The 6 Step Moving Checklist

Are you relocating to or from the Toronto GTA area? Moving can be a stressful period in a anyone’s life. It doesn’t matter whether you need to prepare for a local or a long distance move; you will have an endless number of tasks to think about. From the moment you decide to relocate to the moving day itself, you can feel like time is slipping away, but also like it is dragging past you. However, there are tips and tricks to help you relax and stop stressing.

Make yourself a ‘Moving Checklist’ – 6 Steps

With our help, you will have every detail written down, and you won’t forget anything. After reading, you can contact one of the best moving companies, Apollo Moving, and get to work. You will realize that preparing for a move can be a pleasant experience.

1. 8 weeks before the move

You may think that starting your moving preparations 8 weeks before the move is too early. Trust us – it isn’t. Maybe it is not the time to start packing, but you have to do other important tasks.

You need to:

• Find a moving company or organize a DIY move.
  It is important to start looking for options as soon as possible when finding moving companies. First of all, reliable movers may be booked, and you will be left without professional help when the moving day comes. Secondly, you want to avoid moving scams, and you can do that only if you have time to check on the companies. If you are planning a DIY move, you need to do the same with the truck rental.
• Request moving estimates from the companies you chose.
  This step is important because you want to find the most affordable company with the best quality service. Only when you get a free quote from a few companies you should make your pick.
• Do research on the place you are moving to.
  Even if you are just changing a neighborhood, let alone a city, or a state, learn as much as you can about that place.
• Plan your budget.
  Budget planning doesn’t include only relocation costs and paying for movers’ services. You also need to take into account all the living costs for at least two months.
• Lead important conversations and notify everyone who is going to be affected by your relocation.
  This means speaking to your children, friends, and family. Also, you need to tell your employer and landlord.

2. 6 weeks before the move

A month and a half before your move, you need to take serious action. We can say that everything before that was just planning, but now you have to do things.

• Set the exact date of your relocation and schedule your moving company.
  Contact the residential movers GTA truts and make sure you know the exact day of your relocation so that you can organize and prepare everything on time.
• Make an inventory list and order moving supplies.
  It is essential to have an inventory list because that way you will know what to pack and what not. Also, it will help you to gather enough packing supplies.
• Take care of the important documents.
  Don’t leave checking and getting the documentation for the last minute because it usually takes some time. Important documents include travel and health insurance, as well as any personal documents (passport, ID, driving license) and medical documentation.

3. 4 weeks before the move

When you only have one month before the move left, there are a lot of things on your moving checklist. This is the period when you have to be the most effective and productive but also avoid feeling stressed out. You should:

• Start packing.
  Since you already have the inventory list and moving supplies, start packing the items you plan to take with you. It is important, to begin with the least used ones and to pack room by room.
• Donate or sell the belongings you don’t need anymore.
  This step is crucial because you don’t want to take the items you don’t need to your new home. If they are in a good condition, donate some of the belongings to a charity, or organize a garage or an online sale. You can earn some extra money and save up because fewer boxes mean lower expenses.
• Decide whether you need to rent a storage unit.
  This is a good solution for each type of relocation. Sometimes you are just indecisive, or you are downsizing, so you can’t take all the items with you. In addition to that, it may happen that your new home isn’t ready when the time to leave the old one comes. Storage services GTA offers are always the easiest and the most affordable solution.

4. 2 weeks before the move

Two weeks before your relocation, all the things you don’t use every day should be packed, and that is the first item on your moving checklist. Additionally, if there are some obstacles, it is time to take care of them.

• If you have children, plan where they will spend the moving day.
  You can organize childcare, hire a babysitter, or ask your cousins to look after them.
• Transfer your utilities.
  Sometimes you will have to pay the full price if you wait until the last minute to cancel the utilities at your old home, so do it on time. Also, setting those up in your new home probably won’t be done right away, so you need to prepare it in advance.
• Change your mailing address.
  The crucial thing here is to tell them the exact day from which you need your mail delivered to the new address.
• If you need to switch banks, also do it at least two weeks before your move.
  Otherwise, there can be a delay, and you can have serious troubles.

5. 1 week before the move

One week before your relocation, you should go through your moving checklist from the beginning. There can always be something you have forgotten to do, or you didn’t have time for. A week before the moving day is not too late to tie loose ends. In addition to that, you have to:

• Stop buying food.
  Of course, the items that you use the same day you buy them don’t count. But you need to use the food from your pantry. You must know that most of the moving companies won’t transfer food. So, either eat it or donate it to the charity of your choosing.
• Pack all that is left.
  Leave only the basics that are necessary for you to function. You can even buy disposable dishes so you can pack your kitchen completely.
• Clean both of the houses.
  Of course, it is more important to clean your old home. It has to be in perfect condition if it’s a rental. Also, if it is yours and you plan to sell it, everything must be clean, the walls painted, and all the reparations should be done. Prepare your new home too. It is easier to do the deep cleaning before you transfer all of the things.

6. Moving day

When the most anticipated day of your relocation comes, staying calm is vital. If you have followed our checklist up to that moment, then you have it all covered. There are a few final tasks to do:

• Get up early.
  You will have some things to do before your movers come. Even if you didn’t, you must be wide awake and ready. Any delay can cost you extra.
• Prepare food and refreshments.
  Both you and your movers will need a lot of energy, so make sure to have everything at reach.
• Pack your essentials bag.
  Apart from food and drinks, your essentials bag needs to have your devices and chargers, the most important documents, clothes, and toiletries.
• Prepare cash to tip your movers.
  If you are not sure how to tip them, 15%-20% of the total relocation cost is the best option.
• Check the house one last time.
  After the movers load the items in the moving truck, take a walk through each room in the house once again. See if everything is unplugged and turned off, check the windows, and make sure you haven’t forgotten anything.

It is easy to move when you have the proper moving checklist

If you follow our moving checklist and start preparing on time, your relocation will be flawless and you won’t feel stressed and exhausted. Just don’t skip any of the steps and it will be easy. Of course, with the help of the professionals such as movers at Apollo Moving, it will be even easier. So, don’t hesitate to contact us and have a memorable move. Good luck!