8 - 6 Weeks Before Move-In Day

Research Moving Services - Moving to a new house takes a lot and you shouldn’t do it all by yourself. Do some research into different moving services and create your moving budget. How much you’re spending on this move will depend on how far you’re moving and what kind of move you’re looking to do. Narrow down your search, nail down a budget, and decide if you’ll be doing the move yourself, with professional help or a combination of both. By the end of the 6-week marker, you should schedule your movers and move-in date! 

Appointments & Important Docs - You’re not just moving your stuff, you’re moving your life. Make a list of all the necessary appointments you’ll need to make and use the next couple of weeks to finalize these plans. This means things like setting up your utilities, school enrollment, and inspections. Now is the time to start gathering all of the important documents you must keep track of and taking inventory of what you have and what you’re missing. You may also consider backing up these important documents onto a computer in case anything gets misplaced during the move.

Inventory - Take inventory of everything you’re moving. This will help you to organize and remember everything you need to pack as well as help you decide what can be donated, sold, or thrown away. You can get super detailed in this inventory and organize it by room, or you could simply write down the most important things. This is also the time to take furniture measurements and compare them to the measurements of your new space. You don’t want to be stuck in a situation where your new sectional doesn’t fit. 

Supplies - Start to gather your boxes and moving supplies. You can contact local grocery stores and warehouses to find free boxes and then buy the rest. Consider things like packing tape, paper, bubble wrap, etc. Check with your chosen moving service to see what they offer as well.

Small Repairs - Make quick and small repairs you’ve been putting off. Start to putty over dents, replace that broken toilet paper holder, etc. If you’re selling your home and moving, this could help the process move along and it’s considerate to whoever may be moving into your home next.

Time Off - Once you’ve scheduled your move, request time off. This will give you enough time to move without stressing about getting work done during the process. Also, take this time to ask friends and family to help with your move. Like we said before, you don’t want to do this alone, and the more help you can get, the better.

5 - 2 Weeks Before Move-In Day

Start Packing - Get a head start on your packing and box up any non-essential and seasonal items. Go through your storage closets and garage area too. This means you can get things like winter coats, Christmas decorations, and even some larger items packed and out of the way. The more you can do before moving day, the less stress you’ll likely experience. Make a packing plan so you make steady progress as your move-in date gets closer. Unfortunately, you can’t take off weeks for a move, so schedule packing sessions after work and during weekends to stay on schedule.

Forwarding Mail and Transferring Services - Once you have your new address you can start the process of forwarding your mail and transferring (or canceling) services. Look at all of your subscriptions or memberships and figure out which you can keep and which you need to change. Maybe you need to cancel that gym membership but can change your address on your monthly food service subscription. Also consider things like changing pharmacies, what utilities you need to transfer, bank and card information, etc.

Donate, Sell, & Throw Away - Remember that inventory you made? Now is the time to go through the things that aren’t on it. Decide what you can donate or sell and sort out what needs to be thrown away. You could hold a yard sale, post items to an online marketplace, or schedule a drop-off at a donation site. Not only are you getting rid of the clutter, but you could make some extra cash too. 

Order New - Now is also the time to go through your inventory and fill in any gaps you may have. If you have the means to, take this opportunity to order new furniture pieces to make your new space feel like home right away. If you are still in the thick of the mortgage process, avoid making large purchases or opening new credit cards as it could impact your loan. For more information on what NOT to do during the home buying process, check out our YouTube video all about the mistakes you should avoid during the home buying process here. 

The Week Before Move-in Day (It’s Getting Real)

Pack Pack Pack - Now is the time to put packing into high gear! Tackle it room by room to help you stay organized and keep your most-used spaces livable. Disassemble large furniture pieces, take photos of valuable items (just in case), and just pack. This task can seem never-ending, but if you’ve planned ahead, have an inventory, and started your packing weeks ago, you should be in good shape. You should aim to be done packing before moving day. Leaving anything for the day of the move is likely why it’s ranked as the third most stressful thing ever.

Suitcases - Pack your day-to-day essentials and a couple of days worth of clothes in a suitcase for each member of your family. You won’t want to sort through all of your boxes to find your toothpaste the day after moving. This will help you feel more like you during your move and keep you from stressing over not having deodorant on hand or clean clothes for the next day.

Clean Up - As you finish packing each room, clean it too. You’ll want to dust surfaces, vacuum, or mop the floors, and just make sure you leave your space ready for the next family moving in. Cleaning will help you feel like you’re crossing things off your list, make the space more attractive to potential buyers if you’re selling, and is a nice courtesy to whoever is moving into your space. 

Last Minute Errands - Head out for extra cash to tip your movers, collect any keys and garage remotes, and pick up anything else outstanding. Do a final sweep of your house to make sure you didn’t miss anything in all the packing and take photos/video of your space.

Move-In Day

It’s the big day! If you follow this guide and prepare well in advance, this day should go off without a hitch. Load up the trucks, order some pizza for those helping you, and get moving into your new home. 


Moving houses is a huge process with lots of little steps you may not immediately think about. For a more extensive and complete moving guide, head to https://www.moving.com/move-planner/ to create and print your moving checklist.