Archive for the ‘Moving Checklist’ Category
September 4th, 2010 | 
Author: The number one thing that if you forget to do while moving from one home to another home that can really come back to bite you is in the end is
Forgetting To Forward Your Mail!
Do I even need to remind you that people have gotten there identity stolen because of what is in there mail?
It is important to take every precaution with your personal information, so don’t forget to get you mail forwarded to a safe place as soon as you read this. You have several great ways of doing this.
1. Forward your mail to your new home if you have the address and you know that the mail would be secure waiting their for you.
2. Forward your mail to a PO Box close to your new home, if you can get one set up.
3. Forward your mail to a trusted family member or friend, if they tell you it’s OK. Just keep in mind that when you are ready to unburden them of your mail it won’t be a good idea to use a post office forwarding form from their residence because it might mess up their mail.
4. And my favorite, forward you mail to a service like earth class mail. You can use this online PO Box type service no matter where you move or how many times you move. They will receive your mail and scan it for you so you can see it on your computer, and then you can tell them to forward that piece of mail to you or destroy it.
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There is much that needs to be remembered while moving. Making a moving list is the best way to remember them all. Plus it is really fun to cross things off when they are done. Here are few things to add to your list. You don’t want to forget any of them so be sure to write them all down on your moving list right after reading this article then be sure to visit the website link at the bottom for more information and ideas.
Get Change of Address
It is surprisingly easy to forget to get your change of address. With all of the other things that you need to do, putting this step off seems to make since at the time, but you do not want your mail or bill or even junk mail in anyone else’s hands. You can pick up a card at the post office to fill out or you can even do it on the internet. Just be sure to use the official post office web site. You can have your mail sent to a trusted friend, family member, or even a post office box if you need to.
Utilities
You not only need to give your utility companies a change of address, but you will also need to cancel the ones connected to your old home and get connected to your new home. Sometimes these utilities can cut you off within 12 hour, but sometimes it takes quite a bit longer so call ahead to schedule it on the right day. I would recommend planning for the worst and having your utilities cut off a day or two after you plan on being completely out of the old place. You never know if something will go ring and you will still be there for a few more days.
When moving you are trying to get so much accomplished it is hard to think of every last thing that needs to be done before you’re done with your old home. If you’re moving from a rental home then getting that deposit back is a priority. Even if you can’t get the deposit back then you can bet that you will be responsible for the cleaning that had to take place after you are gone. If you are selling your home then making sure it is clean to appeal to anyone being shown your home only makes sense. Over our many moves I have discovered a few really great tricks to make your home seem cleaner to others. If you only have a few hours for your move out cleaning then be sure to include these tricks.
Tricks to make the home seem cleaner
Clean the edges
Cleaning the edges of a room makes it look sharper and less dingy. Start at one edge, hopefully by a door. Sit on the floor with a dry scrubbing brush and a bucket of water and sponge. First use the brush on the edge of the carpet to push the fuzz and dirt that gets trapped there. Using a vacuum that cleans edges can help, but the results just aren’t as crisp. Next use the wet sponge to wipe down the floor boards or the bottom of the wall. Make sure that the paint is cleanable by testing a small section first. If you are working with walls that will be damaged by the water then just use a dusting cloth. When the area that you can reach is done then move over to a new section. Work all the way around the house until you are back at the place that you started. When you are done use your vacuum to pick up the gunk that was cleaned away from the walls. I have gotten my entire deposit back using this trick along with the most basic cleaning. Once even got a thank you note with it. This will take a few hours to do, but is worth it.
Bleach the sink
Smells are a powerful thing. When it smells cleaner then everything looks cleaner as well. This trick will not require a lot of work, so definitely do it. Just pour a capful of bleach onto all sinks, bathtubs, and even toilets with at least a gallon of water. Leave a few hours or overnight and then just before you are done with your cleaning just opens the drains. If bleach is just too strong for you to use then pick another cleaner with a fresh scent. If you do use a different cleaner then plan more soaking time. Your whole house should smell clean for a long time if no one starts stinking it up again.
Shine your sink
Making your sinks and other porcelain and metal fixtures should be among the last things that you do. Shiny tends to make people think clean. Use a soft cloth to rub baby oil into a nice shine. Luckily this is really easy to do after you have scrubbed off all of the grime that it should only take a few minutes to a half an hour to do an entire house.
Fill the holes in your walls
If you have been renting your home and the lease stated that hanging objects that make holes in the walls is not OK, then try this trick. Rub white hard soap on white walls to visually fill in the holes. Do this carefully and sparingly so it won’t be too obvious.
Get rid of all trash
Not leaving anything behind would be a no brainier, but you would be surprised how often people just leave trash and other unwanted items behind. If at all possible take everything with you. Leaving anything behind is a sure way of annoying anyone that has to enter the home after you have left, like landlords or interested buyers. The home will also retain a fresh, clean smell longer if it is completely empty.
Take the time to do these extras and your home will be inviting and really feel clean to others.
There is so much to do when you are moving it is easy to forget to cancel a few important items. Here’s a list of things that if forgotten could come back to haunt you later. Just use these ideas to help you brainstorm so you can make your own moving checklist planer.
Utilities
Utilities are the things that you had to have hooked up to your home when you moved in. Your utilities could include; electricity, gas, water, sewer, trash, cable, satellite, oil, and propane.
Professional Services
Many of your professional services do not necessarily need to be canceled. You will just need to contact them to inform them of your new address. Some of these could be saved for after your move if need be. Your professional services could include; doctors, dentists, accountant, lawyer, broker, and insurance agencies.
Publications
Some of your publications will need to be canceled while others will just need your address changed. Some of your publications may include; newspapers, magazines, newsletters, and journals.
Other Accounts
Other accounts that you will need to cancel or change the address might include; post office box; pharmacy, dry cleaner, lawn service, bank, video rental store, credit card company, laundry service, auto finance company, and health club.
Keep your list in a safe place so that you can use it to get your services turned on again after you get to your new home. If for some reason you just don’t have time or forget to get all of your accounts canceled or the addresses changed then get them taken care of as soon as your can. Putting it off could end up costing you more money.
In the post made yesturday we talked about what you can do to make your home appear cleaner before your move. If you have lived in a rental for a long time or are trying to get your house ready to show to potential buyers then It will be necessary to do a bit more.
I truly believe that the list that you will use as you’re to do list for your move out cleaning is very individual. No one could give you a comprehensive list to work for everyone and every situation. It is the best to make your own.
Here is a book that will help you on your way to make a moving house cleaning checklist and explanations of how to do the cleaning on that list.
Keeping organized is the best way to keep your stress levels down during your relocation. Make a list of everything that you need to do as soon as possible. Trust your list and ask for lots of help from your friends and family. Here are a few things to keep in mind while you are planning your relocation moving checklist
Decide On Your Moving Method
Your biggest moving expense is going to be the method that you move your belongings by. Whether you hire a moving company that will do everything for you, or use you pack moving pods or you pack and drive rental trucks. I even used the united states post office to ship all of my things in eighteen boxes once, which I would not recommend doing unless you have to.
Spend the time to find your moving company. Some of these companies are not reliable and are known to be dishonest. It can be hard to find out what the best ones are so ask friends and relatives or try to see if there are complaints against them on the internet.
Arrange for Extra Help
Unless you are the ultimate minimalist or an athlete you will need some help on moving day. Whether you ask some friends or hire some muscle you will need to get your help scheduled ahead of time.
Call a Donation Center That Picks Up
The best moving idea I have ever heard has to do with the items that you choose to not move with you to your next home. If you don’t have the time or interest in having a moving sale then call a donation center that picks up. You could sedule a time and date with them to come to your home a haul off what is left that they could sell in their store. You would first pack up everything that you are keeping and then invite them to take the rest. Just keep a close eye on things to make sure they don’t take anything that stays with the house or items that you may have missed while packing.
Foreword Your Mail
You don’t want to loose important mail while you are moving. A great way of keeping track of where your mail is being sent is to get a mailbox with an international mail collecting company that will give you a list of the mail that you have and let you chose what to do with it. Even if you are moving within the same country you could still use a service like this that is based in your country. It is really hard to get a PO Box in a state you do not yet live, so a service that will let you live anywhere or between places is ideal. It is a good idea to start this as soon a one month before your move, and then you could cancel and have your mail changed to be delivered to your home once you are completely settled. If you plan on having a post office box anyway you could just keep the service as it often costs the same or a little more that the traditional PO Box.
This is a stressful time, but you know that it will end and you will soon be settled in your new home.
There are so many reasons a family or individual would need to move in a hurry. There are a few areas in this country that are having a lot of house foreclosures. You may not have heard, but if you are renting a house that goes into foreclosure you will find yourself suddenly evicted without much warning. This is just one reason you might find yourself having an emergency move, but there a numerous other ones to.
Moving can be really complicated, but it doesn’t have to be. If you look at the big picture you really only need to do a few things to be ready to move, besides find a place to move to. When you look at each item that must be done think of what you absolutely have to do and let what you would normally do if you hade the time go. A list of things of what you must do.
You Must Move Your Stuff
Whatever you leave behind you will likely never see again. Grab some boxes and start throwing the things that you would really hate to loose in them first. If time permits you can go to the next stage of what you are taking with you. The next stage being what you would like to keep, but isn’t absolutely necessary. Things that I would keep in mind would be furniture, important personal records and documents, photos, your favorite clothing, and keep sakes.
You Must Have What’s Left Hauled Off
If you are in a big hurry then there will be a point that you will need to decide that what you haven’t packed will need to be gotten rid of. Call your friends and family to come take anything that they want. At least you will know your things will be going to a good home. You can then have the rest hauled off to a charity and the dump. Get as much help with this as you can to get it done quickly.
You Must Forward Your Mail
As soon as you know that you have to move go to the post office to forward your mail. If you don’t know where you will be living yet then ask a friend or family member if you can have your mail forwarded to them temporarily. You do not want your mail getting into the wrong hands.
You Must Take Care of Your Utilities
You will need to call all of the companies that provide your utilities and other services to this home to schedule when the services will end. These will likely not be turned of the day you call, so call as soon as you can. You don’t need to pay for days that you did not live there.
Take a deep breath and get started. If you find that you could not do everything that you feel that needed to be done before you left, then let it go. Except for the mail forwarding and ending your utilities, the rest should not be worried about once you are done. You did the best you could.
Moving is a very complicated stressful thing to do. There are so many things to remember and keep track of. I have moved at least seven times in the last ten years. We have moved half way across the country using the post office, a few states over using both you pack container moving and the you pack and drive rental trucks; we have even used our own cars to haul everything across town. Every move has been different with its own unique problems.
Make Your Own Checklist
You are probably looking for a complete concise list of “to dos” for your upcoming move. There are many out there on the web for you to use, but you will never find one that will fit you and exactly what you need. Everyone and every move are completely different. The best thing for you to do is create your own.
Brain Storm
I know you are probably in a hurry and anxious to get started, but the best thing you could do is sit down and make your list. Grab a notebook and a pen, take a deep breath and relax. Decide what your main categories will be; like the utilities and services that you will need to have turned of in the old place and then turned on in the new place, who you will need to inform of your move, how you will move, what you will pack and what you will get rid off, and what items you will pack while still living in the home and what you will pack at the last minute.
Trust your own List
It is so easy to let yourself stress about every little thing that you might have forgotten. The best way of keeping this stress from taking over when you need to be the most focused is to make sure you take the time to make your customized list. Leave room at the end of each categorie to add the items that you might remember later. Also don’t forget to check what you have completed off so you can focus on those things that still need to be done. I would also recommend noting what you have delegated to others to complete and checking those items off when they are done as well.
Planning a move can be a nerve-wracking experience. You will want to make sure you have all your ducks in a row to make your move easy and convenient. This list may help you get on your way with a little less stress while you are packing your moving truck.
1. Get a truck reserved as early as possible. Having to find a truck at the last minute can cost you time, money, and aggravation.
2. Start packing as early as you can, too. If you can start to pack some of the least used items in your house into boxes, even if you haven’t got a truck to put it in will keep you from having to try to fit it all in at the last minute.
3. Purge as much as you can. If you can get rid of stuff before you move, you may not need as big of a truck, and will also have less to carry.
4. Get your packing material early (noticing a trend?). Having boxes, tape and whatever else you need lined up early can give you peace-of-mind.
5. Get a company or friends to help you load the truck. Loading a truck by yourself is time-consuming and tiring.
6. Plan your packing job beforehand. Think about how to pack those boxes and other items as efficiently as possible.
7. Consider getting insurance. If it is available, think about getting some kind of insurance for your valuables.
8. Put the heaviest stuff on the bottom. This may seem obvious, but sometimes a heavy box may fit better higher up, but that means more heavy lifting for you.
9. Use smaller boxes for those heavy items. A huge box full of books weighs a ton, and is very difficult to move. Trust me, I made that mistake.
10. Put the things you will need when you arrive near the back of the truck. Clothes, cooking items, even a TV or microwave or alarm clock may be necessities at your new location.
Doing some planning before packing that first box can save you time, money and frustration. If you can lessen the amount of stuff to pack, you can help yourself even more. You might want to consider what you will do on the arrival end of your trip when packing, because you will have to get that stuff out of the truck and return the truck to the rental company. Hope these ideas help you have a more pleasant move.
You are going to be exhausting yourself with moving out preparations and the actual move itself. You may be too tired to think of this simple thing to do before the day you move in. Do it, and you save yourself a ton of grief; forget, and you will not be a happy mover.
Now what is this mysterious thing that you must do to make your life easier? Spray for bugs.
If you are moving to an area that cockroaches are a problem, then get ahead of them. For the United States cockroaches are the biggest problem in the warmer areas, with the worst infestation in the most southern parts of the country from Florida to California. That being said, very few places in the world are completely safe from roaches. I’ve heard of infestations in New York and even Anchorage.
Spray a newly built house.
Just think about it. All of those naturally occurring bugs that were there before the house was built never left, and they are looking for a new place to live.
Don’t forget to spray if your previous home had even the smallest roach problem
If you are moving from a place that these nasty little bugs live, then don’t forget to spray before you move in. If you can’t do it before hand, try to do it right away after you move in. And then spray again 2 weeks after you have finished moving in. I would also spray about a month after that just for good measure. If you had even the smallest problem with cockroaches before, then they are most likely going to move with you in your furniture. So get rid of them before they make themselves comfortable in you new digs.