29+ Sample Moving Checklists

What Is a Moving Checklist?

In the study conducted by Statista in 2018, the results revealed that 55 percent of their respondents relocated with reasons related to housing. Among the reasons include to look for cheaper housing rates, to find a better living space to live in, and to stop renting and start owning their own homes. Move.org reports that the American Moving and Storage Association found that 3 million Americans moved interstate, with 1.35 million who are unassisted, 1 million who rented trucks, and 650,000 who are professional movers. If you are among the unassisted ones, it is ideal that you come up with a moving checklist to make a problem-free relocation possible.

A moving checklist is a tool used to make an organized and well-planned moving process. With a moving checklist, you consistently stay on track and know the tasks you need to carry out before, during, and after you move in and out of a living space. Most importantly, as soon as you start using a moving checklist for the entire relocation process, you can guarantee that you have done everything you needed to do to make your move a success.

apartment-moving-checklist-01

Purpose of a Moving Checklist

Making a moving checklist may seem overwhelming. If you have a lot of things you need to pack, the more it gets tedious for you. However, if you make use of a moving checklist, rest assured that the entire process gets lighter. To further convince you to create your moving checklist, here is a list that orients you of the purpose of moving checklists. The following should convince you to craft your checklist for your upcoming big move.

Make the Moving Process Faster: Moving out and moving in is a dragging and tiresome process. Moving processes can get overwhelming to deal with. As a result, you tend to put things off for later, resulting in a pile of to-dos. But as soon as you enlist the help of a moving checklist, rest assured that your entire relocation will get faster. The best thing about using a moving checklist is that other than speed, it also guarantees efficiency as it also helps you avoid wasting important resources such as money, effort, and time throughout the process of relocating.Keeps Chaos at Bay: Moving processes can get chaotic. If you previously lived in a big apartment and that you are about to transfer to a smaller one, there are a lot of things you need to consider before you pack up your things. What should you bring along? What should you leave behind? With so many things you need to keep in mind, it is easy to get overwhelmed. And if you are overwhelmed, things can get messy. That said, if you are looking for a perfect tool that can help you keep things in order, you can never go wrong if you opt for the use of a moving checklist. This tool is effective when it comes to keeping your belongings and your mind organized throughout the moving process.Ensures Nothing Gets Left Behind: When moving from one place to another, it cannot be avoided that there will be a lot of things that get missed and left out during the process. People lose things when they have unorganized moving processes wherein no tool is used to ensure that everything accounted for. With a moving checklist, you can make sure that little to nothing gets left behind. You would know that your prized possessions, fragile belongings, and other important house items are already packed away safely. And if you lack in the organization department, a moving checklist can help you pack your stuff according to categories.Coordinates Everyone Involved: Moving out with a group may sound more convenient since you get to delegate a lot of tasks to a lot of people, making the entire moving process faster. However, moving with your family or group of friends can get complicated along the way as some members can get left out especially if decisions are made verbally without a record and notice. Moving checklists come in handy as it keeps everyone on the same page. It is also easier to delegate tasks to each member. Other than that, everyone can hold people accountable for other member’s tasks since everyone can see their assigned tasks.

Moving Checklist Items

Are you now ready to create a moving checklist? Before you grab a pen and paper, be sure that you have already familiarized yourself with the basic moving checklist items to make the entire process less overbearing. That said, check out the common moving checklist items that you need to consider including in your moving checklist to make your relocation an easier task.

1. Before Moving Out

The weeks before moving is the part of the process that is the most stressful and overwhelming since it involves a lot of tasks that you need to accomplish in order to have a successful relocation. Here are some of the items you need to include in your moving checklist so you would know what are the basic things you need to accomplish before moving out.

Raid, Sort, and Declutter: Moving out is a chance for you to start anew. If you were hoarding a lot of unnecessary things in the living space you’re moving out from, it’s now time for you to reduce all these before you move in into your new space. Raid your rooms one by one and check the things that you can sort and bring to your new place and the things that will not make it. In doing so, you can also discover that you have accumulated so much stuff throughout your stay that you would then need to declutter. To get rid of things without putting anything to waste, you can donate or schedule a garage sale.Pack Your Belongings: As soon as you sort through your things, pack your things immediately. Be sure to pack things by category. You can either pack according to its usage or the rooms where it goes. When packing the things you have sorted through, be sure that you have already secured quality packing materials such as durable boxes, packaging tape, bubble wraps for valuables, and labels or stickers. These materials, especially the boxes, can get costly so consider asking from your local book stores and grocery where you can ask or buy sturdy boxes at a lower price. After you pack a box, put a label to it immediately to avoid any confusion in the future.Plan and Prepare for the Big Day: If you are only a few days before the moving day, you must come up with a plan and preparation that will make your moving process a breeze. Be sure you have already contacted a moving company if you have no car of your own and if you didn’t hire professional movers. You can also enlist the help of your family and friends to lessen your overall expenses. Other than material things, be sure to prepare yourself and your family as well. Relocation can involve heavy feelings most especially if you were living in the place for a long time and you already grew attached to it.

2. During the Moving Day

Upon the arrival of the big day, be sure that you are well-prepared. A lot of things could go wrong during the actual moving day that no matter how thorough you were before moving, mishaps can still happen. To ensure you stay on track, here are the important things you need to secure on the moving day itself.

Come Up with a System: Before you load your belongings into the vehicle, it is ideal that you have already come up with a clear system that ensures nothing gets lost and left behind during the process of moving. You may consider loading the bigger packages first before you put in the smaller ones and the other way around upon unloading. Upon unloading, it is best if you immediately place the boxes and other items to its corresponding rooms. Assign professional movers or the family members and friends you have enlisted help from to a specific task such as unloading and moving things to the right rooms and unpacking and setting the contents of the boxes in the right places.Conduct an Inventory Check: As soon as everything has been unloaded into your new living space, be sure to conduct an inventory check. In doing so, you ensure that you have everything you wanted to bring in your new place from the old one. Consider checking the inventory of the moving company if you hired one. To ensure that everything will be accounted for, also consider taking pictures of your belongings that are expensive and fragile. such as electronic equipment and appliances. Be sure that the inventory is written with complete and accurate details such as the serial number of some items, the model type, and its prices.

3. After Moving In

Do you think you’ve finally settled into your new home? Before you host a housewarming party, there are still some things you need to accomplish in order to start your new journey on a good note. That said, here are the suggested things that you need to include in your moving checklist.

Deep Clean Your New Space: Yes, you read that right?you need to deep clean your new space. Moving in can get messy. With all the things boxes sprawled around, tapes ripped, and other knickknacks lying on the floor, expect that your space, no matter how new, can look cluttered. That is why you must schedule deep cleaning a week or even the very day after you move in.Update Important Information: When you move out, you do not only relocate your things. You also need to change the addresses you have in every service you availed using the address you are moving out from. Among the services and offices that you need to update with your new address include your water, electricity, and internet provider, social security, postal service, banks, credit card companies, and even your magazine or newspaper subscriptions.

How to Make a Moving Checklist

Be able to come up with a moving checklist that helps you make your moving process less stressful than you’d expect it to be. Follow these easy-to-follow steps below so you can come up with a moving checklist that will work well for you and will tell you exactly the things you need to before, during, and after the moving day.

Step 1: Get a Moving Checklist Template

Creating a moving checklist can be as tedious as the relocation process. So, why not consider downloading a ready-made moving checklist template? With a ready-made template, you will no longer have to worry about starting from scratch and not knowing what to do. You can find various moving checklist templates across the internet and you can also find high-quality ones in this very article you’re reading.

Step 2: Write Down Preferred Moving Checklist Items

Not all templates are custom fit to your needs. Some are generic and need additional tweaking. This only means that you need to customize it further so everything in its contents will work in your favor. Upon customization, check whether it already contains the items that you need for in a moving checklist. You may refer to the list we have provided above to be thoroughly guided. Be sure to categorize items before, during, and after the moving process.

Step 3: Check and Finalize Contents

After customizing the moving checklist template you just downloaded, do not print and use your moving checklist yet as you still need to check every single item to ensure that everything is in its correct order. Be sure also to check the correctness of the details and information you incorporate. If you think that everything is set, finalize and print your moving checklist so you can finally use it for your moving day.

The Dos and Don’ts of a Moving Checklist

Moving involves a critical decision-making process that you should not take lightly or else it ruins your entire moving process altogether. With that said, take note of these dos and don’ts that does not only come up with a moving checklist but also helps you to carry your relocation in a breeze.

Dos

1. Do schedule your moving day as soon as possible.

If you have already found a place to transfer, schedule your official moving day as soon as possible. Relocation is a stressful process that you should get done and over with. If you haven’t found an available place to transfer yet, the more you should schedule your moving day so you can set a clear goal and get more motivated to look for a new and better place as soon as possible.

2. Do pack items correctly.

No matter how well-planned your moving system is, it will be pointless if you packed your stuff the wrong way. It is crucial that before packing your things away into the truck, be sure that you packed your belongings according to its corresponding categories and that each box are correctly labeled to avoid any misunderstanding among the movers.

3. Do keep an open and flexible mind.

A lot can happen during your moving day and of that includes unwanted circumstances such as an unorganized way of loading and unloading of items. Even if you have an ample amount of time to prepare for your moving day, it is still impossible for you to plan your every move. It is essential that throughout the entire moving process and even the act of making the moving checklists, you will keep an open and flexible mindset that can accept and manage whatever challenges will be thrown along your way.

Don’ts

1. Don’t guess the items you have.

After you pack (before moving out) and unpack (after moving in) your belongings, be sure to conduct an inventory and do not only guess the quality and quantity of your belongings. What if some things get lost along the way? What if some things get stolen? You’ll never know. That is why you must double-check your inventory to avoid the unnecessary stress that comes with its absence.

2. Don’t fall into the pits of procrastination and unproductivity.

As mentioned so many times, moving processes are tedious and challenging. That is why if you have already a specific moving day as well as the packing materials, act immediately and start packing your things. Do not fall into the trap of procrastination or else you will be unproductive for a long time. Even if you know that you have a lot of time to spare, nothing beats the feeling of having some free time after accomplishing all of your tasks beforehand.

Relocation is a new adventure that you should enjoy rather than stress over. But if you utilize a moving checklist throughout the entire process, you will be able to minimize the tediousness and difficulty of the moving process. Don’t worry if you have no time or find it challenging to make your checklist because we have uploaded sample moving checklists. By clicking the download button and customizing its ready-made contents, any of the checklist templates and examples found here can help you as you enter a new journey of your life.