t be forwarded to your new address.
● Update your address information for your local friends, as well as all of your business contacts.
● Transfer your insurance policies to your new address.
● Arrange to cancel utility and internet service at your current home and set up service at your new home. Make sure you schedule your new electric service to start on the morning of your move.
Three Weeks Before Move Day: Preliminary Packing and Travel Reservations
If you’re driving to your destination, you’ll want to book sleeping accommodations at least three weeks in advance. Now is also the time to start packing whether you’re planning to tackle the entire packing process by yourself or your movers are handling some of it.
When packing, start with the items you use least frequently, so you’re not hunting through your packed boxes for anything you really need over the following couple of weeks. Keep your packed boxes in a room or area that’s out of the way, and be sure to label them clearly.
If you’re working with a moving company, you’ll also want to thoroughly document the contents of each box for inventory and moving insurance purposes.
Two Weeks Before Moving: Service Vehicles, Coordinate Last-Minute Services
Two weeks out from your move day, it’s time to start tying up loose ends in your current home. Here’s what you should be doing this week:
● Get your vehicle serviced to make sure it’s ready to handle the trip.
● Separate any highly valuable items from anything your movers and packers will packing. You’ll need to pack these items and transport them in your own vehicle.
● Dispose of anything you’re not going to transport to your new home. The more you do now, the less you’ll have to tackle in the days leading up to the move.
● Schedule professional house cleaning service if you won’t be thoroughly cleaning the home on the day or two before your move.
● Continue working on packing (if applicable).
One Week Before Move Day: Clean House and Prep for the Road
One week out from your move date, give your moving company a call to confirm their arrival time and the details of service. You’ll also want to start packing an essentials bag so you’re fully prepared for your first night in your new home. Other things you’ll need to tackle include:
● Draining and packing garden hoses
● Removing any debris or personal items from your yard.
● Thoroughly cleaning the entire house (if you’re not hiring a service to handle cleaning)
● Gathering all important documents in a folder and putting them in a safe place where you can easily find them.
● Arrange an alternate trash pickup date with your waste disposal company if trash day normally happens after your move date.
You may also want to start thinking about whether you’ll pack food for the road, what you’d like to bring, and whether you need any small coolers to contain your snacks.
One Day Before Moving: Finish Cleaning House and Packing Your Vehicle
On the day before your move, defrost your refrigerator and freezer and clean them thoroughly. You’ll also want to toss out any perishable items unless you plan to move them in your personal vehicle (moving companies can’t transport perishable foods.)
Finish up any last-minute packing you need to do and tie up any leftover cleaning tasks. Dispose of all garbage that won’t fit in your outdoor trash receptacle and make sure any flammable or hazardous materials that you’ll be transporting are safely and securely packed.
When you’re finished tying up the last loose ends, all that’s left is to wait for your moving company to arrive in the morning!
Get a Free Moving Quote From Ace Moving & Warehousing
Moving soon? Let our team at Ace Moving & Warehousing make your relocation as simple and stress free as possible! Since 1958, we’ve proudly provided thousands of Twin Cities residents with a wide variety of professional moving services, and we’d love to help you too! Whether you’re looking for full packing service, storage solutions, custom move plans, or local, interstate, or international moving assistance, we’ve got you covered.
To get started, request a fast moving quote online or give our Minneapolis office a call today at 763-755-2045 to learn more about how we can help you.