Follow This Timeline to Prepare for Your Move
If you’re getting ready to move, you are probably well aware of how stressful the event is from top to bottom. One of the trickiest parts of preparing to move is budgeting your time and knowing how far in advance things should be done. Our team has put together a simple timeline to save you from stressing leading up to the date.
6-8 Weeks Out
This is a good time to start planning basic logistics for your move. A few things to keep in mind:
If moving into an apartment building or community, reach out to their staff and ask if you need to reserve a loading dock, elevator or parking area.
If moving into a city, ask your landlord or former home owner how and where the truck can be parked on the day of your move. Some cities require space to be blocked off by authorities in order to leave a truck parked.
If any of these steps are required, we highly recommend you take the necessary steps to reserve spots for the day that you get the keys to your new home as soon as possible.
At this point, you will want to decide whether or not you are using a moving company. If you decide to use a moving company, we recommend reaching out to companies for estimates no later than four weeks prior to the move. While you may be able to get away with reaching out later, we recommend reaching out well in advance when you can to guarantee the time slot you want.
If you decide to use U-Haul, PODs, Penske or another alternative transportation service, we advise you to plan on reaching out to them as soon as possible as well.
4-6 Weeks Out
When you reach the six week mark, you should start to think about whether you want to pack your boxes or not. If you desire your mover or an alternative service to pack your items up, this is also a great time to reach out to them for an estimate.
If packing yourself, we highly advise ordering boxes online to make your life easier. You should plan to start packing little by little at about four to six weeks out. Packing will be time consuming, and so is life, so give yourself more time than you anticipate you need.
By the time you hit four weeks out, you should hopefully have your sights dialed in on a company or alternative method to move, as well as all necessary elevators and/or parking spots reserved for the day of the move.
2 Weeks Out
If you have not followed the previous steps at this point, you should look into logistics as soon as you can.
To be clear, while we do recommend a speedy timeline for logistics, do NOT panic if you are reading this article later than you should be. There is still a very high likelihood that you can plan a successful move!
0-1 Week Out
At this point, you are probably tired of packing and on that final stretch. You’re almost there!
Reach out to your mover, packer or desired alternative moving service and confirm all details & logistics are aligned for the proper date and time. On the day before the move, go down this checklist:
All necessary loading docks, parking spots, and/or elevators are reserved at both locations for the proper time(s)
All of my boxes are either packed up or to be packed by my movers tomorrow
All items in drawers, items on the wall, items on top of furniture, and/or general loose items that are not furniture are either boxed or to be packed in boxes by my movers tomorrow
I have already received or will receive my new keys on a proper timeline to move into my new home
From here, you’re all set. If you’re moving with us, relax and enjoy the new home!
