Plan to spend the entire day at the house. Last minute decisions must be made by you. Don’t leave until after the movers have gone.
Tell packers and/or driver about fragile or precious items.
Make a final check of the entire house- basement, closets, shelves, attic, garage, every room.
Approve and sign Bill of Lading; if possible accompany driver to the weigh station.
Double check with driver to make certain moving company records show the proper delivery address for your new house. Verify the scheduled delivery date, too.
Give driver phone numbers both here and in new community to contact you in case of a problem.
Get complete routing information form the driver and phone numbers so you can call the driver or company while en route.
Disconnect all utilities and advise the real estate agent who sold or is selling your house.
Lock all doors and windows. Advise your real estate agent and neighbors that the house is empty.
Each carton has to be sealed securely with packing tape.
Remember to mark cartons for fragile items clearly and inform movers to be careful.
Use only strong, corrugated cartons with covers.
Use small boxes for the heaviest items such as books.
Label all cartons with markers for identifying their basic contents and their designated rooms.
Save old newspapers for use in packing, but remember ink from newspaper may be messy at times.
Generally, self packing will take about 2 weeks to complete. Start your packing as early as possible.
Be sure all items are well padded and use old newspaper to fill empty space inside cartons.