Are you ready for planning to move to your new house?
I have bought three homes and sold two. We recently bought and sold a home and moved across two cities.
What to look for when buying a home
How to sell your home
If you are planning to move, how to prepare for it
You have bought the home of your dreams and have the move-in date. You have sold the home and know the date you have to vacate the home.
It is time to start planning to move to your new house.
8 Weeks Before Your Move
If you are planning to move Hire a Moving company
The first thing we did was to hire a moving company. We were moving end of June which is the busiest time to move. We decided to hire movers because we were moving from one city to another and none of us were in the mood to lift and shift or get injured. A professional mover takes a lot of stress and challenges out of the move.
I did my due diligence and got quotes from four movers. For me, it was important to see how long the company has been in business, the reviews, any complaints against them, and license and liability coverage. I also wanted an accurate estimate, any hidden charges, and all moving supplies to be provided.
I was very impressed with Travis Bedwell, from Bedwell Moving Systems. Travis did an online survey with me and took an inventory of all my belonging and gave me an exact quote. He asked me the right questions about my present and future home. Travis did not ask for a deposit until the day of the move, did not make me sign any blank contract, and offered storage if there was an issue with moving. Finally, Bedwell had been in business for 75 yrs and was family-owned.
If you are moving to another city, contact the visitor’s bureau or chamber of commerce in the city for information on schools, transportation, and any other important information that you need. Finally, call your accountant, Revenue Canada/IRS for what moving expenses may be tax-deductible.
This is the time to go through all the extra stuff that you have in your attic, storage shed, and basement and see if you need any of it. Use up cleaning supplies and frozen foods that you cannot move.
6 Weeks Before Your Move
Create an inventory of everything you have. We were moving from a fully detached 2400 square foot to a semi 1750 square foot. We had to decide what we wanted to move and what we wanted to stay for the new owner and what items we were going to give to charity.
Make arrangements for your trip and the route on GPS.
Plan a date for the garage sale and give everything else to charity.
Do your own packing and mark all the boxes as to which room the movers should put where or arrange for the movers to pack.
In a special file gather all your family records of marriage, baptism, birth, school, dental and medical.
Call all utilities (water, hydro, gas) to discontinue (current home) and commence (future home) services. Call the city and pay your realty taxes in full.
Call your bank, insurance, credit cards, Revenue Canada/IRS, friends, and family, and give them your new address.
3 Weeks Before Your Move
Get all your prescriptions filled by the local Walmart.
Dispose of any gas cylinders for BBQ and all flammables safely.
1 week before you move
It is crunch time. Start with defrosting the refrigerator, and freezer and allow air-drying to prevent mildew.
Make sure all appliances are in working order. Check the central heating and air conditioning systems are working.
Drain oil from the lawnmower and snowblower.
Drain the garden hose.
Pack personal, sensitive, crystal, valuables, jewelry, and personal information items to be carried in your car.
If you are leaving the curtains and the mounted tv for the new owner make sure it is clean. Otherwise, take it down and pack it.
Finally, have your car serviced for the trip and also find out if there is a dealership in the new city.
The moving day has finally arrived
Pack suitcases for personal clothes.
Put all bed linen and towels in a special box and put it in the car.
In one box, pack basics like toothpaste, toothbrush, and cleaners and have it loaded last.
Have the inventory sheet ready.
Do a final last-minute walk-through around your home. Make sure all lights are switched out, doors locked, closets empty and windows are closed.
You could be moving a few blocks, across cities or even countries. Be ready when the delivery van arrives and match it with an inventory. When the unloading is happening, be there so you can direct the placement of furniture and various other items. Keep track of anything that is damaged.
The professional movers from Bedwell arrived on time at 8 am. They were professional and within an hour everything was loaded on the truck. The drive took three hours and by 3 pm, all the furniture was set up.
If you are planning a move, make sure you follow the above procedure and let me know how it went.
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Great tips for moving! We have moved so many times in my life & honestly some of the tips in the week before section I had never thought of!
A few years ago, I had to help my mother-in-law move and I wish I had read this article back then. We left so many things to the last minute. Having a timeline with action items is really helpful!
Oh gosh, I hate moving. We had to do it a ton as a military family. I’m so glad to be in one spot now. This is some fabulous advice.
I appreciate these moving tips. We’re probably going to be moving later this year. There is so much to think about. Good idea to start planning eight weeks before the move!
There is so much to do before you move. This timeline is so helpful for my move.
Funny you should post about that, we are currently preparing a property to move into although we aren’t sure when we will be moving just yet. There is so much to think about and it does help to be prepared. We are currently clearing out items to donate to local charity shops as there is so much stuff that appears to have been accumulated. Not sure if we will be using a moving firm yet as some of the items are needed for staging when we put the old place on the market. We will need to get suitcases packed for the items we will need within the week after we move so these items are readily available. Lucky we aren’t moving far at least.
Moving is never fun. I’ve moved countless times over the years. My current house is my forever home. No more moves because it’s too much work. I found that if you wrap your dishes in towels, blankets, or sheets that the chance of anything getting broken decreases. I’ve done this with each move and I never had anything broken. I also start packing up unneeded items first. Last move I wrapped my hanging clothes in trash bags to keep it from getting dirty. Plus if anything fell off the hanger it didn’t get lost.
Now, this is such a helpful and realistic guide, moving can get overwhelming fast and you broke it down in a way that actually makes it feel manageable. I love the timeline approach, especially the reminders about inventory and handling utilities early.