House Moving Checklist

A complete house move has roughly 200 moving parts. Forget any one of them and you're calling a plumber on day three or driving back to your old house for a forgotten box of taxes. Use this checklist; check off as you go.

8 weeks out

• Lock the move date (or 2–3 day window)
• Decide DIY vs. full-service
• Get 3 written quotes from movers
• Start a single moving folder (digital or physical)
• Begin decluttering room by room
• Research the new neighborhood (schools, services, vets, parks)

6 weeks out

• Schedule donation pickups
• Sell large furniture you won't take
• Use up frozen and pantry food
• Notify your kids' current school of the transfer
• Research and enroll kids in new school

4 weeks out

• Book your moving company
• Reserve elevators, parking permits, COIs
• Submit USPS change of address
• Notify bank, employer, insurance, subscriptions
• Order packing supplies (boxes, tape, paper, markers, blankets)
• Begin packing rarely-used items (off-season clothes, decor, books, garage)
• Gather important documents (passports, birth certificates, medical records, taxes)

3 weeks out

• Continue packing room by room
• Label every box (room, contents, priority, number)
• Start an inventory spreadsheet
• Schedule utility transfers for both addresses
• Update voter registration
• Refill prescriptions for 30 days

2 weeks out

• Confirm move date with movers
• Arrange childcare and pet care for moving day
• Plan how you're getting to the new place
• Update address with: bank, credit cards, insurance, DMV (later), employer, doctors, gym, subscriptions, Amazon, all online accounts
• Pack a "first night" box for each person
• Defrost freezer (48 hours before)
• Pack hazardous items separately (or dispose; movers won't take them)

1 week out

• Pack the rest of the kitchen, bathroom, daily-use items
• Confirm utility cutoffs and turn-ons
• Confirm parking, elevator, and COI logistics
• Cash for tipping movers
• Charge phones and cameras
• Take photos of valuable items for insurance baseline
• Disconnect electronics, label cables
• Empty safes

2 days out

• Defrost freezer (if not done)
• Drain washer hoses
• Confirm all reservations
• Final clean of unused rooms
• Pack the personal essentials bag (medications, toiletries, chargers, change of clothes)
• Print or save the final address, contracts, and contact info

Move day morning

• Walk the home one final time
• Strip beds, pack bedding
• Final defrost check
• Lay down floor protection if needed
• Greet the crew, walk them through priorities and fragile items
• Stay accessible but don't hover
• Inventory boxes as they go on the truck
• Cash and water bottles for the crew
• Take final photos of empty rooms (for landlord or sale records)

Move-in day

• Confirm utilities are on
• Place furniture before stacking boxes
• Set up beds first (so collapse is possible)
• Make the bathroom usable (toilet paper, towels, soap)
• Set up coffee/breakfast for the morning
• Inspect every box and piece of furniture for damage
• Document any damage with photos
• Sign off on the bill of lading only after inspection
• Tip the crew

Week 1 in the new home

• Unpack the kitchen
• Unpack daily-essential clothes
• Unpack kids' bedrooms
• Set up internet and TV
• Locate the breaker box, water shutoff, gas shutoff
• Test smoke and CO detectors; replace batteries
• Walk the perimeter and yard
• Meet immediate neighbors

Week 2–4

• Update DMV (10-day deadline in California)
• Register vehicles
• Find a new doctor, dentist, and vet
• Locate the nearest grocery, pharmacy, urgent care
• Set up gym, faith community, kids' activities
• Take a walk in every direction from the house
• Hang artwork and finalize organization
• File any moving claims (within deadlines)
• Tax records: keep moving receipts (deductible for some military and corporate moves)

The honest truth: no one nails 100% of the list. But knocking out 90% is the difference between a smooth move and a chaotic one. Print this, tape it to the fridge, and check off as you go.