We understand that an out-of-state move may appear insurmountable. Our checklist will help make this time a little easier.
2 Months Out from Moving
Make medical preparations
Identify a primary care physician or any specialty doctors you may need in your new area. Locate a new vet for your pets, too! Look for medical professionals near your new home who accept your insurance. Compile medical and dental records or have your care providers transfer them digitally. Talk with your doctor about transferring any existing prescriptions to a convenient pharmacy.
Finally, contact your insurance company and discuss potential changes. An interstate move may affect your coverage.
Organize financial records
Gather copies of any important legal or financial records. Find out if there is a branch of your bank in your new area. If not, you may need to speak with your current bank about your options as far as moving money around. Do you have credit cards? Let your card agencies know you’ll be moving to a new state and they will be seeing charges from that area.
Cancel memberships and contracts
Many memberships require a thirty-day notice before termination, and some even longer! Look at your recent credit and debit card statements to see where your money is going. Contact your gyms, spas, salons, and any other local organizations you currently pay.
Start the purge
Begin cleaning out areas like closets, attics, and basements. If you have furniture you want to sell, upload some photos to websites or apps ASAP. Give yourself enough time to sell your items or lower their prices slowly over time.
Set items into boxes with labels like “Yard Sale,” “Donations,” or “MOVE” to keep things organized.
Set up your budget
Speak with anyone involved in the move. Determine together which expenses are necessary, and which costs you can slash. Compile a budget and decide how involved you want your movers to be. Remember to keep careful records of your expenditures and estimates as you go.
Do your research
It’s time to start collecting quotes from moving companies. Do your research to avoid rogue movers and call around for recommendations. Find licensed interstate movers to service your move through Ian’s Interstate Movers. It’s as easy clicking the “Get Quote” button and filling in the form.
Prepare your house for an in-home estimate (tidy up and decide what is coming with you and what is staying behind). Start bringing estimators into your home. Explain your needs and learn about their quotes and contracts.
Plan your packing
Before you get into the major packing period, devise a strategy. What should you pack first, and what should wait? Which rooms can you begin working on today? How do you want to label your moving boxes?
Consider your new home or apartment and its floorplan. This can help you determine how much furniture and “stuff” you can realistically bring with you.
This is also a good time to start acquiring packing supplies. Try calling around to friends, family members, or local grocery stores. Otherwise, you can order your supplies from your movers or online.
Complete repairs
If your home or apartment needs a few repairs, start working on them now. Call around for quotes or learn how to make the repairs yourself.
1 Month from Moving Day
Notify your landlord
Most properties require a 30-day notice before moving day. Alternatively, be sure you have a strategy for selling or renting your home.
Reserve your movers or truck
Now that you have collected your estimates, compare them. Hire a reputable moving company. Give them a call to reserve your desired moving day. If you are doing most everything DIY, don’t forget to book your moving truck, container or trailer.
Continue minimizing
Get rid of the excess. Put things online to sell, hold a yard sale, and take things to the donation center. Get rid of anything you do not need in your new home, because the less you must move, the easier relocation will be.
Change your address
It’s time to update all your subscriptions as well as your mail forwarding address. The easiest way to change your mailing address is at USPS.com/move. Think about what else you have coming to your mailbox, like Amazon or monthly box subscriptions. Notify them that your address will be changing.
Alert friends, family, and employers
If you haven’t told everyone already, it’s time to let them in on the secret! If you will need help from family or friends come moving day, ask them well in advance. Put in your two weeks’ notice.
Make travel arrangements
Is anyone flying? Will you be shipping your vehicle? Arrange for travel, for pets, for automobiles, and for children. Map out your itinerary so you know the game plan come moving day.
3 Weeks Out from the Move
Cancel or transfer services
Now is the time to consider utilities, internet, and other services. Call and transfer them to your new home. You’ll want to be sure your services are active at your current residence through move-out day, and that providers will activate services at your new residence before move-in day.
Get rid of everything
Hopefully, this can be your last week of the purge. All you should have left after this week are the things you absolutely want to bring to your new home! If you haven’t done so already, lower prices on items that are not selling. Throw a yard sale, throw things out, and drop off items at a donation center.
Pursue packing
This is the beginning of packing crunch time! A home takes weeks to pack properly, and you want to leave yourself the time to do things right.
Follow your packing plan, label your boxes properly, and utilize high-quality packing materials. Packing one room at a time, starting with lesser-used rooms, can be the most effective way to pack.
Plan your meals
Look at the perishables you have left in your fridge, freezer, pantry, and cupboards. Plan how to use up as much as possible. You might be able to donate or move some food. We recommend consuming as much as possible. That way, you save money on groceries while you face the expenditures of a move, and you waste less food.
Service your car
Make sure your vehicle is in tip-top shape, especially if it will be making a long-distance drive. Get your oil changed. Check out your tires and alignment. Get any other necessary repairs done. It’s better safe than sorry, and it’s one less thing to do when you get into your new home.
2 Weeks Away from Moving Day
Start stacking boxes
If you have a room fully packed by now, make it your stacking room. You can store all your boxes in here. This will help you feel organized and keep your home reasonably livable until moving day.
Pack diligently
You’re beginning to run low on time to pack! Look through cupboards, drawers, and shelves. Get rid of those last few things that will not be moving with you. Pack everything that is coming with you, and ensure your house is mostly prepared before moving week.
Eat up!
Follow your meal plans and eat as much of your perishable food as possible. Donate unopened items if you have a way to do so.
Call and confirm movers
Ensure that your movers still plan to arrive on your designated moving day. Also contact any friends or family involved and secure your plans with them.
Check moving insurance
Ask your movers about your insurance and what it covers. Determine which insurance plan is best for you to protect your belongings.
Begin deep cleaning
Consider doing jobs like cleaning area rugs and rolling and wrapping them up. Find time to do those cleaning tasks that may get overlooked on moving day, like wiping down blinds, cleaning shelves and drawers, or dusting baseboards.
1 Week Before the Big Move
Call and confirm travel
Is anyone flying? Confirm the itinerary. Make final travel plans and arrangements for vehicle transportation or cross-country drives.
Review checklist
We recommend reviewing this checklist or the personalized checklist you wrote. Was there anything left undone? Have you contacted financial institutions, schools, and service providers?
Confirm arrangements for children and pets
Do you have babysitters or other assistance in the upcoming days? Check up on those childcare or pet care providers.
Move bank contents
If you will be transferring to a new bank and still have not transferred your money, do that now.
Pack and label
It’s a good time to go through your boxes and make sure everything is properly labeled. You may want to label things by room and contents. You may also want to add notes like “FRAGILE,” “LOAD FIRST,” and “LOAD LAST.”
Prepare for moving company
Prepare your home and belongings for moving. Make sure your moving company knows your new address and phone number, and anything else they might need while transferring your possessions.
Pack a “First Week” box
Think about that first week in your new home. Create a special, easily recognizable box. You might even want to keep it with you if you are driving.
In your “first week box,” pack up everything you might use during the first week in your new home. Include sheets, towels, pans, cooking utensils, food and snacks, dishes, and silverware. Don’t forget a few outfits and necessary toiletries and medications.
Moving Week
Begin disassembly
Consider disconnecting washers and driers from the walls and defrosting the fridge and freezer. You may want to begin taking down mounted photos and paintings, as well as curtains and rods.
Build a travel box
What do you need with you on your drive or flight? Put together a travel bag or box with everything you might need on the go. Think medications, snacks, toiletries, and entertainment.
Keep on cleaning
You might want to do some deep cleaning after the movers leave and all the boxes are out of your home, but right now is the time to do those deep cleaning jobs you won’t have time for on moving day.
Pack up the final boxes
It’s time to pack those final boxes. Use packing materials to put together those most-used items like electronics and favorite outfits. Get everything ready for your movers or for your DIY moving day.
It’s Moving Day!
Move it
If you’ve opted for a DIY move, get the refreshments ready for your friends and family and get hauling. If you have hired professional movers, consider two things: 1) keeping an eye on the movers and 2) staying out of the way. You don’t want too many people in the way on moving day.
Final run-through
Check sneaky places around the house like attics and cupboards to make sure you did not forget anything. Then, lock doors and windows, or provide a way for the movers to lock the place up.
Don’t forget to address how new tenants will enter your home, and how you can access your new home. Take out the trash and shut off the lights.
Save your receipts
Total your expenses during the move and hold on to them. They may be tax-deductible.
Leave the place pristine
Either hire an expert crew or do a final cleaning process yourself. This is especially important if you want to get that deposit back or make the place nice for new tenants.
Post-Move
Quick clean-up
You won’t have time to scrub everything spotless before you move your things in (unless you hire the professionals) but clean up those spots that are bothering you before you begin unloading.
Do a quick clean around the home. Wipe down walls and windows if you can before you put the furniture in place. Wipe out the fridge and pantry before you place any food inside.
Set up the bed
The most important thing is getting that bed ready so you can get some much-needed sleep tonight!
Prepare boxes for unloading
Place all boxes in the right rooms. Unload a few important boxes if you have time.
Open first-week box
Remember that first-week box you packed up a few weeks ago? Open it up and organize all those essentials so you can use them during the coming days.
Start assembly
Wipe down furniture as you move it in. It may be dusty from the truck. Start placing furniture in the correct places and assembling it so it is usable. Your house should be beginning to come together!
Pick up some food
Don’t forget to fuel yourself and your crew. You may want to pick up some food to go out for a few groceries if the store is nearby.
Hang everything
Hang up window coverings, shower curtains, paintings, and photos. It may be easier to hang everything while the place is still relatively bare.
Become a part of your community
Check out your children’s new school, set up an appointment at the DMV, register to vote, and complete other related tasks.
Make a list of claims and repairs
If you hired movers, make timely claims for anything that was broken during your move. Make another list of anything that should be repaired in your new home.
Post about boxes on social media
You may be able to get rid of your boxes with a quick post on social media. Chances are, your post will reach someone who is moving soon. They can come pick up all your recyclables within hours.
Hopefully this checklist helps you organize and streamline the state-to-state moving process. For additional assistance planning and executing your move, contact Ian’s Interstate Movers!