Moving Process Outline

Plan your desired service; local move, long distance, or even storage service by making a detailed list of all the items that you are moving.

Once you have your list, identify which items are fragile, which are hazardous materials, and which items are unique and will require special care.

Now it is the time to consult with a moving consultant, you can do that by requesting a quote from several companies, some companies will offer a free visual estimate if your move requires packing services or is of larger number of rooms or weight, it is recommended that you ask for a visual estimate if you require packing or you are moving a large house or apartment.

It is recommended to secure a date and time with a moving company, this is done usually with a deposit.

Go through our Moving Checklist and mark items as you get closer to the moving date. Almost all moving companies will make a confirmation call the day before your are moving to confirm the move.

Four To Six Weeks Prior to Moving Day

Contact a Trusted consultant, like Fischer Van Lines, set a time and date for a visual estimate at your home.
If the company you work for is paying for your move refer to their moving policy to determine the services you desire.
Write down the moving services you will need: Packing, Storage, etc. Fischer Van Lines recommends the use of our professional packers.
Accurately report the items that you are moving.
Any items you fail to disclose or that will be added to the shipment later will increase the move cost, even if you have been given a binding estimate.

Three to Four Weeks Prior to Moving Day

Submit your change of address to the United States Postal Service. Doing this will ensure that you do not lose any mail.
Prepare your own list of any friends, businesses, etc. that you will need to notify about your move.

Two to Three weeks Before the Moving Day

Have a garage sale or auction for items you don’t wish to take with you. www.craigslist.org is a good resource for this step.
Donations are always a good way to help others and get rid of items you no longer need at the same time.
Now it is the best time to start feasting on all the frozen foods lying in the fridge. Also try to use up as much canned food as possible.
Contact your Fischer Van Lines consultant and inform him of any changes to your items list. If you have changes to the pick up or delivery locations, it is important that you inform your consultant.
We provide a car shipping service or we can connect you with other car shipping service providers if you wish to ship the car independently.
Review your earlier steps to ensure you have not left out items or tasks.

One Week Before the Moving Day

Pets and Plants

Trusted cannot safely transport your plants because they may suffer from lack of water and light as well as temperature changes inside the moving van.
Some states do not allow import of certain type of plants from another state.

Alternatives

Give away plants to neighbors and friends or relatives.
At your garage sale, sell or give away the plants.
Some cities may take your plants for landscaping projects around the city.
For pets, most states require health certificate and rabies inoculations, attach the certificate and rabies tags onto your dogs collar.
Arrange for safe transportation of your pets, if you are driving with your car it will be wise to take them with you, if not then via Air is the second best option.
If you are not ready to settle into your new location, a kennel is a good place to house your pet until you are ready to move in.

Other Tips

Return all items such as DVD, books, and any other borrowed items from businesses, friends, and neighbors.
Make sure you will receive all items that you have given for use.

One Day Before Moving Day

If you are using our Complete Packing Service, work with the foreman of the crew as much as possible, point out of any fragile items that will need special care.
Set aside items you do not wish to be packed or moved.
If you are doing your own packing, make sure that you have everything ready to be moved and that you have followed our packing tips for proper packing.
Empty out your fridge and washer/dryer so they will be empty and dry for wrapping.
Unplug any other electronics you have and back up all important information.
Check all hidden cabinets, deep closets, and indoor storage units for left behind items.
If you would like our crew to service any electrical items such as your washer/dryer, please note that there is a charge for servicing such items.

Moving Day

Check with the foreman and verify all the information regarding your move.
If you do not understand certain items in your contract please refer them to your foreman for explanation.
Make sure that all of your household goods are being loaded onto the moving van. Take a last tour around the premises to look for any items that have been left behind. Then you can sign the inventory list and get a copy.
It is important that you leave the phone service working on the day of the move.
Make sure that all remaining electrical and gas related appliances have been shut off.

Delivery Day

You will be contacted by phone 24 – 48 hours prior to the arrival of the foreman. Please confirm with him the delivery details.
On the delivery day make sure you have reserved a space for the moving van to park in front of the residence. In order to enable a perfect move, please be present on site until the delivery is complete and you have signed and received your copy of the paperwork.
Go through the inventory list and mark the items as they are being unloaded.
Make sure that you direct the crew to where you would like your furniture and items to be placed.
Some electronics need time to adjust to temperature changes. We recommend that you do not operate them for 12 hours from the completion of your move.