MOVING TIME CHECK LIST
One Month Before Move
• Arrange for moving your furniture and
personal belongings either by hiring a
moving company or renting a truck.
• Accumulate moving supplies such as
boxes, tape, rope and anything else you
might need.
• Plan your travel route if you are
driving to your new home.
• Some moving expenses are tax
deductible, so you should save all
moving related expenses including meals,
lodging and gasoline.
• Develop a plan for packing such as
packing last the things you use the
most.
• Notify the Post Office of your move by
using the Change of Address form.
• Notify friends, family and businesses
of your move.
• Notify federal and state taxing
authorities or any other government
agency needed.
• If an employer is paying for your
relocation, confirm what preparations,
if any, you’ll be required to make.
• Decide what goes with you, what to
sell and what to give away. Hold a
garage sale.
• Collect and keep important papers
handy (medical, insurance, etc.)
• Begin packing seldom used articles.
• List important new phone numbers and
keep in a handy place.
Two Weeks Before Move
• Notify utilities like gas, electric,
water, cable TV and phone companies.
• Notify long distance phone company and
arrange for service at your new address.
• Have your car serviced if you are
driving to your new home.
• Recruit people to help you on moving
day.
• Arrange for someone to take care of
pets during move or, if long distance,
arrange for pet travel.
• Confirm moving company or rental truck
arrangements.
• Transfer checking and saving accounts
and contents of safe deposit box to your
new community.
• Clear up any outstanding accounts.
• If you lease phones call to transfer
your account.
• Begin serious packing of items you
won’t need over the next two weeks.
• Return or retrieve borrowed or loaned
items.
• Drain or dispose of flammable liquids
in lawn mowers, etc.
One Day Before Move
• Keep moving materials separate so they
don’t get packed until you are finished.
• Pick up rental truck if you are doing
it yourself.
• Fill up your car with gas and check
oil and tires.
• Try to get a good night’s rest.
MOVING DAY
Moving Out
• Confirm arrival time with moving
company.
• Keep important documents and keys
handy.
• Make a final inspection to be sure
nothing is forgotten. Look through
closets, basements, garage, etc.
• Turn off lights, close and lock all
windows and doors.
• Turn in keys to REALTOR or landlord.
• Leave home only after the moving truck
is on its way.
Moving In
• If keys were not turned in at closing,
pick up keys at the REALTOR’S office.
• Meet the movers promptly.
• Supervise placement of cartons and
furniture.
• Check circuit breakers or fuse box to
make sure everything is on.
• Read all meters (water, gas and
electric) in case it hasn’t been done.
REMEMBER to write the day read on the
paper.
• Call family and friends. Let them know
you’ve arrived safely.
GARAGE SALE HINTS
• Selecting the right date is important
so it won’t conflict with holidays or
special events that could compete for
attendance.
• Weekends are generally more successful
than weekdays.
• Bigger is better.
• Practical household good such as
appliances, dishes, furniture, tools and
the like are good sellers. Clothing
typically doesn’t have high resale value
with the possible exception of
children’s clothes in good condition.
• Try to merchandise your goods in an
attractive manner as if you were
displaying them in a store.
• Items should be clean and if not in
working order, label accordingly.
• A classified ad in the newspaper
listing some of the more desirable items
can greatly increase your foot traffic.
• Bulletin boards in grocery stores and
other public places can provide
additional exposure.
• Use well created, attractive signs to
direct people to your home. The nicer
the sign, the more attention it will
attract.
• Post a sign stating that all sales are
final.
• Visit other garage sales to see what
works well.
• You’ll need to have cash on hand to
make change for customers.
TIPS ON PACKING
A substantial amount of money can be
saved by packing your household goods.
To insure safety for your belongings,
care should be undertaken to pack
properly.
• Use strong containers in good
condition, that can be sealed with
strapping tape. These can be purchased
locally from moving companies.
• Keep in mind what the box will weigh
after it is loaded. 40 to 50 pounds is
considered the maximum.
• Empty spaces in boxes should be filled
with crumpled newspaper or bubble wrap
to keep things from shifting in transit.
• Books should be stacked on end and
generally in smaller boxes than other
things due to their weight.
• Label each box after packing, first,
so that the movers will know which room
to put it in, secondly, to help you
prioritize which ones need to be opened
first.
• Remove al breakables from drawers
before moving furniture.
• Don’t pack valuables such as jewelry,
collections, checks or savings books.
• Packing takes longer than you expect,
so take plenty of time. Pack items that
aren’t frequently used first and unpack
them last.
• Organization in packing will save you
hours of time and frustration in the
long run.
• Items that are no longer wanted can be
donated to charity and you may be
eligible for a tax deduction.
VIDEO YOUR PERSONAL BELONGINGS
In recent years the price of video
cameras has come down so low that many
households have one. Even, if you
haven’t gotten around to buying one yet,
you probably know someone who has one or
you can rent one for a reasonable price.
Most are very simple to operate and
don’t require any skilled training. The
microphone is built into most of the
cameras and some don’t even require
additional lighting.
Why not use this technology to make a
video record of all of the personal
possessions in your home just in case
you have a burglary or a fire. If a
picture is worth a thousand words, a
video with sound has to be worth ten
thousand.
Have someone help you with this simple
project. One of you can operate the
camera and the other can identify
different objects in each room. Describe
each item as you go along and if it has
a serial number or other identifying
mark, be sure to mention it.
Open all closet doors to show what the
contents are and briefly mention
different things. You can’t believe how
helpful this can be after a loss because
many times you don’t miss something for
months after a claim is filed because
you might not use an item very often.
Once the video tape has been made, you
might want to even make a duplicate of
it and put one copy in either a safety
deposit box, at work or give it to a
friend or relative for safekeeping.
Don’t worry about being Steven
Spielberg. You aren’t trying to win an
Oscar for this tape but just protect
your possessions from loss. However, do
have fun doing it.
MAIL FORWARDING
Q. Which form do I need to fill out to
have my mail forwarded?
A. The Change of Address order form
supplied at any United States Post
Office.
Q. Does each person in the household
have to have a form filled out?
A. If each member has the same last name
and they are all moving to the same
address, only one Change of Address form
needs to be filled out. However, if this
is not the case, each individual must
complete their own Change of Address
form.
Q. When does the Change of Address form
need to be sent in?
A. To insure that there is no
unnecessary delay, the Change of Address
form should be completed at least 30
days before you move or at least as soon
as you know the date of your move and
the new address. The “Start Date” will
determinie when the post office will
forward your mail to the new address.
Q. How long will it take to forward the
mail from one address to another?
A. It will take approximately three to
five days for your mail to be forwarded
from your old address to your new
address depending on how far away they
are from each other.
Q. Who else should be notified of my
change of address?
A. Everyone who sends you mail should be
notified of your change of address. This
includes family, friends, credit cards,
banks, insurance companies, doctors,
dentists, professionals, magazines and
others. You can get notification cards
from the post office.
Q. How long will the post office
continue to forward my mail?
A. For most mail, it will be forwarded
for twelve months and there is no charge
for this service. Third class mail will
not be forwarded unless the sender
requests it specifically.
OTHER FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q. What are the requirements for
qualifying for a Moving Expense
deduction on my federal tax return?
A. There are two tests, the employment
test and the distance test, that
determine a taxpayer’s eleigibility. For
more information, you can call the
Internal Revenue Service at
1-800-829-1040 and ask for publication #
521.
HELPING CHILDREN WITH A MOVE
• Show the children the new home and
their new room prior to moving. If this
is not possible, pictures or videos will
help them visualize where they are
going.
• Assure children you won’t forget their
friends.
• Make a scrapbook of the old home and
neighborhood.
• Throw a good-bye party. At the party
have their friends sign a t-shirt.
• Have your child write good-bye letters
and enclose their new address. You may
wish to call the other children’s
parents so they will encourage return
letters.
• When packing, give them their own box.
They can decorate it so they know which
one it is.
• If you move far away, buy postcards
when you stop so they can remember the
trip.
• When unpacking, allow them to unpack
their treasures, then have them play
with the boxes while you unpack.
• Start a scrapbook for their new home.
Include a diary of My First…
• Visit their new school, park, church,
etc. take a camera.
• Help your children invite new friends
over to the house.
• Let them choose a new favorite
restaurant. This will help them feel in
control of their new world.
• Encourage them to send new letters
about their new home, to their friends.
• Involve your children in groups,
sports, and activities like the ones
they used to participate in.
• Remember, even if you lived in a home
a few years to a young child it is
nearly a lifetime.
THINGS TO DO AFTER A MOVE
• Notify the sender of any mail
forwarded to you of your new address.
This is only necessary if there is a
yellow address label on it which
indicates it has been forwarded.
• Register to vote so that when election
time rolls around, you will be eligible.
• Get a change of address on your
driver’s license if you have moved
within the state. And make application
for one if you have move out of state.
• Make contact with a local insurance
agent to transfer policies. Complete a
Household Inventory of your new home.
• Find out when the trash and garbage is
picked up and whether there is a
re-cycling program available.
• After locating a new doctor and
dentist, have your medical histories
transferred.
• Ask for recommendations for good
contractors like plumbers, air
conditioning services and the like so
that when you need them, you will know
who you should call without being at the
mercy of the yellow pages.
• Locate new service providers such as
banks, pharmacies, cleaners, etc.
• Make a list of the emergency numbers
such as fire, ambulance, police,
hospital, poison control and the like so
they will be available in an emergency.
Recognize that moving can be very
stressful on people and that you should
be considerate of your family members
and yourself.
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