Moving Checklist

Once you have made the decision to move, the clock starts counting down to your moving day.
Don’t worry, Abba and Sons Moving can help. This checklist is a useful tool of major accomplishments you need to take care of before you officially move. The things that need to be accomplished furthest from your moving day may seem trivial now, but taking care of them ahead of schedule will help you avoid a whole lot of last minute headaches. Your move will come up quicker than you think. Time will be a huge factor during the days right before your move, so be diligent in checking off these tasks.

Now is the best time to start strategically planning your move, step-by-step, to help alleviate the stress of last-minute packing and running around.

Your Moving Checklist

• Get quotes from moving companies like Abba and Sons Moving. Talk to family and friends for recommendations.
• Determine how many, and what types of packing supplies you’ll need, or if you’ll have the movers do the packing. If you decide to do it yourself designate a room where you can begin to store and organize supplies that will help you in your move.
• Do research on your new community and schools so you know where things are and how they rate before you move.
• Do you have enough people to drive your cars to your new home? It not, you’ll need a mover that can move your cars.
• Its a good idea to get an appraisal on your expensive items so you can insure them for your move just in case.
• If you are being transferred for work, know and understand your company’s moving policy.
• Make sure to start using up, selling, recycling or donating anything you don’t want to move. Make it a family project.
• Make a moving folder — include an inventory of your household items with a video or photos and store it in a safe place.

Your Records

• Get in touch with your insurance company to transfer medical, property, fire and auto insurance policies, and be sure to ask about coverage while you’re in transit.
• Use your moving folder for moving-related expenses where you can file all receipts. This will come in handy later as many moving expenses are tax deductible. Obtain an IRS Change of Address form, Form 8822, by calling (800) 829-1040 or visiting the IRS website. You will be able to download and print form 8822 and most other IRS tax forms; e.g., Form 3903 to help deduct moving expenses.
• Make sure to contact old and new schools to arrange for the transfer of school records and begin the process of registering in the new schools.
• Contact doctors and dentists to seek referrals and collect all medical, dental and school records to ensure you do not forget them; some require written permission for this. Keep these in your moving folder or other safe place.
• Do you have any membership associations like a gym or club? Be sure to transfer membership to your new hometown.

Your Family and Pets

• Make arrangements for you and your family. Whether it’s renting a car, scheduling a flight or reserving a hotel room, book them early so you will have flexibility just in case anything goes wrong.
• If your pet is in need of a regular exam, schedule it now, and start getting recommendations for veterinarians in your new town.

Quick Tips

• Consider holding a garage sale prior to your move. This could help you reduce the amount of stuff you need to move, and earn some extra cash. Start planning one now, or think of charities that could donate your stuff to.
• Unless you’re buying packing materials new, or having the moving company provide them, look out of for used items that can be used for packing, like old towels and sheets that could be used as packing material.
• Do you need storage? Abba and Sons offers storage options.

Your Moving Checklist

• At this point you should’ve already received estimates and hired Abba and Sons Moving. Check with us to confirm all the details of the move are set. If you are doing your own packing, make the proper arrangements and get the remaining supplies.
• Contact all of your utility companies like electric, cable, internet, gas, or any others and request for disconnects and reconnects at your new address. Taking care of this ahead of time will prevent any date and time conflicts you may occur.
• If you need new items for your new home like blinds or furniture, buy them now and arrange to have them arrive at your new home when the rest of your items do.
• Start planning where everything will go in your new home.
• Create an inventory of all your items so that you can compare against the moving company’s list to ensure you don’t lose anything in the move. It’s also a good aid in determining how much moving insurance you need.
• Start on your packing with things that you don’t use often or need before the move, like seasonal items such as sporting equipment or holiday decorations.
• Arrange for childcare and for pet care on the day of your move, or think about a “safe” room they can hang out in during the move itself so they are out of the way.
• Create a packing plan — assign everyone a task and involve the kids.
• Create an unpacking plan for the new home — who does what and figure out where the furniture goes. The movers will not rearrange your furniture for you, so think this through.

Your Records

• Visit your local Post Office to get a Change of Address form. You can also obtain this form online at the Postal Service website.
• Give a change of address to the following: Banks, schools, friends and family, insurance company, doctors and specialists, cell phone company, credit card companies, and magazine and newspaper subscriptions.
• Contact the DMV for a new driver’s license and complete auto registration at your new home address.
• If you will be moving internationally, make sure your passport is up to date and has not expired. Passports generally take time to process.
• Let service providers — landscapers, cleaning services, babysitters — know you’re moving, and look for new ones in your new hometown.

Your Family and Pets

• You may also want to take you and your family to your dentist and/or eye doctor to get your routine check ups done. It may take a while for you to find new family dentists and doctors in your new city. It is a good idea to take care of these things while you still have access to professionals that you know and are comfortable with.
• Have your children make an address book of friends.

Quick Tips

• Driving to your new house? Make sure your car’s ready for the trip and that everyone has the new address in GPS.

Your Moving Checklist

• Start cleaning the rooms in your house that have been packed and emptied, such as closets, basements or attics, and check to make sure you did not forget to pack anything.
• Moving plants? Look up their special moving needs.
• Contact cleaners to clean your new home, and the home you’re moving out of unless you will be doing it yourself. Also, arrange for any services that will be easier to do before your things arrive like carpet-cleaning, wood floor cleaning, painting, etc.

Your Records

• Contact pharmacies near your new address so that you can transfer your family’s prescriptions over. Make sure you have adequate required medication in case you don’t find a new pharmacist/doctor immediately.
• Organize important documents — wills, passports, deeds, financial statements — to carry with you when you move; make copies that you can pack with your household goods, but carry the originals with you.

Your Family and Pets

• Is your pet ready for the big day? Make sure you have transportation set up, and that you have someone who can watch your pets during the move. Don’t forget to make sure your pet is up to date on its shots.

Quick Tips

• Collect valuables such as jewelry or heirlooms and keep them separate from the rest of your packed belongings so you don’t run the risk of losing them.
• Return any borrowed items, such as library books, or tools from neighbors, and pick up any clothing that you may have taken to the dry cleaners.

Your Moving Checklist

• Pack any items you haven’t already packed. Your last week at your old home has the potential to be very stressful; don’t wait until the last minute.
• As you’re packing, be sure you’re labeling each box, if you don’t do this now, it will be very easy to forget what’s in what box. Also, print out the labels from Abba and Sons for fragile items, items staying behind, and info labels to make things easier.
• Call your mover and confirm your move date, and make sure they know about large items like a piano.
• Arrange for payment for movers, a $20-25 cash tip per mover is typical.
• Confirm closing or move in dates with your real estate agent and storage place if not using Abba and Sons.
• Discuss “just in case” plan just in case the movers run late or something happens along the way. Where will you sleep?
• Disconnect and disassemble your computers and peripherals. Back up your computer files on a flash drive. You should plan to take these files with you just so you have them in case. Exposure to extreme temperatures can damage your software, hard drives, and files.
• Dispose of anything flammable or toxic like paint cans, oil, and weed killers. Drain gas out of mowers. Discard propane tanks from grills.

Your Records

• Make sure all scheduled deliveries have been canceled or moved to your new address.
• Collect all keys, alarm codes and garage door openers and place them in your moving folder so that you will be prepared to hand them over to the new owner or real estate agent.

Your Family

• Start preparing your kids for the move. Talk about it, and engage them in the process — they can help color-code boxes to help the movers know where everything goes in the new home.
• Empty all lockers at school, work and at your gym.
• Return any borrowed items from friends, the library or video store — you don’t want to have to do this on your moving day or after you’ve already moved.

Quick Tips

• Plan quick and easy meals you can prepare for your family to use up the little remaining food in your refrigerator, and also allow you to pack some kitchen items as you finish using them.

Your Moving Checklist

• Put together a moving day kit with everyday items you will need for the trip and when you arrive at your new home. These items include toilet paper, snacks, bottled water, dishes, toiletries, towels, a few days’ worth of clothes. Be sure to plan for the possibility that your household items may arrive a day or even a few days late if you are doing a long-distance move.
• Double check any arrangements you might have made for your pet. Do you have proper travel gear for them?
• Write out a list for your movers of things they’ll need: phone numbers; exact moving address and maps.
• Check your inventory list and theirs and sign it. Keep your copy in your moving folder.
• Read the Bill of Lading and sign it, if everything is correct.
• Be sure you have the moving companies contact info with you in your moving folder.
• In your new home, place names on doors to assist movers with where items belong. Finally, prepare your new home for moving to prevent any mishaps.
• If you don’t have professional cleaners coming in, make sure you clean your old house before leaving.
• Create a moving day box of things you’ll be keeping with you so you have access to them immediately. Cell phone, light bulbs, tool kit, scissors, flashlight, trash bags, paper towels, toilet paper, aspirin and bed linens. Make sure you have extra packing material on hand for last minute things that may have been overlooked.
• Pack pet food and pet litter and keep them with you.
• Be sure you have cash on hand for the movers. Find out if you owe money after the move and know what form of payments they accept.
• Double check your utilities to be sure they are connected and working.
• Do a walk-through with your real estate agent. Make sure everything’s where it should be and how it should be. Also ask for appliance manuals and such if they have them.

Quick Tips:

• Empty, clean and defrost your refrigerator/freezer and use baking soda to rid it of any foul odors.
• Notify the police in your old town if your old home will be uninhabited for a long period of time.
• Before you move, mow your lawn one last time, especially if your home will not be unoccupied for any length of time after you leave.
• Make sure you know what to do with your final trash.

• Get your kids helping with the unpacking process, and help them find activities in your new town.
• Did you get your moving deposits back yet?
• Check that you have fire extinguishers and fire detectors in your new home.
• Do any repair work that needs to be done, if you didn’t do it prior to moving in.
• Tackle some fun projects to help make your house a home, like hanging pictures and other simple projects
• Go out and explore the new town — get acquainted, find out where everything is, etc.
• It is always a good idea to replace the locks to guarantee you are the only one with keys to your new home.
• Check on licenses for pets.
• Update your address for all these: voter registration, driver’s license, tax forms, new bank account, etc.
• Start thinking about any larger home-renovation projects you’d like to get started, and prioritize them.