The Only Moving Out List You’ll Need for Your Relocation

It doesn’t matter if you have to move an office or the entire house. You should create a good relocation plan and stick to it as much as you can. And once you create a good to-do list for moving out of state, your relocation process will be much easier, but you won’t have to worry about a lot of things that need to be done after moving.

First, You Must Do Good Research on the City Where You Plan to Buy or Rent a Home

Before you start packing your clothes for relocation, roll up your sleeves and do some research about the city you are planning to move to. With all the fuss regarding moving across the country, you may forget to gather all the necessary information for this process to go smoothly. You don’t want to end up in some expensive neighborhood that is too far from your job. Or if you are relocating with kids in an area that has bad schools. This is why you need to do research before you decide to rent or buy an apartment. Here are some of the things to consider:

• Commuting to work – If you are relocating for a job, the best course of action will be to buy an apartment near work. This way, you will save a ton of money and time on the commute. On the other hand, if you are relocating without a job, research the biggest employers or simply rent a place near the city’s financial district.
• Housing options – No matter if you are relocating alone or with family, researching housing options will be a huge part of your relocation budget. It would be good to put money aside for three months worth of rent.
• Costs of living – Another important part of your budget should be calculating the cost of living in your city of choice. You can go to the Numbeo website and type in your city to see the average living costs.

Now Is the Time to Do Some House Hunting

Once you have done the research and know in which neighborhoods you can buy or rent an apartment, you can start house hunting. Since it is a long-distance move, it would be a good idea to hire a real estate agent to help you out. Also, before purchasing a house, it would be good to go and see the place yourself, so you can plan renovations if needed. But if this is not possible, ask for the blueprints of the house and measurements so you know what furniture you can bring with you. Keep in mind that the whole process of buying or renting the house usually takes more than a month.

Find Cross-Country Movers That Can Provide You With Everything You Need

The moment you finalize the deal regarding accommodation, you can start searching for long-distance movers. When searching for a company, ensure to find the one that can provide you with all the cross-country moving services you require. So find a company that can provide you with a truck, movers, car shipping service, and more. It has been proven useful to have a company that can provide you with storage units as part of their services, too, since moves can be unpredictable. This way, if your renovations take longer than anticipated, you will have a place to store belongings without extra costs.

How to Know if a Moving Company Is Legit?

Another important relocation hack to consider is how to recognize if a company is legitimate. Unfortunately, there are a lot of relocation scammers out there, so being extra careful is necessary. First, check if the company has a USDOT number. This number is required by Federal Law for all cross-country movers to have. Also, if the company is legit, they will offer an in-home estimate to calculate a more precise quote. If the company gives you a quote without this estimate, they are probably scammers.

Create a Packing Schedule and Start Three Weeks in Advance

Once you have booked movers, it is time to create a packaging schedule. First, create an inventory list of belongings you plan to bring with you. You can do this by simply marking each item in the house with small colored labels. Creating the inventory checklist will shorten the whole process of in-home estimation with the movers, and it will make things a lot easier for both you and them.

Once you have an inventory checklist in place, you can divide it into sections. You can go room by room and mark belongings you won’t be using before the move, so you can pack them first. But before you start to organize packing, you should consider getting rid of the belongings you don’t need.

Before You Start Packing, Complete the Decluttering Process

One of the best packing tips to ensure your move goes efficiently and smoothly is decluttering before starting anything else. And if you already have a checklist of belongings you plan to bring, you have basically also made a checklist of belongings you don’t. All you have to do is to decide which belongings to toss, sell, or donate. Clear one storage room where you can do all the sorting, like a garage or basement.

Start Eating Your Food Now

One of the most common relocation mistakes people make is that they don’t spend all their food from the pantry and refrigerator. And in the end, that food ends up in the garbage. So start eating this food right away. Put aside canned food that is not expired for donation. As you may already know, this is one of the belongings movers won’t move, so if you don’t want to waste all that food, start cooking.

Pack Your Bag of Essentials

You will need a moving-out list of essentials as well, so while deciding what to keep and what to toss, create a separate list of belongings you must have with you during travel. Here, you will put important documents, cash, and other necessities. Create a bag of relocation essentials for each family member, even your dog, if you are relocating with pets. Each bag should contain the following items:

• Clothing for a couple of days,
• Important documents,
• Medicine,
• Laptops, phones, and chargers,
• Food for the dog and snacks for the road,
• Kids’ favorite toys,
• Basic toiletries,
• Towels and bedding.

You Will Need a Moving Out List of Things to Buy

Another thing to think about is a list of things you have to buy for the new house. And we are not just talking about the furniture and appliances, but also about the little things you have that are too worn out – this is the perfect opportunity to replace them with new ones. Most of those items you will find in the bathroom. And once you create a list of belongings you require, you can buy them after the move. Here are some of moving out the list of necessities to buy:

• Bathtub curtain
• Toilet brush
• Kitchen plastic containers
• Hygiene products
• Cleaning supplies
• Decor that fits the new interior

In fact, it would be good to throw away used up items when decluttering and just put them on the shopping list.

Don’t Forget to Clean Everything Thoroughly

Even if you hire professional movers for a packing service, you will have to prepare your belongings for shipping. It is recommended to clean stuff before the movers arrive. This will make unpacking after the relocation much easier. Of course, you can skip this step, but it will be much nicer to have clean items to place in the new home. So before you start packaging, do a deep cleaning of everything including your furniture. When packaging pots and pans, for example, ensure you have removed all the grease from the bottom. Clothes should be washed and carefully packed, especially if you plan to keep your belongings in a storage unit for some time. As you can imagine, dirty belongings will be ruined if kept too long in storage.

Pack Cleaning Essentials for the New House or Apartment

Another thing to think about is that you should clean the apartment after you move in. Even if everything is fresh and clean, you will still have a lot of garbage and dust after unpacking, so make sure you have a box of cleaning supplies. Here are some supplies to place in the box:

• Sponges and cleaning cloths
• Universal cleaner
• Bleach
• Mop and bucket
• Vacuum cleaner
• Paper towels

Check this video for more tips on cleaning when relocating to another place:

There Will Be a Lot of Institutions You Have to Inform About Your Moving Cross-Country

Moving cross-country will demand a lot of paperwork, but don’t be alarmed. If you create a list of tasks to deal with, you can do it while finishing other things. First, make a list of institutions you have to inform about the address change. Best of all, most of those institutions accept online changes of address, so this is something you can do a week or so before the move. Here list of the most relevant entities you need to notify about your move :

• Post office
• IRS
• Voter registration
• Bank
• Subscriptions

Still, there are some tasks you will have to do upon your arrival, such as a visit to a DMV. You will have to change your license and get new plates. Also, you might have to take out another car insurance.

Another thing you should do as soon as you are settled in is the change of medical insurance. As you may know, cross-country moving is considered a qualifying life event, and you are entitled to a special enrollment window. So use this chance and get health insurance, because your old one will likely not be valid in the new state.

Create a Checklist for the Moving Day, And You Are Good to Go

Now the big day is approaching. You will be swamped with boxes and people going in and out of the house. You will require a good strategy of things to do before the truck arrives. Designate one room in your home to be your safe room for starters. Here you will keep the bags of essentials and valuable items, and if you have kids or pets, you can make space for them here. Another thing you can do to prepare for movers in the best way possible is to place all the boxes in one room. This way, loading will go much faster.

Secondly, have bottles of water, some hot beverages, and food for your workers. If you are relocating in winter, clear your driveway if there is snow and place something on the floor to protect it from moisture or dirt, like old sheets or nylon. Finally, prepare some cash to tip your movers for a job well done.