To help you get started with your move, we’ve put together a printable 4-week moving checklist. This checklist will be especially helpful if you’ve hired a professional moving company.
Your 4-Week Moving Checklist
This household moving guide contains smart and simple tips to prepare you for moving day. It will also help you stay calm throughout the process. With help from Bekins, you can focus on what’s really important: making your new house a home and enjoying the adventure ahead.
Bekins Van Lines’s moving checklist can ease the moving process by helping you to accomplish each task one piece at a time.
The Ultimate Moving Timeline: An In-Depth Look at Your Moving To-Dos
Looking for more information than what’s provided in the 4-week moving checklist? We’ve got you covered! Here’s what needs to get done leading up to your move starting 12 weeks prior:
8–12 WEEKS BEFORE YOU MOVE
- Contact your real estate agent to begin the selling process (if you own your home)
- Establish your preferred moving dates
- Research your new community
- Compare school districts (if applicable)
- Obtain free city reports
- Find out if your employer will pay for the move or provide you with a lump sum or a direct reimbursement
- Have a garage sale or donate goods you don’t want to move with. This will help you save on your moving costs
4-8 WEEKS BEFORE YOU MOVE
- Contact your local Bekins agent to schedule a convenient time for a free estimate
- Make a list of everyone you need to notify of your move
- Obtain change of address from your local post office
- Research driver’s license requirements for the state you are moving to
- Check with your school on transferring your children’s school records (if applicable)
- Find out from the IRS or your accountant if moving expenses are tax deductible
- Contact your insurance agent to discuss your insurance needs for your new home
- Begin to organize your medical and dental records
3 WEEKS BEFORE YOU MOVE
- Make a decision on whether you will pack your own belongings or if you’d like to utilize Bekins’ professional packing services
- Begin packing process (if applicable)
- Change your address on credit cards and magazine subscriptions
- Arrange to have your utilities disconnected after you move out
- Arrange to connect your utilities the day before your scheduled move-in day
- Make plans for your children and pets on moving day so they don’t get in the way of the movers
2 WEEKS BEFORE YOU MOVE
- Plan to use all the food in your refrigerator and freezer
- Clean your home and clear basement and attics
- Be sure that you have everything packed
- Drain the oil and gas from your lawn mower and other power tools if they are to be moved
ONE WEEK BEFORE YOU MOVE
- Confirm travel arrangements for you and your family
- Provide contact phone numbers for your Bekins agent so you are accessible during your move
- Empty and clean your refrigerator and freezer and clean your stove and other appliances
- Put any nonperishable items you aren’t moving in boxes for your Bekins agent to donate through Move For Hunger
- Only keep handy household items you need, such as sheets, towels, a few pans and dishes
MOVING DAY
- Review all paperwork with your Bekins driver
- Be available to check off inventory of all items that are being moved
- Once the moving van is loaded, double check that nothing was left behind
DELIVERY DAY
- Inspect your items as the movers unload the truck by checking it off of your inventory form
- Indicate any damages on the form
- Finally, unpack and get settled into your new home
Tackle Your To-Dos with Bekins Van Lines
You don’t have to complete your move alone. At Bekins, we’re dedicated to making your moving timeline as simple and stress-free as possible. Get in touch with your local agent today to start the countdown to your new home!
