So you have chosen your perfect dream house in the hills with a white
picket fence, you even have a new family dog to top it all off. Perfect
right? Wrong, you still have the move to think about. You�ve got to
change your address on all your utility bills, bank statements, have all
your mail forwarded, inform the creditors, and worst of all, you have to
PACK!!! Using the checklist below will help ease your troubles.
One month before the move:
One month before the move: Whether you are moving across town or across
the country there are certain things you have to do. The first one is to
take an inventory of what you possess. You will need to decide what you
are going to keep and what can be donated to local charity or sold at a
garage sale. It is easiest to do this on a room by room basis. Go
through each room and box up what you will not be taking with you to the
new house. If you are donating to the charity call to arrange a pick up
time. If you are having a garage sale, plan it for the next weekend.
For parents with school age children, if there will be a change in
schools, inform both the old school and the new one so that transcripts
can be sent ahead. This will make it easier to sign the kids into the
new school.
Locate the new pharmacy and have your prescriptions transferred.
call the utility companies to make arrangements for disconnecting and/or
transferring to the new address. You will want to contact the new
companies to have the utilities turned on the day you arrive in your new
home.
Draw out your new floor plan. This will help you you to know which
pieces of furniture will go where in the new house. You can also decide
what will fit and what will not.
Inform the post office with an address change card they provide. The kit
the U.S. Postal Service has will let you to notify friends, family, and
creditors about the new address.
Talk with your bank to have them change the address on your accounts and
credit cards.
Three weeks before the move: Start using cleaning supplies and foods you
will not want to move. Downsizing the kitchen can be easy during a move.
It can be a hassle to move if you do not do this.
Start packing uncommon items you do not use that often. Labeling the
boxes for the new house make it easier to unpack and get settled in.
Many times it is easier to start with things like the off season
clothes.
Retrieve items out on loan. Get any items in the repair shop out. Make
sure all dry cleaning has been picked up.
Notify the newspaper of any cancellations.
Now is when you want to have that garage sale.
Two weeks before the move: If you are using professional movers, find
another way to move your pets and plants. These are things the movers
are unable to take on the truck.
Pack as much of the home up as you can. Keep in mind to check the attic
and basement for stored seasonal items.
Have a moving folder. This is where you would keep important items you
do not want to get lost or misplaced during the move. Insurance cards,
birth certificates, titles, and other things can go in this folder. Put
it someplace safe.
Walk around the outside of the house to make sure you got everything you
are taking. The garden hose, the wind chimes, and even the lawn
ornaments can sometimes be left behind without thinking.
The week before the move:
Pack up anything else you possibly can.
Double check to make sure the utilities will be taken care of and you
know what is happening with any deposits you are owed.
Order the new paper delivery service at the new house.
The day of the move:
Pack up everything you have not gotten to at this point.
When the entire house is empty, do a complete walk through checking
closets and drawers as you go. Make sure to check in the basement and
garage as well. Close each door before you walk out of the room. There
have been many things left behind doors.
This is just a small checklist of some of the things you will want to do
before you move. There are other things you may put on your mover's
checklist.
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