EXPERT TIPS & IDEAS Expert Tips & Ideas > Moving Countdown
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Two Months Before You Move

• Sort through your possessions and decide what items you no longer need. It's best to donate or discard those items before the move.
• Have your antiques, fine art and other valuables appraised for insurance purposes.
• Request estimates from professional movers or truck rental companies.
• Start a file of paperwork related to the move (contacts, receipts, estimates).
• Make any necessary travel arrangements (hotels, airfare, etc.).
• Notify the U.S. Postal Service, publications, creditors, banks and others of your change of address.

One Month Before You Move

• Contact the utility companies at both your new home and your current home to set up/cancel service.
• Designate an out-of-the-way area in your home as a holding area for packed items.
• Begin packing nonessential items.
• Consult with your insurance agent to determine how your property is insured while it is in transit.
• Make your reservation with the moving company.

Two to Three Weeks Before You Move

• Continue packing.
• Have a moving sale.
• Arrange for local charities to pick up unwanted items (be sure to get a receipt for tax purposes).
• Return any borrowed items and retrieve anything you've loaned to friends or neighbors.
• Make arrangements to have school, medical, dental and veterinary records transferred.

One Week Before You Move

• Continue packing.
• Confirm your reservation with the moving company.
• Place items you plan to move yourself in a separate area to avoid confusion.
• Pack a suitcase with clothing, toiletries, medications, first aid kit etc., for the first night in your new home.
• Set aside a box for essential items like toilet paper, paper towels, trash bags, etc., that will be needed immediately after you move in.
• Disconnect, defrost and prepare any appliances that will be moved.
• Drain lawn equipment and power tools of gas and oil and drain garden hoses of water.

Moving Day

• Make sure that you or your representative is present at your old residence to answer the mover's questions.
• Read the bill of lading prepared by your mover carefully before signing it.
• Check your possessions as they are brought into your new home, noting any damage.
• Expect to pay your mover with cash, a certified check or a traveler's check, unless you have previously negotiated another arrangement.