A month or more ahead
- Book the mover early, especially for weekends, month-end dates and summer, when demand is highest. Get a walk-through and a written estimate first.
- Decide what's not coming. Sell, donate or throw out what you don't want to pay to move. Every item you don't move is time you don't pay for.
- Check both buildings' rules if either is an apartment, condo or association: move hours, elevator reservations, deposits and anything they need from the mover.
- Measure big furniture and the tightest points at both homes: doors, hallways, stairwells and elevators.
- Start collecting boxes and materials, or ask the mover what they supply.
Two to three weeks ahead
- Arrange utilities. Schedule electricity, gas, water, trash and internet to stop at the old home and start at the new one. Overlap them by a day if you can.
- Update your address with the post office, banks, employers, schools, insurers and subscriptions.
- Start packing rooms you use least: guest rooms, storage, books, out-of-season clothes.
- Arrange parking for the truck at both ends, including any permits or reservations.
- Plan for pets and children on moving day, ideally somewhere away from the action.
The week before
- Pack most of the house, leaving out only what you'll use until the end.
- Label every box with its room and contents.
- Confirm the mover's arrival time, crew size, and the price and payment method.
- Disconnect or arrange disconnection of appliances, especially gas appliances.
- Use up frozen food, and plan to defrost the freezer.
- Take photos of valuable furniture and electronics.
The day before
- Finish packing, except the essentials bag.
- Defrost and dry the refrigerator and freezer.
- Disassemble what you can, and bag and label the hardware.
- Pack an essentials bag with medications, documents, keys, chargers, valuables, toiletries, a change of clothes and anything for the first night.
- Clear the path from each room to the door.
Moving day
- Walk through with the crew lead at the start: what's going, what's staying, what's fragile, and any existing damage to the home.
- Stay reachable, and keep one person at each end if you can.
- Check every room, closet and cabinet before the truck leaves the old home.
- At the new home, direct boxes to rooms and check major items off the list as they arrive.
- Before the crew leaves, look over furniture for damage and note anything on the paperwork.
Children and pets
Moving day is confusing and busy for children and dangerous for pets: open doors, heavy furniture and strangers coming and going. If you can, arrange for children to spend the day with family or friends, or set up a quiet room with their things. Keep pets at a friend's, a sitter's or a boarding facility, or shut them in an emptied room with a sign on the door. At the new home, set up the pet's space first and check fences and gates before letting them out.
The old home
Before you hand back the keys, walk through every room, closet, cabinet, garage and outbuilding one last time. Photograph the empty rooms and read the utility meters. Leave garage remotes, spare keys and appliance manuals for the next occupant, or as your lease asks. If you're renting, ask the landlord when the move-out inspection will happen and be there if you can.
The first night
Make the beds first. Then set up the bathroom and a basic kitchen: a few dishes, a kettle or coffee maker, and something to eat. Everything else can wait until morning.
Questions to confirm with the mover
- What time will the crew arrive, and how many people are coming?
- How is the price calculated, and what could change it on the day?
- How and when do I pay?
- What should be done before you arrive?
- What are you responsible for if something is damaged, and how do I report it?