Moving is always a bit complicated, whether moving to a different floor in your current building or a brand new home in the same town. But throw moving to another state in the mix, and the complexity level rises even more.
Luckily, getting organized well before starting an out-of-state move helps reduce stress. This checklist will help you manage so you can easily move to another state.
Make a Moving Budget
Moving can be expensive, but moving cross-country costs even more. One of the best ways to control expenses is to create a moving budget.
Plan ahead by making a moving budget that includes factors such as:
- Moving team
- Packing expenses
- Specialty packing and moving costs
- Gas
- Lodging
- Dining
- Airfare
Be sure to build in a contingency for potential cost overruns. This will help you avoid unpleasant surprise expenses.
Work with Reputable Movers
Working with professional movers will help your move be more cost-effective, especially on a long-distance move. A reputable mover will provide you with clear estimates up front, with no hidden costs. (If a mover won’t give this information, that’s a big red flag.)
Get quotes from several different companies before making your decision. A moving team that specializes in state-to-state moves may be the best choice.
Manage Paperwork
While it isn’t the most exciting part of a move to a new state, getting your paperwork in order is an essential element — and a key to keeping stress levels low.
Well before your move, take care of the paperwork and related tasks such as:
- Change of address forms with USPS
- Notify banks, credit cards, gyms, and subscriptions of your new address
- Cancel current utilities and set up new utilities
- Collect records from medical and dental offices
- Request any school transfer records
- Fill out new voter registration
- Transfer prescriptions
- Update insurance
- Register pets at the new address
Pare Down Belongings
Moving to a new state is the perfect time to go through your belongings and purge things you no longer want or need. After all, you don’t want to pay to move unwanted items, especially when a long-distance move is involved.
Starting a few months before moving day, set aside time — ideally, just a couple of hours at a time, so you don’t feel overwhelmed — to go through all of your belongings.
Separate everything into four categories:
- Keep
- Donate
- Sell
- Recycle/Trash
If you know the dimensions of your new home, keep them in mind when deciding what to keep. For instance, if your current couch won’t fit in your new living room, now may be the perfect time to sell it and get one when you arrive at your new home.
Call the Pros
Moving always comes with some stress attached. Moving to a different state is no exception and may feel much more complicated. Fortunately, planning and working through this checklist can reduce stress so you can have a smooth interstate move. Contact us for a free quote.