Planning on moving? If so, unless you have a clear plan of attack, it can be a very difficult and frustrating process. If, however, you do have a well thought–out and organized plan, and allow plenty of time from beginning to end, the move will not only go smoothly, but will allow you to still stay focused on non–move related tasks such as work, your children, etc. without missing a beat.

By applying this 1-month planning schedule to help you organize your move, you will have peace of mind during the process and will be enjoying your new home before you know it.

Four Weeks before Move

• Notify contacts:
  1. Notify the post office, magazines, credit card companies and friends and family of your change of address. The U. S. Postal Service offers a kit to make this process easier.
  2. Contact utilities (gas, water, electricity, telephone, cable company) to schedule disconnection of services on the day following your move. You’ll want to have utilities on while you’re still in the house. Call the utilities in your new town to arrange for service to start the day before your move so that you have service when you arrive at your new home. And don’t forget to arrange for an expert, if necessary, to install fixtures upon their arrival at your new home.
  3. Search for reputable moving company. There are many out there to choose from and this site will help you choose the best.
• Start Packing seldom used things:
  1. If packing yourself, start packing seldom–used things like fancy dishes and glasses, specialty cookware, non–essential clothing, art, photos, and decorative items. Be sure to mark each box with the type of items and the room that they belong in.
  2. As you pack, remember to keep each box light enough to be handled by any of the members of your family––not just the strongest person. Heavier items go in smaller boxes, lighter items in larger boxes.
• Plan for a garage sale:
  1. If you are planning a garage sale, pick a date at least a week before the move, and advertise it locally. This is an excellent way to part with many of those items just hanging around in the closet – and you’ll feel great once the clutter is out of your life.
  2. Think about teaming up with neighbors who want to sell some of their old belongings, and plan a neighborhood garage/yard sale.

Three Weeks before Move

• Start serious packing:
  1. Prepare a floor plan of your new home. This will allow the movers to quickly place large furniture items where they need to go without your direction.
  2. Take inventory of your everyday household goods, such as radios, pots, pans and small appliances. Decide which items you will discard, sell at garage sale, or put in storage.
  3. Start your serious packing. Label the contents of all boxes, and pack carefully. As best you can, box essential items together, and write “Open First/Load Last” on these boxes. When you move into your new home, you’ll be able to easily identify these boxes and get to important items like pots and pans, dishes, silverware, alarm clocks, bedding, pillows, towels, cherished toys and essential items for babies or children.
  4. Plan your food purchases to have as little as possible in the freezer or refrigerator by the time you move. Use up all frozen items, and buy only what you’ll eat in the next three weeks, because you can’t ship them.
  5. Unless already cleaned, arrange to clean your new home, or plan to clean it yourself as close to move–in as possible. Since the home will probably be unoccupied by this time, make sure the cleaning is thorough and covers all those nooks and crannies usually blocked by furniture or appliances.
  6. Contact your children’s schools, and arrange for records to be forwarded to your new school district.
  7. Make new bank safety deposit box arrangements in your new hometown. Make arrangements to safely transfer items from your old safe deposit box to your new one.
  8. Hold a garage sale now.
  9. Start an inventory list of everything you are packing. Add to the list over the next couple of weeks and be prepared to provide to moving company once they begin loading your items onto the truck.

Two Weeks Before Move

1. Check with your insurance company to cancel current coverage or transfer coverage to your new home.
2. Make arrangements for transporting your pets, because movers can’t take them in the van. Many people choose to transfer these themselves.
3. Meet with your bank to change account status.
4. Transfer all current prescriptions to a drug store in your new town.
5. Cancel any delivery services such as newspapers. Consider starting a subscription to the newspaper in your new town.
6. Depending upon the distance you will be moving, have your automobile serviced if you’re traveling by car.

One Week before Move

1. Mow your lawn for the last time. Dispose of toxic or flammable items that can’t be moved. Drain the gas and oil from gas-powered tools such as lawn mowers and snow blowers; movers will not take them if full.
2. Double check to make sure arrangements have been made to disconnect and service your major appliances being moved.
3. Pack your “trip kit” of necessary items that should go in your car and not the moving van: your checkbook, cash or travelers checks, medications, essential toiletries, flashlight, toilet paper, pet food, spare glasses or contact lenses, baby or child care items, toys and car games for children and your notebook with moving information.
4. If you have young children, arrange for a baby-sitter to watch them on moving day. Since you’ll have your hands full, the extra attention from a sitter will distract the child’s attention from the turmoil of a move. Arrange for a baby–sitter to be available when you arrive at your new home with young children. This is often overlooked by many parents and can cause chaos on move–in day.
5. Pack your own suitcase of clothes for the move. Put your “open first/load last” boxes in a separate place so the mover can identify them.
6. Pay all outstanding bills. Be sure to indicate your new address on payment receipts and invoices.
7. Remove any fixtures (stove, refrigerator, washing machine, etc.) you are taking with you and replace (if specified in your home–selling contract).

One To Two Days before Move

1. Empty and defrost your refrigerator and freezer, clean both with a disinfectant and let them air out. Put baking soda inside to keep them fresh.
2. Arrange for payment to the moving company. Find out your moving company’s accepted methods of payment, terms, and its policy for inspecting your belongings when they arrive to determine if anything was broken.
3. Empty your safety deposit box. Plan to take important papers, jewelry, cherished family photos, irreplaceable items and vital computer files with you.
4. Write directions to your new home for the van operator, provide the new phone number and include phone numbers where you can be reached in transit– either a cell phone or friends, old neighbors, a place of business or relatives with whom you’ll be in contact. You’ll never be out of touch for long, should an emergency arise. Leave your forwarding address and phone number for your home’s new occupants.
5. If your old house will be sitting vacant, notify police and neighbors.

Moving Day

1. Remove linens from the beds and pack in an “open first” box.
2. When the movers arrive, review all details and paperwork. Provide van operator with your inventory list and accompany them when they verify list. Verify the delivery plans including the travel route, final destination address, contact phone numbers, etc.
3. If there is time, give the home a final cleaning, or arrange in advance for someone to perform this service the day after moving out.

Move–In Day

1. If you arrive before the movers, take some time to tidy up your home (dusting shelves, etc.) so the movers can unpack items directly onto clean shelves.
2. Unpack your car.
3. Review your floor plan to refresh your memory about where you want furniture and appliances placed.
4. Check to make sure the utilities have been connected, and follow up on any delays.
5. Confine your pets to an out-of-the-way room to help keep them from running away or getting unduly agitated by all the activity.
6. Plan to be present when the moving van arrives. Be prepared to pay the mover before unloading. One person should check the inventory sheets as items are unloaded to account for all items that were moved. A second person should direct the movers on where to place items.
7. Once all items are unloaded, unpack only what you need for the first day or two. Focus on creating a comfortable environment for your family before everything is unpacked by ensuring all essentials are put away first and available for use. Give yourself at least two weeks to unpack and organize everything else.

And finally, welcome to your new home. We wish you and your family happiness and success at your new location.

This has been Real Estate Rob putting you on the Inside Track to home ownership.