What to Expect on Your Moving Day: A 7-Step Guide

Congratulations! After months of planning (and procrastination), you have finally reached the moment you’ve been waiting for.

It’s a moving day, and while it may seem like a significant accomplishment, we know it can be quite the rollercoaster ride. 

Before you begin searching for your packed items or last-minute essentials, we want to guide you through the nuances of what to expect on a moving day—some of which may catch you off guard. 

That said, your final moving day is not necessarily a nightmare.

With proper planning, a thorough moving checklist, the right moving supplies, and professional movers by your side, you can make your moving process stress-free. 

In this guide, we provide some helpful moving day tips for a smoother relocation. 

7-Step Moving Day Process: What to Expect

Undoubtedly, the entire moving process can be daunting. Whether you’re moving your home in NYC or simply moving a one-bedroom apartment to a nearby neighborhood, every move requires careful planning.  

Ahead of your moving day, here’s what to expect before and after your move. 

1. Preparation Before the Movers Arrive 

Before your moving crew arrives, you should be prepared with your moving boxes and a room-by-room checklist to keep track of everything.

Here’s what to do before your movers’ arrival if you opt for DIY packing: 

• Declutter and donate all the items you no longer use. Host a garage sale to earn some pennies. 
• Dispose of your old furniture, mattress, and other junk items for a clean and cost-effective move.
• Create a moving inventory checklist to get moving cost estimates, insurance claims, packing supplies costs, storage services, piano moving charges, and miscellaneous expenses. 
• Set aside all the non-essential items and pack them before. 
• Label all the boxes clearly.
• Pack your valuables safely, such as important documents, jewelry, and laptops, and secure them in a separate box so you can carry them with you. 
• Buy moving insurance to prevent hefty charges in case of damage.
• Update your address and contact all your utility companies and service providers a few weeks before. 
• Disconnect all your appliances and defrost your refrigerator.  

2. Movers Finally Arrive

Not all moves are alike. Some locales prefer to opt for loading and unloading services, while others hire a full-service moving company to handle all aspects of the move. 

Here’s what to expect when movers pack for you:

• Your movers won’t know the ins and outs of your home.

Give your movers a house tour and a walkthrough, show them around, and inform them about fragile items, such as packing kitchen items or artwork and TVs. 

• Inventory Checks

Hand them over the inventory checklist to ensure everyone’s on the same page. 

• Handle the move and not micromanage it entirely.

Avoid micromanaging the move and let the expert movers handle it professionally. 

• Communication is key

Diligently supervise the packing and wrapping process.

Communicate well with your movers and remind them of fragile items.

• Stay on-site 

Make sure at least one person stays on-site to supervise the move, along with the professional movers. This will help them ask you any last-minute questions.  

• Keep cash for tips

Arrange cash to tip the movers once you reach your new destination.

3. During the Move

At this stage, your movers are ready to lift the moving boxes and heavy items such as refrigerators, hot tubs, desks, and mattresses and load them safely onto the moving truck. 

Here’s what to expect during the move:

• The movers will start loading your packed boxes onto the truck; ensure they place the moving boxes in an upright position.
• Keep your valuables, including electronic items, jewelry, sentimental items, and photo albums, separate from other moving boxes.
• If you have specialty items such as pianos, chandeliers, antiques, and heirlooms, check that they are safely wrapped and loaded using shrink wrap, foam peanuts, dollies, and crates. 
• Ensure you are hydrated and full, as moving can take hours. 
• Stay in constant touch with the movers when they drive to your new home/office. 

4. Children-friendly and Pet-friendly Move

Imagine feeling overwhelmed by the move, surrounded by a pile of moving boxes and clutter, with movers around you. Your furry companions and little toddlers also require your attention. 

The last thing you would have is your pet or kids coming in the way of the moving process.

The best way to move with a dog, seniors, and children is to arrange for care. 

Hire a pet sitter or a babysitter for the duration of your move, where they are taken care of while you complete the move stress-free. 

You can contact professional pet sitters like PetSitUSA to find one near you. Other websites for finding nannies or child care include Sittercity and UrbanSitter.  

5. Move-out Cleaning

Many apartment or home leases have a move-out cleaning clause, where they are required to thoroughly clean the house and return it in a similar condition they first got.

Despite this contract, your responsibility should be to ensure that the floors, walls, and doors are not scuffed. If you see any drag marks, make sure to clean them. 

Additionally, your move-out cleaning checklist should include:

• Clean ceilings, driveway, patio, backyard, decks, and all the rooms.
• Remove cobwebs from doors and light fixtures, and clean the dirt from vents. 
• Use a microfiber cloth and an all-purpose cleaner to wipe off doors, windows, and other surfaces.
• When cleaning the kitchen, ensure that the stove, refrigerator, and microwave are free of oil, grease, and stains. 
• Vacuum all the rooms. 
• Fix the lights and fans to ensure they function properly for the new tenants or homeowners.

6. After you reach your new destination

Saying goodbye to your old home and starting fresh can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be.

After you unload the boxes and furniture, here’s what to expect on your moving day when you arrive at your new place. 

• Movers need (A little) direction from you.

Once moved to a new studio apartment or townhouse, give your movers a home tour of the new place and guide them during the initial setup.

Despite having the labels, let them still know which box goes where. 

• Furniture Reassembly

People often ask, “Do movers disassemble and reassemble the furniture?” The short answer is yes. The next step is to let the movers put the pieces of your furniture together.

• Arrange the essential items first.

The most important items to use are your kitchen and bathroom essentials. Aim to arrange these as soon as you reach your new place. 

7. Final walkthrough

Once you are settled in, don’t rush things, as you have already come far with your moving process.

One of the moving day tips is to start with essentials and continue with other rooms as you go along. 

Here’s how what you can expect after you have moved in:

• As you unpack your moving boxes, declutter the mess and dirt as you go. 
• We always recommend that people keep the boxes safe when they unbox, whether it is your banker’s box for office documents, a wardrobe box for clothes, or a TV moving box, handy for future relocations. 
• Organize storage unit items separately. 
• Claim damages or breakage happened during the move. Revisit the moving insurance you bought previously and reach out to your movers or your insurance company. 
• Update your address and contact your utility providers.
• Know your surroundings, local grocery shops, and neighbors. 
• Circle back with movers if you want to move or rearrange specialty items such as pianos, pool tables, or antiques.

Conclusion 

For someone who leaves everything to the last minute, the final moving day will be no less than a dreading adventure.

However, by knowing what to expect on moving day and a few moving day tips, you can stay clear of the confusion and hassle.

The key thing to expect is that movers don’t move hazardous items.

In addition, keeping your valuables and a bag of essentials with you can keep you stress-free and prepared for the initial days of your new home.

Ultimately, staying organized, preparing an inventory checklist, finding the right mover, making a room-by-room checklist, and clearly labeled boxes can help you avoid the challenges of a moving day. 

FAQs

1. What not to do on your moving day?

On a moving day, common mistakes to avoid include waiting until the last minute to pack, not creating a handy checklist, neglecting to pack a bag of essentials such as snacks, toiletries, a change of clothes, and medications, and forgetting to do a final check. 

2. Which room is the most difficult to pack?

Packing the kitchen is often the most challenging part of the moving process. This difficulty arises from the large number of fragile items, such as plates, bowls, pots, and pans.

A helpful tip for packing plates is to store them vertically after wrapping them properly.

Additionally, you can use a glass divider kit for glasses and employ a nesting technique to arrange smaller pots inside larger ones.

3. What is the average cost of moving to Houston?

One of the biggest moving day tips is to calculate your moving costs to budget your move.

The average moving cost in Houston ranges between $675 and $1500 for a local move.

The cost changes depending on how far you are moving; extra mover is added, and packing services, storage, and junk services are added.  

4. What is the average moving cost in Virginia?

The average moving cost you can expect to pay in Virginia ranges between $417 and $2,590, subject to change on various factors.

An additional mover, distance, and service can change the price when you move to Virginia.