MOVING CHECK LIST:

Please take advantage of our moving tips and moving advice. Moving tips that may seem obvious can be easily over looked. Take our moving advice and utilize this checklist before and after you have moved.

Change of address notices

Alert the post office, banks, credit card companies, insurance, subscriptions, friends and relatives of your new address.

Utility Companies

Gas, Water, Electric, Telephone, Fuel companies need to be notified.  Turn off services, if possible, or make sure services are transferred to new owners at your current home and make sure all utilities are turned on at your new home. Get refunds if you made advanced deposits with any of these companies.

Open new bank accounts

Transfer funds and anything you have in your safety deposit box. If possible, open an account in your new community before closing the account at your old bank.

Find new doctors

Choosing new health care professionals is one of the most important and personal decisions you'll make when you move. Interview potential healthcare professionals over the telephone, asking for credentials, specialties and working style. Be sure to ask questions.

Transfer prescriptions

It doesn't hurt to have a couple of months' worth of prescriptions from your doctor, and have them called in to the pharmacy in your new town. This way, you'll have time to find and get established with a new doctor.

Transfer medical records

Get copies of doctor's records and case records and have them forwarded to your new doctor. The same goes for veterinary record for your pets.

Transfer insurance

Check all of your insurance policies to ensure that coverage will continue in your new area. If not, ask your insurance agent for a recommendation, call the local Chamber of Commerce, or research companies online.

Transfer memberships

Formally resign or transfer memberships from any local organizations, associations, and clubs.

Transfer school records

Just for safekeeping, ask the school system to make a copy for you to take with you.

Raid the icebox

About a month before moving, be sure to start using up any frozen goods so that you avoid waste. Also use up any unopened food in your pantry. These items can be bulky and heavy to transport.

Return borrowed items

Return any lingering library books, rental videos, or items you may have borrowed from friends or neighbors.

Check the dry cleaners

Check the dry cleaners for anything you still need to collect.

Tune up

Tune up the car to avoid a breakdown on the way to your new home.

MOVING PACKING TIPS:

·          Use clean cartons designed for moving. Boxes obtained from grocery or liquor stores are not always clean, and may not withstand the weight of the items that you'll be putting in them. Also, their odd sizes tend to make loading more difficult.

·          Start packing several cartons each day, a few weeks prior to your move. Be sure that the items you pack won't be needed before your move, of course.

·          Pack on a room-by-room basis and do one area of the room at a time. It's best not to mix items from different rooms in one box. Label the top and front of each box with a description of its contents and its destination (e.g., kitchen, bathroom). Be as specific as you can; it will make unpacking that much easier.

·          To prevent small items from being lost or mistakenly thrown out with the packing paper, wrap miniature knickknacks and other small items in brightly-colored tissue paper before placing them in the box.

·          Use only unprinted newsprint paper to wrap items. Regular newspapers are messy and can soil your possessions.

·          Remove light bulbs before packing your lamps.

·          Keep the weight of your boxes reasonable. If possible, put heavy items in small boxes and lighter items in larger boxes to make them easier to carry.

·          Don't apply tape directly to polished or painted wood finishes. Removing the tape could ruin the surface.

·          Double-box fragile items and add plenty of cushioning.

·          Plates and record albums should be packed on end vertically, rather than placed flat and stacked.

·          You should personally transport irreplaceable photos, financial papers and assets (bank checks, insurance policies, stock certificates, etc.), legal documents (wills, passports. etc.), valuables, jewelry, coin and stamp collections, etc.), and medical and family history records

·          For irreplaceable photos and other valuables, bubble wrap these items and also place sheets or blankets between them for added protection.

·          When everything is packed and ready to load, make sure the items you need least are loaded first. Again, common sense is essential when loading the truck. Place the box containing your best china on top of the box of encyclopedias and not vice versa.

·          Prepare for the first night in your new home by packing essential items in a separate bag and carrying it with you. You may even want to prepare a simple meal that you can heat and serve on your first night.

o         For each person in the household: a change of clothes, a towel, prescription drugs, a toothbrush, and other personal items.

o         For everyone: plastic utensils, paper plates, paper towels, plastic cups, can opener, couple of pans, toilet paper, toiletries, trash bags, a flashlight, first aid kit including pain relievers, pencil and paper, snacks, beverages, and re-closable plastic bags.

o         Small tool kit for re-assembling items that couldn't be moved whole.

·          Designate one drawer of a dresser for sheets and towels so that you won't have to rummage through boxes for these essentials the first night in your new home.

·          Don’t forget the pets! Pet essentials needed for the move may consist of: pet food, dishes, transport carrier, medication, toys, etc. Keep your pet calm and away from all the activity on moving day by arranging for a friend to watch him at their house until you are ready to leave for your new home.

·          Take your current phone book with you. You may need to make calls to residents or businesses back in your former hometown.

·          After you've thoroughly cleaned and dried the inside of your refrigerator, put a handful of fresh coffee, baking soda or charcoal in a sock or nylon stocking and place it inside to keep the interior smelling fresh.

·          Leave keys with your real estate professional or a relative, friend or neighbor.

The Golden Rule of moving

You should leave your old house as clean as you would like to find your new house. Clean as much as you can before moving day, and then make a final check after everything is out.

IF USING PROFESSIONAL MOVERS:

Check policies of companies

You will need to know the companies insurance coverage, payment schedule, shipping documents required, arrival date, labor included, and prep work to be accomplished beforehand.

Take Notes

Make a note of your shipment registration number and keep it with you in case you need to call your mover with questions about your shipment.

Give out your Number

Before the van foreman leaves for your destination residence, give him a phone number where you can be reached. It is also a good idea to provide him with an alternate contact in case you can't be reached.

UNPACKING TIPS

You don't have to unpack everything in one day or even in one week. To start out, consider your family's basic needs (food, rest, and bathing) and unpack accordingly, focusing your attention on one room at a time.

Unpacking tips for the kitchen

Once the kitchen is set up enough to function, it can become a haven where everyone can meet and take a break from the jumble in the other rooms. Resist the urge to unpack right away everything that belongs in the kitchen. Instead, start with the basics and leave less-frequently-used items in boxes until you decide your room and storage arrangements.

Unpacking tips for the bathroom

The next room to prepare is the bathroom. Make sure toiletries are unpacked and put in place, and the bathroom's mechanical systems are functioning. Once the kitchen and the bathroom are operational, the rest of the unpacking can take place without a sense of urgency.

Unpacking tips for the living room

Now, shift your attention to the living room or family room. Before you start shifting heavy furniture around, it's a good idea to make a sketch of the room and how you want it to look. It's much easier to erase a rectangle that designates a couch and pencil it in somewhere else than it is to lift and move the actual couch around the room.

Unpacking tips for the bedrooms

If you don't get to the bedrooms on the first night, don't be upset. Drag mattresses and pillows together in one room and have a family camp-out. It will add to the sense of adventure. Share the burden of assembling the beds and moving heavy furniture but allow each bedroom dweller to unpack and arrange his or her personal belongings.

Unpacking Tip: Unpack breakables over the box you're taking them out of; that way, if you happen to drop an item, it will land on some packing material, thereby reducing its chance of breakage.

Unpacking Tip: Upon arrival at your new home, let your computer "acclimate" itself to room temperature before plugging it in.

Unpacking after you move may seem like another in a long series of huge moving-day tasks, but it doesn't have to be overwhelming if you take your time and make it fun.