Your Moving Check List

Six Weeks Prior To Moving:

1. Room by Room, Make an inventory of everything to be moved.

2. Collect everything not to be moved for a garage sale or charitable donation.

3. Contact the charity for date/time of pickup. Save receipts for tax records.

4. Select mover, arrange for exact form of payment at destination (cash, check). Get cartons and packing materials to start packing NOW, unless you have packing services.

5. Contact insurance agent to transfer/cancel insurance coverage Do Not Cancel your home insurance policy until after the home is closed.

6. If your employer is involved in your move, check with them to find out what moving expenses they will pay. They will need our contact information to place in their file.

Four Weeks Prior to Moving:

1. Notify all magazines of change of address – directly with the magazine - not USPS. The USPS does not forward magazines.

2. Fill out a change of address form on line at http://www.usps.com/

3. Check with veterinarian for pet records and immunizations.

4. Contact utility companies for refunds of deposit, set turn-off date, again, schedule this for a few days after the closing…just in case!

5. Set up utility turn-on date. We will provide you with all the contact numbers. Typically, the companies will require a minimum of 48 hours for scheduling you. Call accordingly.

6. Dry clean clothes to be moved, pack in protective wrappers.

7. Make a list with stragglers. Collect everything you have loaned out and return everything you have borrowed.

8. Service power mowers, boats, etc. draining all gas/oil to prevent fire in moving van.

9. Check with doctors and dentist for all family records and prescriptions

10. Get children's school records.

11. Check freezer and plan to use of food over next 2-3 weeks.

12. Remove all jewelry and valuables to a safe deposit box to prevent loss during move.

13. Give away or arrange for transportation of house plants (most moving companies will not move plants).

14. Schedule a check up for your pet just to make sure they are in good health and have what they need when you arrive…also, check for hotels that allow pets, and any traveling issues that you need to take care of for your pets…carriers, etc. before leaving town.

One Week Prior to Moving:

1. Transfer or close checking and savings accounts. Arrange for cashier's check or money order to pay moving company on arrival to new community.

2. Have automobile serviced for trip.

3. Check and make inventory of all furniture for dents and scratches, notify moving company of your inventory and compare on final day.

4. Dispose of all combustibles and spray cans (spray cans can explode or burn).

5. Pack a separate carton for cleaning materials and tools.

6. Separate cartons and luggage you need for personal travel.

7. Organize at least one room in the house for packers and movers to work freely.

8. Cancel all newspapers, garden service, snow removal, etc.

9. Review the entire list to make certain that you haven't overlooked anything. Check and doublecheck everything you have done before it's too late (behind doors, in cabinet & drawers)

10. Anytime before the move... hair cuts, family and pets.

Moving Day:

1. Check all rooms and each closet and cabinet. Lock all doors and windows.

2. Advise your Realtor and neighbors that the house is empty.

3. Make sure to get a contact cell phone number for the driver of your moving truck

4. Give the mover your cell phone number.

5. Confirm the address and directions to your new home with your driver.

New home buyers need to visualize how they would utilize the space. Make your home beautiful, warm and inviting

For the Photo Shoot and Home Showings

 Foyer/Front Porch/all Entry ways: This is the gateway to your house. There should be no clutter, no dust, no spiderwebs, no excess furniture. Put away excess shoes. If there is space for a bench or chair for someone to sit and remove their shoes on a rainy-day day, that's a plus.

 Kitchen: Please remove everything off your counter tops for Photo Day and for Showings. Remove any Kitchen Rugs and make sure the trash can is out of sight. It's fine to have decorative pieces at the top of the cabinets in settings of 3 or 5 - or nothing at all. Place the coffee maker and toaster out of camera view (in a cabinet or the pantry). Dish towels and dish washing liquid out of sight. Refrigerator cleared of all magnets, and shined up.

 Breakfast and Dining Rooms: The Dining Room should function like a Dining Room for most buyers to assess it properly. So, if you are currently using it as a play room or a pool hall, it will save you a lot of lost days on the market, to convert it back to a Dining Room. Set the table in a simple fashion. If the room is small, make the table an appropriate size by removing some of the leaves and limit the number of chairs you are using. If is large, showcase it's size. Clean all light bulbs, and shine up the lighting and baseboards.

 Bathrooms: Remove all items off the counter-tops, throw rugs, shampoo, soaps from shower/bathtub. Place personal items in a shower caddy, so they can be placed under the sink during showings. (Go for a spa effect with new fluffy white towels.) Minimize and fold what is in the linen closet and get rid of excess under the sink. Make sure the light bulbs are clean and working. Shine it all up with a good cleaning top to bottom. Remove access to all medicine/drugs.

 Bedrooms: Put your valuables away. Check and clean the light bulbs and fan blades. Extra pillows to fluff up your look (think luxury beach rental house). Calm it down with neutral colors, a throw blanket for the corner of the bed, and an accent pillow. Bedding should hang so your sheets are not visibly showing.

 Children's Rooms: Remove all extra toys for the photos, you can add them back after the photos have been taken and pack up the toys that are not being used all the time as this will help someone visualize the space they can use. This is just a temporary solution. Your boxes move when you do!

 Main Living Areas like Family Rooms and/or Bonus Rooms:Show off good open space by removing excess furniture, and creating clean passageways. Remove anything you are not using. Tuck away remote controls, extra magazines, books, stray paperwork and stuff. Dust. Shine. Sweep/Vacuum. Light bulbs working. Windows are Clean.

 Front, back and side yards: Place fresh mulch (and fluff up), add seasonal flowers in pots (or beds) Clean your outdoor lighting fixtures. Straighten up tables and chairs, clean cushions, and remove hoses and garden tools from sight.