Moving Checklist

Be sure to notify the post office of your new address, and make sure to forward all your mail to your new address.

• Prepare a list of important documents you have and must take with you, and check off each one as your find them. Keep these documents in a secure location.

• Shred and dispose all of your old mail.

• Notify the post office of your move. A Change of Address form is available online at the US Postal Service website. There will be a handful of service providers you will need to contact before your move. The services below have been arranged into five groups. An ideal plan would be to take care of all paperwork and service changes over one week. From Monday to Friday, you could complete one group per day, making contact and notifying them of your change of address, rather than trying to do it all in one or two stressful days.

• Financial Institutions: These include bank and loan companies, auto finance and credit card companies.

• Utility Companies: These could include electric, gas, water, cable/satellite services, telephone/broadband services, etc.

• Professional Services: These could include your doctor, dentist, pharmacy, lawyer, accountant, optician, and laundry services.

• Government Agencies: DMV, Social Security Administration, State and Federal Tax Bureaus, City/County Tax Assessor and more.

• Publication Subscriptions: these include any magazines sent to your residence, and updating addresses online (such as PayPal, Google, Yahoo, or other online services you use)

You should ask yourself: How much of my home is actually going to be moving with me? Moving to a new place is often the incentive to organize and decide what to keep and what to discard. If your move is long distance, you will be charged by the weight of your items, as well as the distance. Ontrack Moving charges short distance moves (those less than 100 miles) on an hourly or flat rate. So if you have many unwanted items, you don’t want to pay for hours moving things you don’t want or keep in your new residence. Below are some tips on getting rid of unwanted or rarely used items.

• First check with family and friends to see if they could make use of or need your unwanted items. Be sure to call around or post on Facebook and let people know what you want to get rid of. Appliances and furniture are usually fairly quick to go.

• Hold a garage sale to help make money to help with your move, or save the money as an investment to your new residence.

• Post items online such as Craigslist or eBay to sell items, or the remaining items after using the methods above.

It may sound more cost effective in the beginning to pack everything on your own. However, many times people discover that it does not go as planned when they rely on themselves, friends, or family. It only takes one phone call to Ontrack Moving to find out just how much money you can save by having professional assistance during your move. We can assist from beginning to end.
If you have already packed, make sure that you have all the correct materials in order to keep your items safely and securely. Ontrack Moving can supply any materials you need to pack your items. Our site also has a packing guide with tips and hints to help you, no matter how you decide to pack.

• Make sure you have enough of the right sized boxes for your things. See our website for packing boxes.

• Purchase and use specialized boxes for specific items, such as wardrobe boxes, mirror boxes, picture boxes, and dish and china boxes. Ontrack Moving’s packing box range includes these special items.

• Make sure you have enough bubble wrap, packing paper (including heavy duty paper), and tape. We also have these items available to you for purchase.
Once you are ready for the job, you should have a plan.

• Find the packing guide on our site, and print it out. There you will find some good advice on how to pack your items if you have decided to pack yourself.

• Begin with one room, and pack everything in it that is not a priority. Finish as much as you can before starting the next room.

• Be sure to maintain a list for each room of items that still need to be packed to make sure nothing gets forgotten or left.

• Label each box with the room it needs to end up in on your moving day, such as “bedding” or “dishes.” This allows for easy recognition and quick access.

• Label boxes with breakable or delicate contents as “fragile.”

• Once you feel a box is fully packed, move it across the room to check its stability. This will prevent disasters from occurring during the move.

• If you have boxes you want to open first, mark them with a symbol of your choice or numbers. This will make for easy location.

• When you believe you have everything packed, call your moving specialist at Ontrack Moving, and let them know the number and sizes of the boxes packed.

At this point, you may feel stressed out with the move, and you may get discouraged. Don’t let it get you down, and keep an adamant attitude about your whole move. This is not a “last minute” job. You will always have more stuff that you think. If you are discovering that packing is too much to handle, simply call Ontrack Moving, and we will do it for you.

In the last few days of your move, you may become emotional. With leaving your old home, and the stress of packing and moving, this is understandable. Instead of looking at the bad side, remember the good times you had, and the reasons you wanted to move in the first place. Here are some good ways to help you out in this phase:

• Throw a going away party. Sure, you will perhaps want to throw a house warming party, but we don’t want to forget to celebrate the memories we’ve had in our home. Having a going away party will leave you with one good last memory with your family and friends.

• Don’t forget to pack up any gifts family and friends have given you.

• Go to places around your home with friends and family that you like. Take some pictures or video for keepsake.

All this may seem like a lot to organize around your move, but hiring a moving company like Ontrack Moving will provide you with more time and capability to appreciate and enjoy the last couple weeks and days of your home, and have more time to get ready for moving day.

By utilizing Ontrack Moving, you can be sure everything will be in order. Moving day can still feel pretty hectic. Here are some tips.

• Be sure all last minutes things are packed the night before, saving a few things for packing in the morning.

• Try to get a good night’s sleep and don’t skip breakfast in the morning. You’ll need the energy to get going for your big day.

• Be sure to keep enough water and snacks with you throughout the day. Take an occasional break to get rehydrated and energized.

By using Ontrack Moving’s checklist, and anything else you need our assistance with, you will find moving day to be a little easier than anticipated.

Ontrack Moving wishes you all the luck and happiness to you and your family in your new home.