MoveNaraThe moving checklist that starts from your dates
Most moving checklists are a pile of tasks with no dates. The order is the part that matters: internet installs book out about two weeks, movers want a survey before they quote, and the easiest cleaning window closes the day your furniture arrives.
This is the sequence MoveNara builds plans from, laid out by week. Your own dates shift it: everything below is anchored to your move-in day, not the calendar.
About 4 weeks before moving day
- Decide what is not making the move. Sell, donate, or toss before you pay to move it. Every box you do not move is money saved twice, packing and unpacking.
- Get three written quotes from movers. A real quote follows a video or in-person survey and lists labor, travel time, fuel, stairs or long-carry fees, materials, and damage coverage.
- Check each mover before you commit. In the US, look up the USDOT number on the FMCSA site for interstate moves. In Canada, check the Canadian Association of Movers list and your provincial registry. Read the recent 1-star reviews first.
About 3 weeks before
- Choose your mover and get written confirmation: date, arrival window, crew size, inventory, total. A friendly email is not a booking.
- Check which internet providers actually serve the new address. Coverage maps lie at the street level, so check the exact address on each provider's site and note install lead times.
- List every utility at both addresses: electricity, gas, water and sewer, trash. Find the provider for the new address and note account numbers for the old ones.
- Get packing supplies and lock in time off work for move day.
About 2 weeks before
- Order internet with an install date on or before move-in. Record the confirmation number. Requested is not installed.
- Schedule utility starts for your move-in date, not the day after, and schedule stops at the old place for the day after you are fully out. You will want lights while cleaning.
- Reserve storage if you need it, after comparing the true total: admin fee, required insurance, lock, and the rate after the first-month deal.
- Line up a plan B mover: a second company with availability, or a truck-plus-labor option.
- Start packing the rooms you use least.
The final week
- Reconfirm the moving crew: date, window, crew size, and total, in writing.
- Verify utility start dates match your move-in. If power starts the day after you arrive, one call now fixes a dark first night.
- Confirm the internet install appointment two days out. If the window slipped, escalate now, not on move day.
- Pack the open-first box: toilet paper, soap, towels, sheets, chargers, basic tools, snacks. It rides in your car, never in the truck.
Moving day and the first night
- Keep documents, medications, and valuables out of the truck.
- Photograph the meters at the old place when you leave. One dated photo each ends billing disputes before they start.
- Do the final walkthrough before the truck leaves: every room, every closet, the dishwasher.
- At the new place: beds first, then bathroom, then kitchen. A made bed turns a chaotic day into a finished one.
Questions
How far in advance should I book movers?
Start collecting written quotes about four weeks out and choose about three weeks out. Month-end and weekend dates go first, so tight timelines cost money and choice.
What should I do first when moving?
Fix your dates, then work backward. The long-lead items come first: mover quotes and the internet availability check, because both take weeks, not days.
What if I'm starting late?
Do the checklist in the same order, compressed. Prioritize the items other people's calendars control: movers, internet install, utility starts. The packing flexes; the bookings do not.
Your dates change the order. MoveNara puts every step above on your calendar, next to the other services, and tracks what's actually confirmed, not just requested.
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