How to Make a Moving Out List and Move Efficiently

The Secret to Making a Moving Out List – Planning Ahead

You don’t need to be a naturally skilled organizer to organize a good move. All you really need is to plan ahead and ask a long-distance moving company for professional help. When you find the best time of the year to move, give yourself around two to three months to prepare everything.

If you’re getting ready to move out for the first time, the anxiety and nerves might make you more prone to mistakes. Whenever you feel overwhelmed by something, know that it’s OK to take a break and ask others for assistance. That’s the one thing you shouldn’t forget about or neglect.

What to Consider When Making a List for Moving Out

You may not always know how and where to begin, so categorizing stuff to do now, in a week, in two weeks, and on relocation day will help you stay on track of your tasks. Firstly, read some essential tips for relocating out of state to see what others with relocation experience say.

To find the cheapest way to move out of state, determine which long-distance moving services are the most suitable for you and fit the budget. Look for those that can move your car to another state and offer storage and relocation insurance.

Later in the relocation process, take care of your utilities and get rid of unwanted items. Release all the unnecessary stuff back in the wild, where they belong. If you have some extra hours in your schedule, organize a DIY yard sale or sell them online.

If relocating with pets, you must consider how to transport them, if they require vaccines or other travel confirmations, but most importantly, check the new apartment for pet bans or permissions before any packing starts.

How Long Before a Move Should You Make a Checklist?

Start making a list even before you find a new home. The list can include sorting out utilities, loans, contract agreements, and other documents at the new apartment. When you set a relocation budget, the moment to start planning will be ideal.

Here’s a video on the first step of relocation – planning. The person in it describes how to make a notebook planner and simultaneously think of the essentials and details. It may inspire you to start working on your relocation list today.

An Overview of Things to Add to Your to Do List for Moving Out of State

Before going into the essentials of relocating, downsizing for a move, and shopping for your new apartment, check out the list of everything to consider and add to the relocation checklist. They are:

• Check the contract and lease of your new apartment (or home),
• Allocate your budget before spending any money to see how much is available,
• Narrow down your relocation company list and call each for a cost estimate,
• If you have movers, ask about the items they won’t move, so you know what to pack,
• Learn what the most commonly forgotten stuff to pack are and write them down, so you don’t forget either,
• Declutter your house and wardrobe by getting rid of items you no longer use,
• After decluttering, find out where to donate toys and other stuff you plan to throw away,
• Learn where to get free relocation boxes and find good prices for packing paper,
• Cancel your utilities about a month before leaving,
• Change your voter registration and address,
• Pack an essentials box or suitcase filled with items you won’t be able to live without during the first few days of your move,
• Call in favors and ask people to help you pack and move on relocation day,
• Learn how much to tip movers upon arrival at the destination.

Your New Home Needs Some Planning Before You Settle In

Of course, you can expand your list beyond the simple relocation tips. If you want everything to go smoothly, write down the things you need for your first apartment; arrange them by categories of what you need, desire, and would be good to have. Dividing these into smaller categories will help you prioritize and make better decisions when shopping.

Additionally, write down everything needed to check before settling in your apartment, like utilities, loan agreement or lease, the condition of the entire home from floor to ceiling, and potential repair situations.

It’s good to check every nook and cranny because rent prices often depend on the available services and amenities. If you don’t see some of the listed stuff, you have the right to settle with the landlord before unloading the relocation truck. It’s good to have storage services available for these situations, so when you look for movers, be sure they offer storage.

Plan a Moving Out List of Things to Buy for Relocation Day

You’ll need to buy some things for the relocation process, which could also be available for free if you dig hard enough. If you must downsize, shopping may be overkill, so be sure you have a clear checklist of relocation expenses. Essentials to buy include:

• Relocation boxes and containers,
• Wrapping materials (packing paper, bubble wrap)
• Duct tape (miles of it)
• Stickers and/or marker pens for labeling,
• Relocation blankets for furniture,
• Packing peanuts for padding,
• Straps for securing the blankets on large items,
• A dolly for transporting heavy furniture.

More importantly, you can rent most of this equipment instead of buying it. It’ll cost less and won’t create unnecessary clutter. Professional movers offer packaging services during which they bring all of this equipment and make your life easier.

Take Care of Essential Services Before Leaving the City

What are essential services, you might ask? Well, it’s everything you use in your daily life that makes your house a home – cable, internet, electricity, water, trash disposal, and air conditioning or heating. Before you leave, you must cancel all these unless you’re keen on getting billed for stuff you don’t use anymore.

No one wants to pay extra bills, so avoiding causes of relocation stress by taking care of utilities should be on top of the list. You must also figure out how to change your address on time so all the mail addressed to you can go to the right place.

Your checklist should include taking care of these services around four to six weeks before leaving. If you cancel too late, you’ll still have to pay for the services you haven’t used, and if you cancel way too early, you may get the silent treatment from your house about a week too soon. You won’t have access to any utilities that may be integral for survival.

Complete a Thorough Checkup of the Essentials Before Leaving, and Clean the House

Other essentials to add to your relocation list are complete checkups of all the utilities and a thorough house cleaning process. Ensuring everything is working properly will give you peace of mind before relocating for good and confirm to potential new tenants that the place is in top shape.

If you don’t do any repairs, you may get called back to fix whatever’s broken, and that’s money coming out of your pockets when one is already empty. Be like a good host and save yourself, and everyone else, the trouble of going back. You can always check the most common repairs before heading out if you don’t know where to start.

Additionally, don’t forget one of the most important tips before leaving – cleaning. You will have to thoroughly clean up the space and leave it pristine before you go because you wouldn’t want to move into a dirty house, either.

If you don’t have a game plan for cleaning the space, do it while you pack. It’d be best to pack room by room, declutter while you do it, and clean it thoroughly when the boxes are out of the area. That way, you will take care of stuff systematically and have your hands free on relocation day.

Strike a Deal With Cross-Country Movers and Follow the Plan

A crucial task is finding the best cross-country moving services to assist you. When you call them, they should offer services like truck loading and unloading, furniture assembly and dismantling, storage service, relocation insurance, and even car shipping services.

Most relocation companies working today have these services readily available for customers, and their costs are based on estimates that the movers provide after visiting your house. They have to send someone over and create a relocation list of their own; if they don’t, you might want to investigate if you’ve fallen into a relocation scam.

Assuming everything will be fine and dandy, ask the crew for other packaging and car shipping options that can suit your budget and style. Any professional company should consult with you openly and not hide their fees and costs. Most importantly, though, you’ll have an available and arranged relocation plan when you’re done talking to them.

If you’re not that great at keeping track of everything happening at the moment, follow the movers’ footsteps. They’ll have a calendar of events and will likely notify you before anything happens. You can also call them and ask if you’re impatient.

Be Sure That Your Relocation Plan Is Followed by Everyone Involved in the Move

Whether it’s you or the movers who provide the game plan, ensure everyone involved is on board. Create a copy of your calendar or share it with them via email or AirDrop.

It’s recommended to use paper calendars because they can be placed somewhere visible. Still, if you use digital calendars, you can set reminders and have your phone ringing in vital moments. You can opt for both because how you run your timeline is up to you.

How you run the show is less important than how well everyone is in the loop with the plan. If you assign specific tasks to people, ensure they’re the right people for them – meaning, don’t assign your kids to packaging gardening tools or your friends to clean up your bathroom.

Be Sure There Are No Loose Ends on Your Checklist Before Relocation Day

Having a moving out list of essentials means being ready for the best and the worst of what relocating offers. While your safest bet will be to call long-distance movers, there are still tasks on your relocation to-do list that only you can take care of.

You’ll love creating a relocation list if you’re a fan of planners, notebooks, and schedules. If you aren’t, well, working with others to ensure it all goes smoothly will be the best course of action. You can always try relocation list templates and save yourself from hours of thinking about every detail.

A list of relocation tasks is a great choice and integral to the success of your move. Don’t fear it, but go for it bravely, and you will see success every step of the way.

Making a moving out list isn’t easy, but it’s essential. Learn what needs to be done before relocation day and how to plan it all out without fail.