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Moving Day Guide and Checklist

After you buy a house, you’re probably excited to move in. Unfortunately, planning a move is often very stressful, and by the time you hit moving day, it can devolve into complete chaos. To prevent this, you should know what needs to get done and in what order, so you can check each item off the list and get where you’re trying to go more easily. Here’s a handy checklist for moving day.

1. Separate the Items You Don’t Want Loaded

Keep the items you don’t want to be moved by the movers in a separate pile. This will remind you to tell the driver what not to load as you conduct your preload walk-through.

2. Involve the Kids

Your children might feel nervous or unhappy about the move, but you can help by letting them pack their own box. Make sure it’s clearly marked and one of the first items off the truck.

3. Eliminate Garbage and Flammable Objects

Leading up to moving day, it’s a good idea to clear out as much trash as you can. Not only is it cheaper for you to move less stuff, but it also makes it easier to sort through your possessions when you get to your new home.

As for flammable objects, movers won’t move them, so be prepared to use up or lose items like household cleaners or gasoline.

4. Mark Your Territory

What happens if the moving truck finds it difficult to park near your current residence? Ideally, you won’t have to find out. Be diligent in preserving enough space near your home for the trucks, even if that means bargaining with neighbors or calling your friends to reserve a clearing with their vehicles.

5. Remove Obstructions

Anything that counts as an obstacle on moving day is a no-no. That includes potted plants, door mats, rugs, and the like. You’ll also want a clear and convenient pathway to and from the truck to your house.

6. Mark Important Items

Some items are very valuable or hard to live without. For items you really need, you should try to transport those yourself, but if that doesn’t work, it’s still a good idea to designate the items that need to be accessible when you arrive at your new home so they can be unloaded first. Other possessions to point out include precious heirlooms and fragile items that require extra care.

7. Be Gracious Toward the Moving Crew

The driver and moving crew members are working hard on your behalf, so it’s always a nice gesture to do a little something for them. This might mean picking up some food for them, having some lemonade on hand, or just being polite and generous.

8. To Tip or Not to Tip

If your movers did a good job, it’s customary to give them a tip. Simply give it to the driver, who can decide how to split it among the rest of the crew. Of course, your tip should be proportional to the quality of the work and the attitude of your movers.

9. Prepare Your Movers

Discuss logistics with the movers before you start moving. Provide the contact information for your destination and ask for the contact information of the crew. Find out what estimates they can give you for time and money. It’s much easier on you to hammer out all of the details prior to the move itself.

10. Sweep Through Your House One Final Time

The last thing you want is to see the driver pull out and then realize the movers left something behind. Before anybody leaves, do a thorough sweep through your house and carefully search to ensure that nothing is left.

After you’ve chosen the best of the houses for sale in your new city or neighborhood, follow this checklist to make sure moving day goes off without a hitch.

Source: Realtor.com / Neal Leitereg

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