Did you know? 35.5 million Americans change their place of residence every year.
Reasons for moving vary from seeking new opportunities, safer neighborhoods, to work-related situations. Regardless of the backstory, 35.5 million is a lot of people on the move – almost 10% of the U.S. population.
Moving in or out of a place can be a nightmare if you haven’t properly planned for the shift.
This is why we’ve taken it upon ourselves to show you just how to create a checklist to ensure that the process goes as smoothly as possible.
Figure out what you want to keep
It’s common knowledge that we often keep more things than we really need. This almost always surfaces when it’s time to plan a move and you realize you have so many unnecessary and unwanted things you’ve been holding onto.
Go through your house or apartment and take stock of things you wish to keep and move with and write them down under your first column ‘THINGS TO KEEP’. Extra, unwanted property that might be valuable can be sold in a yard sale or donated to local charities.
Ask for referrals for good movers
The second point on your checklist should be ‘FIND MOVERS’ and under this column you’re going to list potential movers. Word of mouth marketing is generally the best way to find reliable movers.
Start with your circle of friends, work colleagues, and local family members. You can also alternatively look through moving companies online. A few things to note once you’ve selected a moving company: obtain the mover’s identifying Department of Transportation license number and their physical company address.
Purchase packing supplies
Third on your checklist of things to do is ‘PACKING SUPPLIES’. List everything you need in terms of packing so you can go to the store knowing what it is you want. Buy everything you could possibly need to store all your belongings from bubble wrap, packing tape, novelty packing containers, and packing paper.
Start packing early, one room at a time, with items that you don’t use regularly. And do not forget to label each box with contents (not valuables) and destination room as you seal it. You’ll need this information for the mover’s inventory sheet.
Alert relevant parties of your move
The fourth point on your checklist should be a list of ‘PEOPLE WHO NEED TO HEAR FROM ME’. Schools, doctors, insurance agents, bank and credit card agents. If you have children, you’ll need to obtain hard copies of their school records. This should be done preferably at least two months before your scheduled move.
Additionally, obtain copies of all your medical records from your local doctor, and any prescriptions from your pharmacists. Alert your insurance agents of your move and find out if you’ll have to change anything on record. Do this for your property, medical, dental and vehicle insurers. Change your address at the local post office or do it online by visiting the USPS.gov site. Let your bank and credit card companies know ahead of time too.
Plan time off from work to finish packing
‘SCHEDULE TIME OFF’ should be a point on your checklist too. A lot of people leave this to the last minute. Don’t make this mistake. Give your employer plenty of warning that you’ll need sufficient time off in order to finish your packing. When you go to ask for time off, make sure you have a number in your head when they ask how many days you’ll be taking off. Make sure you’ve also finished off any pending work-related projects as a courtesy.
Things to avoid packing into the truck
We’ve all heard horror stories of families losing valuable and oftentimes irreplaceable family heirlooms, documentation, and property. We do not recommend that you store important documents such as passports or immigration papers in boxes going off with the movers. Keep credit cards, checkbooks, jewelry, laptops and cash with you at all times.
Contact PMI Colorado for more information regarding moving.
