Book a rental truck
If you’ve decided to move on your own, then you’re going to need to reserve a rental truck as soon as possible (especially if you’re moving in the summer). The following guidelines will enable you to choose the right size of truck for you DIY move:
- 10’ truck – ideal for moving studios or small 1 bed apartments, or for college dorm moves;
- 14’ truck – 1-2 bedroom apartments, or smaller houses;
- 17’ truck – 2 bedroom houses, larger apartments or offices;
- 20’ truck – ideal for moving 3 bedroom households or doing long distance relocation;
- 24’ truck – 3-4 bedroom houses or large apartments;
- 26’ truck – 4+ bedroom houses or long distance one-way moves.
Take care of records
If you have children, you need to get their school records or arrange for their transferal to their new school. Moreover, you’re going to have to obtain your and your family’s medical, financial and pet records and keep them in a safe place during the entire moving process.
Get packing supplies
Any packing job is unthinkable without the proper packing materials: strong boxes of different sizes, wrapping paper, bubble wrap, packing tape, permanent color markers, scissors, etc. If you have cardboard boxes in poor condition, you can cut them up in smaller pieces and use the latter as a cushioning material to fill in the empty spaces in the moving containers that you’re going to use for real.
Finish home repairs or improvements
If you’re selling your house, it’s a good idea to finish any remaining home repair works or improvements so that your home is completely ready for its new owners. If you rent a place and get ready to leave it, then you should do the required things to get your damage deposit from your landlord without any problems.
Look for a new doctor
If you can spare the time, it’s not a bad idea to begin the search for a suitable primary care physician and a dentist in your new city. Ask your current doctors or friends for any recommendations, or do a little online research to decide whose hands you’re going to trust your health into.
Change your address
If nothing else, one thing is certain when you’re moving – your address is changing too. Thus said, you’re required to notify your friends and relatives, the Social Security Office, financial institutions, insurance companies, magazine subscriptions and so on of your new address. The actual process of changing it is a relatively easy step – visit your local post office to arrange it or do it online here to save plenty of time.
