How to Prepare for a Move: Everything You Need to Do

On average, it takes about 73 days to close on a home from the day the buyer initially views the property. If you are selling your house, this might seem like a lot of time, but it’s not really.

After you accept the offer, it’ll be time for you to start preparing for your move. As you prepare for a move, you might wonder what the best techniques are to plan for it.

Moving isn’t something you can do overnight. It requires planning.

If you’re unsure where to start with your move, read this guide to learn how to prepare for your move and simplify the process.

Use a Moving Checklist

The best way to prepare for a move is by using a moving checklist. A moving checklist is a document you can obtain from your lender, real estate agent or moving company. You can also get one online.

This checklist helps you plan and prepare for your move by providing a list of tasks to complete in a timeline. It might begin with tasks to do a few months before you move, and it might finish with a set of tasks to do on moving day.

Using a checklist provides a guide to help you successfully plan and execute your move. Additionally, though, you can do various other things to plan for this day.

Start Early

One fundamental principle to follow when moving is starting early. Starting early means avoiding procrastination. If you procrastinate with your moving tasks, you will run out of time and face more stress.

Starting early is something that a moving checklist will also recommend.

You can start early by packing some of your things, decluttering your home, and creating a running list of tasks to do each day or week.

When you start early, you give yourself plenty of time to handle all the tasks instead of rushing through all of them at the last minute.

Set Up the Utilities at Your New Home

One thing you should work on when planning your move is setting up the utilities in your new home, as well as other steps involving your new home.

If you already bought a home, you will have the property’s address. A few weeks before you move in, you can begin calling around to find the best utilities in the area.

Once you find them, you can pay the deposits and request that they turn on the services. If you can transfer your current services to your new address, the utility companies might waive the transfer fees.

Many utility companies offer this as part of their moving services specials. Getting this done will help you cross another thing off your list.

Additionally, you might want to begin working on changing your address and updating all your bills and accounts to your new address.

Declutter Your Home

Another way to prepare for moving is by decluttering your home. You do not have to start packing a few months before you move, but you can start decluttering.

Decluttering involves getting rid of things you don’t want to bring with you to your new house. The best way to do this is to work room by room. Work your way through an entire room before moving on to the next.

When you have a pile of things to get rid of, you can determine how to get rid of them. If you have enough stuff, you could host a garage sale. You could also try selling the items online or donate them to a charitable cause.

Pack in Stages

The next step is to pack for a move. Packing for a move is easier if you do it in stages. You can use any system you prefer, but many people find that this three-step system works well:

Step 1:

The first stage of packing requires going through everything in every room and area of your home. When doing this, you can pack anything you want to keep but will not need until you move into your new place.

Step 2:

The next stage involves working through your house once again, packing more things. You can complete this step a week or two before moving, and you should pack everything that you won’t need until after your move.

Step 3:

The final step of packing is something you must do within a few days of your moving date. You should finish packing everything you still have left, except the things you will need during your move and shortly afterwards.

Hire a Moving Company

Another vital step is hiring a moving company, and this is especially important if you are moving across the country. You can look for moving ahead services to hire, and you can compare the services from several companies.

Hiring a company to handle your move will eliminate a lot of your work and create a less-stressful environment on moving day. You can hire the company to pack your things, move your things, or both.

Pack an Overnight Bag

One last thing to do is to pack an overnight bag. An overnight bag is something you’ll need to get through the first day or two after moving.

You can pack anything you might need during this time, including clothes, personal hygiene products, medication, and electronics. You might also want to keep personal items or things of value with you at all times, too.

Once you pack the bag, keep it with you in your vehicle. By doing this, you’ll have all the things you need while you’re moving. You should encourage each family member to pack a bag, too, so everyone has the necessary things.

Prepare for a Move by Creating a Schedule

To prepare for a move, you’ll need to be organized and have a schedule. Planning and starting early are two critical principles that will help minimize the stress and challenges involved with moving.

Reading blogs about selling your home, moving and moving tips can also help you properly plan for this significant event. You can check our blog to learn more about moving!