 | Jeff Otto is Branch Manager of Lawyers Title Insurance Corporation which is a member of LandAmerica Financial Group, Inc., a premier national provider of title insurance and settlement services. Lawyers Title has been in the local marketplace since 1955. Jeff has been with Lawyers Title for 34 years, the last 24 right here in Wichita. You may contact Jeff at (316) 682-9600 x 201 or by e-mail at jotto@landam.com |
Real Estate
2006-12-01 09:28:00
Moving steps, what are they?
ANSWER: Good question! There has been some experience with that, so let's give it a whirl and see if we can get an orderly set of steps for folks who are planning a move, whether it's right in town, or across the country. There are a whole other set of steps if you're moving to another country.
First of all, if you're hiring a moving company for the move you might want to call the movers 2 or 3 months in advance so that you'll be assured of availability at the time your move needs to happen. If you're renting a UHaul truck, the same thing applies. You'll want to notify the post office of your address change so that you don't experience a delay in your mail being delivered. Call your doctor, dentist, hair stylist, and any other service providers who would want to stay in close touch with your family. Don't forget to call your HR department and/or your payroll personnel to make sure your paychecks and other employment information is taken care of. You'll want to order whatever moving supplies you think you'll need, understanding that you'll probably miscalculate on the low side at first. Sort, discard, or donate any items you don't need, or haven't seen in quite a long time...if you haven't seen them for a long time, you probably don't really have a need to keep them. Right? Some charitable organizations will even come by and pick up your unwanted items.
Now, if you're hiring a mover to move you, you'll want to coordinate the day of packing so that when they arrive, you're there to give them specific instructions about how you want the packing done and boxes labeled. Use DR for Dining Room, MBR for Master Bedroom, etc. That way, when they arrive at the new home, the rooms where the boxes will be offloaded to will be obvious to you and them.
About 2 weeks before moving day, you'll want to notify the Motor Vehicle Department of your move for their records. Also, don't forget to call the Telephone company, Cell phone company, Electric and Gas companies, Cable and Internet, Water, Home Security company, and the trash pickup folks. At this time, you'll want to go ahead and disassemble things like pool tables, swing sets, and other things needing to be taken apart for the move. Line up a sitter for the children on moving day to make that a little smoother and you'll be happy you did that. Don't forget to get the moving day off from work so that you can be present at your house to assist.
About a week before moving day, call and confirm the date and time with your moving company or U Haul Truck Company. Give them your cell phone numbers, as well as the numbers for the new location if you have them in place. Remove fragile and loose items from all drawers and pack them carefully in smaller moving boxes that you can move easily. Mark the fragile boxes FRAGILE! All over the outside! Take down any fixtures like ceiling fans, light fixtures, pictures, mirrors, etc that you're taking with you, but don't remove anything that you've agreed to leave for the new owners in your contract. Oh, and don't forget to call newspapers, magazines and other periodicals regarding your subscriptions, so that you don't miss out on any of your favorites. About one day before moving day, you should consolidate into one area of your home all of the clearly marked boxes of those fragile items you boxed up earlier. Make sure you give your moving crew a heads up about these boxes and their fragility. Identify furniture that is fragile by nature or has been weakened by previous damage and prepare to bring it to your crew's attention on move day. Separate and put labels on those items you don't wish to take with you. Alert the crews. Put your checkbook, keys, cash, credit cards, and prescription medications in the car or on the plane with you. Clean, drain, defrost refrigerators and freezers. Remove gas and oil from mowers, snow blowers, and generators. Remove Propane tank from grill. Clear Driveways and walkways during bad weather or snowy conditions.
Obviously, there's no such thing as a list that will totally and completely encompass each and every possible thing you'll want to do in preparation for your move, but this should get most anyone headed in the right direction. You're encouraged to add to this list and know that with even the most detailed list, you'll more than likely still forget some things. Human nature enters the competition, and invariably, we'll all lose. I hope this helps someone with a little bit of the brain damage that sometimes accompanies moving from one home to another. More next month...
