Most people plan to manage the details of their move themselves. But few anticipate just how much awaits them beyond the help their movers, realtor, and employer provide. An average move takes 200 hours. In addition to the basics, such as overseeing the movers as they pack and load all of your possessions onto their truck, there are dozens of other details. Cost-comparisons to find the right mover and storage facility, days taken off work to meet cable installers and unpack all the boxes — it’s a lot more than people realize.

Are you prepared? Read on to see a complete list of move details from A to Z.

1.) Prep Move preparation can begin anywhere from six months to six days before you move. This is where the plan of action is set in motion, and includes numerous phone calls, emails, coordination, and organization. Plan a move budget. Create a move file for your move-related paperwork, receipts, and contact information for all vendors (designers, brokers, insurance and moving companies, storage facilities, repairmen, painters). Start a master schedule that includes approximate move date, entire move schedule. and all vendor appointments. Prepare for your Open House: have your home cleaned and remove any visible clutter. Plan a day (or several!) for downsizing. Tackling your clutter means less to pack and move — less to pay, and less to unpack. Work your way through every room sorting household items. Determine what you’ll bring to your new home, what you can donate, what you can sell, and what you can give away. Block out extra time for closets, attics. and basements. Make separate lists for items NOT going to your new home (donations, items to sell, items going to family/friends). Find an appropriate organization and schedule a pick-up if you’re donating any unwanted clothing or furniture. Remember to ask for a tax receipt. Return borrowed goods such as library books, videos, or the neighbor’s toolkit. Collect clothing from dry cleaners and items from repair shops. Dispose of flammables and household hazardous waste properly. Schedule an appointment for potential buyers to assess/appraise your saleable items. Find a buyer for your unwanted, more valuable items. Call your homeowner’s insurance and check if your policy includes “goods in transit.” Insure your valuable jewelry, art, and antiques through the moving company or your homeowner’s insurance plan. Acquire insurance certificates — legally, they’re required in every apartment building! Building specifications must be met. Research licensed moving companies: compare discounts, insurance costs, ‘peak period’ rate increases, delivery guarantees. Check with the Better Business Bureau for ratings and to see if any claims have been filed against your short list of movers. Schedule two to three moving companies to do a walk-through at your home and provide written estimates. Do a cost/value comparison of the movers’ estimates, check references, and select the company best suited to your move. Establish a firm move date: it must work for you, your moving company, the building, and your designers and architects. Assign a start time for the movers based on elevator availability. Review packing, loading and unloading dates, times, and parking/building restrictions with your moving company. Review the layout of your new home with spouse, interior designer, or others. Determine furniture placement. Select furniture or storage pieces for your new home. Your new California kitchen may need bar stools, or you may need a smaller desk. Review renovations in your new home with contractor; determine what handyman work needs to be done before move-in. Need built-ins? Electrical wiring? Schedule necessary additions and installations for new home: blinds, curtains, painting, window replacements, other handyman tasks. Photograph pictures, art displays, and furniture arrangements so they can be properly recreated for your new home. Make an introduction call to your new building manager: inquire about parking or other restrictions on Move Day. Reserve the freight elevator with your current and new building managers. Notify the movers as to when they can arrive to pack and move. Reserve freight elevators for move-in at your new building. Hire and schedule a cleaning service for a post-move courtesy clean. Hire a pet and/or babysitter for Move Day. Make airline, car, and hotel reservations if you are moving long distance or need temporary housing. Make pet travel arrangements. Call your local telephone, electric, cable, and Internet vendors and arrange disconnection. Locate the telephone, electric, cable and internet vendors in your new neighborhood and arrange reconnection. Notify the post office, newspaper delivery service, magazines, credit card vendors, memberships, airlines, friends, and family of your new address. Arrange to transfer bank accounts. Arrange for curtains and rugs to be professionally cleaned before they’re rolled up and moved. Review your calendar and double-check that you are available for every vendor appointment, estimate, design meeting, service installation, and move dates. You might need to take more time off work than you think. Remember, too, that vendors don’t always show when they say they will!

2.) Storage Are you renovating, moving to short-term housing because of a temporary job assignment, or moving to a smaller home? You’ll need to make storage arrangements for your household goods. Photograph all items going to storage. Create an inventory of all your items going to storage. Include measurements, photographs, box numbers, room origin, and replacement costs. How else will you find your summer clothes or your child’s toy quickly? Hire and schedule movers to pack your items for storage. Oversee the movers packing your items for storage. Do a final box count and measure your furniture to determine the necessary storage unit size. Research licensed storage facilities: compare accessibility, discounts, insurance coverage, rates, and sizes. Check with the Better Business Bureau for ratings and to see if any claims have been filed against them. Do a cost/value comparison of facilities and select the one best suited to your move.

3.) Packing & Moving Now the moving company you’ve hired is about to arrive to pack up your home and load it onto a truck. Time and efficiency are of the essence. The movers will be coming and going with questions, boxes will pile up at a rapid pace; these are the most chaotic days of a relocation.              A.) Packing: Purchase boxes or order through your moving company. Assemble a “survival kit” for your first night at your new home: glasses/contact lenses, diapers, a change of clothes, prescription medications, toilet paper, snacks, cash, important documents, etc. Tour your home with the packing team. Review the handling of your goods with the movers. Your art collection or piano might require special attention. Review the destination of goods. You might still be waiting for the library to pick up your unwanted books. Oversee the movers packing your goods. Label every box with its room and box number. Review the mover’s inventory. Photograph damaged goods. Confirm the condition as notated. Empty and defrost your refrigerator. Confirm that insurance certificates have been received by your building, and obtain a copy for yourself as back-up. Confirm reservation of your freight elevator(s) at your current and new homes. Confirm trash removal. Confirm start date for utilities.                B.) Moving: Arrange for payment to moving company: cash, certified check, or money order. Tour your home with the moving team. Request movers load all boxes onto the truck before any furniture — furniture should come off the truck first so it can be placed against the proper walls. Count the number of boxes going out the door — this number should match the number on the movers’ inventory. Before saying good-bye to your home, check closets, basement, and other hidden places for any forgotten items. Lock all windows and doors and leave keys with your broker and/or doorman. Sweep the floors of your empty home. Confirm cleaners are coming to do a courtesy clean.

C.) Receiving: The chaos continues once the movers deliver your possessions to your new home. Arrive at your new home with the keys before the movers do. Check appliances, phone and electric, and furnace or hot-water heater. Tour your new home with the moving team — point out which rooms are which so boxes are properly distributed. Review the unloading strategy with the movers. Check the condition of furniture and boxes as they come through the door — open boxes containing fragile items and check for damage. Confirm the total number of boxes coming through the door. It should match the number of boxes packed and transported by the movers. Make note of missing or damaged items from the move on the mover’s inventory (and yours if you have one). Direct movers to place furniture in pre-determined locations. Direct movers to distribute boxes to appropriate rooms. Oversee handling of special items. Request that movers re-assemble furniture such as bed frames. Tip the movers.

4.) Unpacking & Settling in Move Day is over: everything has arrived safely, and the movers have left. But it’s hard to feel comfortable in your new home when piles of boxes are living there, too! How soon will your family be able to establish your normal routine? Buy garbage bags for the trash. Unpack every box. Sort through contents of each box. Determine room order for set-up. Collapse and stack boxes. Find a place for trash. Unpack your survival kit. Hang shower curtain(s), set up medicine cabinet. Make every family member’s bed. Load the dishwasher and arrange clean dishes. Hand wash and store fine china and stemware. Hang garments in designated closets. Organize linen closets. Remove trash and boxes. Fold and store apparel. Set up dining room. Arrange music and book collections. Do you like your books by author? Subject? Plug in and set up your computers. Is your Internet connection ready? Hang drapes and curtains. Hang paintings, pictures, and mirrors. Purchase additional household goods as needed (bath mats, light bulbs, groceries, bookshelves). Arrange for household services as needed (cleaners, dog walkers). Wait for utility hook-ups. Do handyman work as needed. Contact insurance brokers or movers if any household goods were damaged or are missing from the move. File necessary claims. Start a list of local police and fire stations, doctors, hospitals, post office, library, schools, and other local services. Go to the post office and pick up any held mail. Notify the Department of Elections of your new address.

There is another way: the Seriatim solution.

Our organizing experts can accomplish every one of the above tasks for you — no matter what stage of a move you’re in. Let us take the stress out of your move. Call Seriatim at (212) 877-3267 today!

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