Run Moving Day Like a Coordinator
Hour-by-hour, the day-of moves that prevent the most common moving disasters.
- Step 1
Keep valuables and essentials in your own car
Passports, laptops, jewelry, medication, and your essentials bag never go on the truck. Load them into your own vehicle first thing. If anything is going to get lost or delayed, it should not be the things you cannot replace or live without for a week.
- Step 2
Walk the crew through before they lift anything
Five minutes of pointing out fragile items, the do-not-move pile, and where the parking is saves an hour of confusion. Show them the bathroom and the snack table too. A crew that knows the layout works faster and breaks less.
- Step 3
Do a final sweep before the truck leaves
Check every closet, cabinet, the attic, behind every door, the dishwasher, and the washer. The things left behind are always the ones in places you 'already checked.' Walk the empty home one full loop with the lights on.
- Step 4
Photograph the empty old place
Once it is empty, photograph every room and record the meter readings. For renters this protects the deposit; for everyone it settles any 'you left it like this' dispute. Note the utility meter numbers so the final bill is correct.
- Step 5
Direct boxes to rooms at the new place
Stand at the door as the crew unloads and send each box to the room on its label. Ten minutes of directing here saves you from dragging boxes around for days. Check items against your inventory before the movers leave, not after.