Updated: January 29th, 2024
Interstate relocation can be tedious and tiring, especially when you are moving out with plenty of household goods, appliances and with your family members. At one end, you have to look out for affordable and competent packing moving service providers, and at the other end, you have to make all the travel arrangements for your family. The entire process can be even more tiring when you are running out of time, or if you are moving in a hurry.
Sounds familiar? Thankfully, there are ways to tackle the situation much more effectively and conveniently using a quick interstate home relocation checklist. I have been around in the relocation industry for over a decade now, and I am happy to share this easily yet effective checklist that’ll help you to tackle an upcoming interstate home relocation issue much more conveniently.
First thing first, so start with a basic relocation plan.
#1 Interstate home relocation planning
Interstate relocation should be done with adequate planning, because no plan can be worse. So think through and figure out the dates and the process. Some of the important dates that you should work out are the dates of moving your goods and the family.
The second thing that you have to think and plan for is to finalize the inventory that you wish to move. Having a tentative list of major items that needs proper packing and moving can be of great help in assessing the situation as well as in negotiating the price with the moving companies.
When you have the list of major items at hand, you can simply eliminate the guess work and assumptions and therefore eliminate a lot of confusion about the cost of packing, moving and transit insurance.
The next thing to decide is to whether to do it yourself or book the packing and moving service. Do-It-Yourself packing and moving is always an option, but consider this only if you have prior moving experience and you have plenty of time at hand, and you are willing to spend time arranging and doing everything that it takes to pack and move your own.
Using professional mover packer service is always recommended for long distance household relocation needs.
#2 Screening movers for long distance move
This is one of the biggest tasks, and if you want to do it right (which I am sure you want), you got to spend some time in finding, screening and choosing a moving service company that is proficient, reliable and affordable.
Usually, removal companies are available locally these days, and therefore the best way to get started is to look out for a few of the well known local removal companies available near you.
Share the list of items including all the major and small household goods and appliances, tentative dates when you want to move and ask for a written quotation.
You may also ask the movers to do a pre-move home survey (which they do for free) and then quote a price, as that may help avoid future pricing confusion and dispute. In-home survey helps them assess the efforts and hence they are able to produce accurate moving estimates.
Once you have the moving quotations in your hand, you can quickly compare and negotiate as needed and then finally choose a mover that you like the most.
When choosing a moving company, you should always pay attention to
- The company and its credentials
- Packing quality and handling process
- Policies and payment terms
- Pre and post move support
- Other value added services
- Overall packing and moving charges
At the time of hiring moving services, we often fall for lower costs and cheaper services and then end up with surprises. And therefore, it is important to be double sure about the credentials of the company you are considering for your upcoming interstate home relocation.
Now that the planning is done and the movers are on board, it’s time to prepare and move, and we’ll talk about that in the next step.
#3 Preparing for interstate move
The next important task at hand is to arrange the tickets or make travel arrangements for the family members. If you don’t want to drive or there is no way to drive through, then make suitable travel arrangements for your family members.
Once that is sorted, you have to do some preparations before the movers arrive for packing everything. Usually the packing and loading is done the same day, so you should be prepared.
There are certain things that you should always keep in mind and the movers may advise you, such as:
- Switch off all the home appliances a day before, especially fridge and washing machine
- Stop using home and kitchen appliances one day prior to the scheduled move day
- Mop and dry all the appliances
- Collect and group loose items together that needs to be packed and moved
- Pack a first aid kit and carry it with yourself
- Keep all the medicines etc that may be required by your family members
- Pack all the valuables and documents that you should carry with yourself
- Print out the tickets etc and keep it at a safe place
- Keep the quotations, bills, payment receipts etc safely
And add other tasks as per the situation and based on your needs in the list above.
Remember, the key to safe and hassle-free home relocating is detailed planning. With detailed advanced planning not only you can manage the entire relocating process easily, but it helps send your goods safely and without any hassles.
Over to you
As I always say, interstate home relocation can be overwhelming, especially if you’re moving for the first time, and you have no helping hand. The best you can do to tackle the home relocation blues is to plan and act smartly.
I have already shared a quick and simple three step checklist for interstate home relocation that will make the entire relocation safer and hassle-free for you.
Have you relocated to another state in the recent time? If yes, then feel free to share how you managed the entire relocating process by commenting below.
Happy relocating!