6 to 8 Weeks In Advance

· Determine how you are going to move.  Are you going to hire a professional moving company, move yourself, or do a mixture?  For a local move, you may choose to move the smaller items yourself and hire some one to move furniture and heavy boxes.  Check out information on the Federal Highway Administrations web site regarding your rights before talking with movers.  (www.fmcsa.dot.gov/factsfigs/moving.htm then click on Your Rights & Responsibilities When You Move .)

· Sort through your possessions.  What items do you not want to move?  Consider holding a garage sale or making a donation to a local charity.  Don’t forget outdoor items such as lawn furniture and children’s play sets.

· Research home owners or renters insurance options.   It is important to do this as soon as possible.  

· If you will be moving children to a new school,contact both schools to arrange for transfer of records and to complete any needed paperwork.

4 to 6 Weeks In Advance

· Start using up food and cleaning supplies.

· Make a list of people you need to notify of your new address and phone number.  Consider family and friends as well as doctors, dentists, banks, and other professionals.

· Start acquiring packing supplies.  See if you can borrow supplies from a friend who has recently moved.  Consider purchasing sturdy boxes for moving valuable or fragile items.  Don’t forget a fat black marker to write the contents and room on the sides of boxes.

· If you a moving to a new area, plan at least one trip to the area to familiarize yourself with the neighborhood.  Find the location of grocery stores, drug stores, your bank branch, etc..

· Start packing seasonal and unnecessary items that you will not need during the next few weeks.

3 Weeks In Advance

· If you are planning on asking for moving assistance from friends and family.  Call now to arrange times.   If you are asking for assistance packing, make sure you have plenty of supplies ready.  Don’t forget a thank you for the help.  Consider treating them to dinner.

· If you have pets or small children, try to find someone to watch them during the move.  The best solution is to have them at a separate location during moving day. 

· Contact utility, cable, and phone companies regarding shutting off service in your current home and setting up service in your new home.

· If you are using a professional mover, determine which items you will be moving yourself.  Consider valuables, computer equipment, particularly fragile items, and don’t forget a box or suit case of living essentials (clothes, medicines, toiletries).

· If you have children who will be moving to a new school try to arrange a school tour and if possible a time when they can meet their new teacher.

2 Weeks In Advance

· Make sure all appliances that you plan to take with you are clean.  Remember to drain gas from lawnmowers and other machinery before moving.

· Put together a packet of information and warranties for all items that will stay with the home.  Consider appliances, air conditioning units, roof maintenance, and names of companies that have done work on your home.  The new owners will really appreciate the gesture.

· Return any borrowed items such as library books, videos, or your neighbors tools.

· If you plan on throwing out household hazardous waste (cleaning fluids, paints, aerosols) before you move, contact your Public Works department for the nearest location of hazardous waste disposal.

· Prepare announcement cards to mail to friends after you have moved in with new address & phone information.

· Make sure that you have picked up clothes from the dry cleaners.

· Go through your list of organizations to notify of your new address.  Some you will want to notify prior to your move; such as stopping your newspaper at your current address.

· Get serious about packing.  Box up anything you will not need during the next few weeks.  Don’t forget to mark boxes with contents and room destination.

· Mow your lawn and make sure the yard looks neat.  The new owners of your home will appreciate it.

· Schedule a final walk through of your new home with your real estate agent.  During the final walk through determine if you will want to schedule carpet cleaning for any of the rooms or if you will want to paint.  Both of these will be much easier to accomplish if you plan to do them before moving all of your belongings into the affected rooms.

· Pack a cooler with bottled water, soda, and snacks in order to have refreshments at hand on moving day.

· Pack a special box with items you want to keep handy on moving day.  Mark it “Moving Essentials”.  Include: masking tape,  light bulbs, batteries, hammer, screw drivers, hooks for hanging pictures, flashlight, trash bags, shelf liner, spray cleaner, yellow pages, paper towels, toilet paper, and hand soap.  If you have small children, you will also want to have home safety devices in your box.

· If there is a fireplace in your new home, ask how long it has been since it has been cleaned.  Consider scheduling a chimney sweep to come out during your first week in the house.

· Take small children and pets to their designated move day caretaker.

· Walk through your new home.  Decide where to place furniture and boxes.  Clean any closets or cupboards that need it.

· Before you put items away in your new closets, decide whether they need to be painted.  Also consider installing special shelving units for closets available at most hardware stores to maximize the use of the closet space.

· If you have small children, check the home for hazards.  Make installing home safety devices a top priority.

· Make sure you leave your old home as clean as you would like it to be if you were moving in.

· If you are using professional movers make sure that someone is at your old home to ensure that all items to be moved are packed into the moving van.  Have someone stationed at your new home to direct movers for placement of furniture, appliances, and boxes.

· Give keys for your old property to your land lord or real estate agent who will deliver them to the new owners.

· Mail announcements to friends regarding new address.

· If you previously lived in a rental property, follow-up to ensure that your security deposit is returned if applicable.

· Make sure your new home is properly equipped with smoke alarms.  If smoke alarms came with the property, consider changing the batteries.  If the house is connected to natural gas, consider installing a carbon monoxide detector.

· Consider calling a lock smith to re-key the locks on the home.