Moving Out of State Checklist

In this article, we’re gonna be talking about your moving-out-of-state checklist. We ate Road Haugs Moving & Storage get a lot of times people in Carolinas that are moving from out of state here locally. And then we also have the other scenario where we’ve got folks that are moving out of state from North Carolina. And so we wanted to talk about what you should be doing, how you should be planning, what you should not be forgetting when you are planning a move out of state. So be sure to stay tuned for the end for the biggest tip that you don’t want to forget. When you have decided that you’re gonna be moving out of state, it can feel a little bit overwhelming and exciting all at the same time and you’ve got a lot, of different moving parts that are taking place. So we’re gonna go over some of the top things that are gonna be really important for you to take into consideration when you’re planning a move out of state.

Guide to help you before moving out of state

The first thing that you’re gonna wanna do is you’re gonna obviously want to identify where you are moving to. And so you’re going to want to do some preliminary research. If you have kids you’re gonna want to research school zones and different school districts, what options do you have available? You’re also gonna want to know what the cost of living is for that particular location. You’re gonna want to look at crime rates and also what different homes are available, whether you’re going to decide to purchase a home or also if renting is gonna be an option for you.

After you’ve decided where you’re going to be moving to you’re gonna wanna also put together a budget because moving out of state can get very costly. And so by going through that budget you’re gonna want to identify what it’s going to cost you to make that move. The average cost that it’s gonna take for you to move around 1200 miles out of state is about $5,000 if you are hiring a moving company to help you with that move.

You’re also gonna want to determine how you’re going to get your belongings from point A to point B. So if you are deciding to do the move completely yourself, do-it-yourself move where you’re renting a U-Haul or Budget or something along those lines, that’s going to be your most cost-effective route to go. You also have an option of hiring a moving company where they come, load up the truck, and meet you at the location of where you’re moving to. The third option is where you can put your things in a pod, storage containers and you guys drive up there and then they drop off the storage container at your destination.

Each one of those different options or scenarios is going to look completely different. For example, if you decide to hire a moving company that they are gonna be loading up the truck and taking your things to your destination it could take several weeks from the time that they actually pick up your belongings to the time that they are able to deliver them. So you wanna make sure that you understand what the timing looks like and what the proper expectations look like and what kind of insurance you might want to provide to protect your belongings. All of those different things are something that you want to take into consideration when you are planning your move from Point A to point B.

Once you have your timeline in place of when you are going to be moving, that is when you’re gonna want to take into account your timeline of how we’re going to prepare for your move here at your current destination. So some of those things are gonna look like, do you have a home to sell? And if so, are you going to try to do it on your own, or are you going to hire a professional to do that? Are you going to be living in the home during that process? Are you going to go ahead and make your move beforehand? By talking with a real estate professional, they’ll be able to give you what the average expected days on market is to give you a really good idea of how that fits in with your timing. The other thing too is if you’re planning on doing a simultaneous sale and purchase, then you may need the funds from your closing on the home that you’re selling in order to move forward with the purchase of the home that you are buying out of state.

We always think that moving is an excellent time for you to go through and purge all of the things that you know that you are no longer going to use or keep. So this is a really great time. We recommend starting with one room in each area of the home. So if you just start with one room, you go through and you identify all of the things that you either want to keep things that you want to sell, or things that you want to donate. And if you really keep it simple and put things in those three piles, then by the time you’re done with that room then you will be able to allocate and then move on to the next room. Our suggestion is that you start with one room a day for the week and see how much progress you’re able to get through. Things like the garage and the attic might take a little bit longer. But there’s no need in taking unnecessary stuff with you on your move because it’s gonna take up more space and it’s gonna cost more money.

So go ahead and purge the things that you no longer need. Once you’ve purged everything and you have everything that you’re going to be keeping, We highly recommend that you make an inventory log of everything that you own. This could be a photo digital log or it can be a video library. But you want to be able to have an inventory of everything that you own, especially if you’re having somebody else that is gonna be responsible for packing your home and moving things from point A to point B. You also are going to want to take a side and pull apart any really important documents. We always recommend that whether your stuff is going into a moving truck that you’re moving or you are having a professional company do it, that you keep your important documents in a nice, safe place and keep it in your car at all times, so that if you are traveling across the state and you’re staying in a hotel or anything of that, then you can take it into the hotel with you as you’re traveling.

Another good idea is to go ahead and scan those documents so that they’re saved somewhere on the cloud so that in the event that you lost them or misplaced them, you would be able to locate them again at a different time. So once you have secured where you’re going, the timeframe that you’re gonna be moving, We always recommend that you make any final doctor appointments, eye appointments, vet appointments, before you go. If your kids are gonna get vaccinated you might want them to go ahead and get their vaccines before you go, so that you don’t have to worry about finding that doctor when you get there.

Now if you’re moving to a brand-new location that you’ve never been to before, you’re not super familiar with it, I personally would recommend that you consider renting a house or an apartment for the first six months to get a good feel for the area and the location. What this is gonna do is it’s going to help you to get familiar with the area. You’re gonna be able to identify the places that you’re frequenting the most, the areas that you feel really good about so that when it’s time that you’re able to then purchase a home, you are making that investment in a location that you feel 100% comfortable and confident in.

As you’re going through the preparation process and you’re going through each room of the home we also recommend that you make a list of any necessary repairs that you need to do to your home before you move and go ahead and start working on some of those things. It will make your move process a lot easier and simple if you’re doing little things along the way to make that much smoother for you in the end. One thing that a lot of people don’t realize is how expensive moving boxes are. So we would encourage you to also start collecting free moving boxes. The best way to do that, you can make a post on social media, you can also reach out to some of the local real estate agents and see if they have any buyers that have recently closed on their property that they would be willing to leave the empty boxes that they just got done without on their driveway so that you could come by and pick them up. So using boxes and being able to repurpose them is a really great way to save some costs on your moving boxes.

We would also highly recommend that you go ahead and get an oil change and a tune-up on your car. If you’re gonna be driving cross-country, the last thing that you want to do is have your car get a flat tire or have the engine blow up because you didn’t properly maintain your car before the road trip. Don’t forget to also plan to cancel your services. So you’re gonna want to cancel your internet, your utilities, all of those things. And you’re gonna want to set up service at your new home as well. Also on that note, you’re gonna want to cancel any subscriptions that you have of, you know, any home delivery services that you’re doing, update your Amazon account, anything that has online services that have your address on it, go through those and start changing your address on those deliveries.

As you’re approaching closer to your moving day and you’re packing everything away, one thing that we think is gonna be a lifesaver for you is to keep a box or two boxes readily available, that is your, what we call your emergency move-in box. Okay, so what you’re gonna have in that box is everything that you would want and need on the day that you’re moving into your new home. So those things would include paper plates, cups, utensils, a fresh set of sheets, fresh towels, toiletries, all of those things that you’re gonna need because the last thing that you want to do when you move into your new home is you’re wondering where are the sheets. So have that emergency move-in kit ready and also have paper towels, toilet paper, all of those different things that you use on an everyday regular basis that are gonna be lifesavers for you and have that readily available in a special spot that’s like the last box that’s put in the truck or the car for your move.

Conclusion

The other final thing that you want to remember to do is you want to remember to forward your mail in plenty of time. The last thing you want to do is get to your new destination and not be getting any of your mail because you forgot to forward it. And the other thing is, don’t forget to change your driver’s license and your new license tags when you get to your new city and state.

So moving can be very exciting, it can be very overwhelming and stressful but if you have that checklist and you have those things in mind, it can make the whole process so much smoother. So be sure to check out long distance moving page. We are the best moving company in Charlotte!