Preparing to Move

There's no getting around it-moving is a crazy, anxious and a hectic experience. To make things easier as moving day approaches, follow these tips to help you prepare and alleviate the stress:

Before Moving Day

• Plan ahead. The earlier you start the moving process, the more time you'll have to do it right.
• Decide early which tasks you'll handle yourself and which you'll hire help to do. Professional movers can help with packing, the move itself and unpacking in your new home. See Finding and Using a Mover.
• If you have small children, hire a babysitter for the day of the move.
• Measure your furniture as well as doors and windows in your current and new homes. Use the measurements to determine which items will be easy to move, which need to be disassembled and which can move through doors or up/down stairs with minimal or no damage. And, of course, measure to ensure your furnishings will fit in your new home.
• Book one or two days off work before and after your move.
• Consider keeping a calendar dedicated specifically to keeping track of such dates and tasks as:
  
  
  • The date you need to notify your landlord that you're moving (if you rent)
  • Finalizing any paper work or details for your new mortgage that may be outstanding. See Process map
  • Dates and times when your home will be shown
  • Date you signed the purchase contract for your new home
  • Dates and names of moving companies contacted, as well as their estimates
  • Dates when you contacted your insurance company, as well as homeowner's insurance costs at the new location
  • The scheduled closing dates and lawyers' appointments
  • Dates when you called utilities, when your services will change over and with whom you spoke
  • Dates when you submitted change of address forms, and to whom. See our helpful Change of Address checklist
  • Tasks from your moving checklist
  • Dates when you submitted claims for damages with the mover or expenses if moving for work
• Mark every box with the room where you want it to go in your new house
• Also consider numbering your boxes and keeping a list of each box's contents. You'll have an easier time finding your things in your new home.
• Don't move anything you won't use again

On Moving Day

• Make sure that both the old and new locations are ready
• Arrange for street parking if necessary
• If special equipment such as a dolly is required, have it ready
• Just before you leave your old home for the final time, check all floors, rooms, closets, drawers, cabinets, etc. to make sure you've left nothing behind
• Pack items you're going to need (and want) right away in an "emergency" bag or box that you keep with you, not in the moving truck. For example:
  
  
  • A change of clothes
  • Toiletries, including toilet paper
  • Prescription and over-the-counter medications
  • Some basic tools (such as a multi-purpose screwdriver, locking pliers, hammer and measuring tape)
  • Remote controls and instruction manuals
  • A phone, phone book and answering machine
  • Difficult-to-replace items such as personal documents, credit cards and jewellery
  • Paper plates, cups and napkins, paper towels, a few pots and pans and a can/bottle opener
  • Baby supplies
  • Soap, basic cleaning supplies, a dishcloth and towels
  • Anything else that matter to you
• Plan which rooms in your new home you'll set up first. If you have children, making their rooms the priority can help them adjust to your new home faster. Kitchen, bedroom, living room… whichever you prefer, it can be calming in the days of settling in to have a room where you can catch your breath and say, "This one's done." Ensure the items for these rooms are among the last loaded onto the truck so they're unloaded first.