Moving House? A Handy Checklist

In a given year, approximately 40 million people box up their belongings and move to a new home. For many, it’s just a short move across town to take up residence in a new house or apartment. For others, it means a cross-country venture to a new state for work or school.

Even under ideal circumstances, though, moving is a stressful prospect. No matter how excited you are, there are countless details you must keep track of in the run-up to the move.

If you’ll be moving house soon, keep reading for our checklist to help get and keep you organized. 

Set a Budget

Your first order of business once you decide on a move is a moving budget. Your typically local move costs a little over $1200, while long-distance moves run around $5000 on average.

Those averages often include potentially optional services, such as a moving company. So, you should estimate what you can really shell out and build your move around that number.

Necessary Supplies

Unless you outsource the entire process, you’ll need some crucial supplies for the move. Some of the more common supplies include:

• Packing boxes
• Packing tape
• Packing paper
• Bubble wrap

Also, keep in mind that you may need specialty boxes for things like clothes and dishes.

Schedule Services

If you plan on using professional services, such as removalists, you’ll want to schedule those services as far in advance as you can. Movers are often booked solid from late spring to early fall.

If you need a specialty service, such as car movers or piano movers, you should schedule them early as well.

You should also schedule activation of services at your new address, such as utilities and Internet. Don’t forget that you’ll also need to cancel those services at your current address.

Paperwork

You should make sure you get all of the paperwork you’ll need at your destination settled as soon as possible. For a local move, that may just mean filing a change of address with the post office.

For a long-distance move, that can mean collecting school records medical records, and dealing with your banking needs. For example, you may want to close out your current savings or checking accounts and open new ones at your destination.

Most banks offer online account applications. That online option can smooth the way for transferring funds from your old bank accounts to your new accounts.

Don’t forget about things like social security cards, birth certificates, and insurance paperwork.

Moving House and You

Moving house can overwhelm you with details, so it’s important that you get organized as soon as possible.

Create a calendar for dealing with essentials like setting up new services and gathering paperwork. You can also use the calendar to schedule packing up different parts of your home. Start with things you aren’t using now and save critical items for the week or so before the move.

When in doubt, focus on essentials.

Looking for more tips on preparing for an upcoming move? Check out the posts over in our Lifestyle section.