Use This Checklist and Schedule to Prepare for Moving Day

If you’ve just bought a home or are about to, it can be easy to forget all the things you need to do before the sale closes and again before you move into your new home. This is an exciting time, so plan ahead to avoid any nasty surprises that cause delays, headaches and unnecessary extra moving costs.

If you partner with an experienced real estate lawyer, they will ensure that you know what you need to do and the deadlines you must meet. But with so much going on, you need a list so that important tasks don’t get missed.

There are two important days to prepare for, the day the sale closes and the day you move into your new home. Always follow your lawyer’s advice and instructions and add to these lists as needed.

Tasks to Complete Before the Closing Date

These are some of the most common responsibilities a purchaser has before the closing date:

• Arranging a final inspection of the home with a certified home inspector.
• Confirming that you don’t need to send the bank or lender any documents so that they can provide you with mortgage papers well in advance of closing day.
• Finding out from your lawyer how much you will need for closing costs that aren’t covered by the mortgage and confirming with them that your insurance policies are in place.
• Providing the utilities, cable, phone, and other service providers of your new home with your move-in date and arranging for service.

As the closing date approaches, your lawyer will remind you of what you need to bring and advise you on what normally happens the day a property transfers ownership and what to do if there are any last-minute hiccups.

After the sale closes, you can certainly celebrate, but there’s still a lot of preparation ahead for moving into your new home. Hopefully, you started collecting boxes, bubble wrap, tape, markers, labels and other moving supplies before the closing date. Packing takes a lot more time than people realize, and it’s best to start immediately.

As your moving day approaches, consult this schedule to help keep you on track.

Schedule and Checklist as You Count Down to Moving Day

Your times may vary, but you can refer to these timelines as a guide for when to complete the following tasks:

Four to six weeks before moving day:

• Provide Canada Post with your new address to have your mail forwarded.

Two to Three weeks before the move-in date:

• Change your address with the following institutions:
  • Service Ontario
  • The bank(s) and credit card companies
  • Your cellphone service provider
  • Your insurance providers
• Cancel your gym memberships.
• Contact your children’s school to confirm that they have transferred their school records.
• Start getting rid of unwanted items.

One to Two weeks before moving day:

• Contact your current service providers and arrange for utilities to be disconnected the day after moving day.
• Start moving large, bulky items and appliances.

The final week before moving:

• Plan for moving day. Count up your boxes, calculate what type of moving van you need and arrange a rental.
• Pack a suitcase filled with necessities for those first days after moving in before you’ve fully unpacked.
• Clean out your refrigerator and other appliances.

On moving day:

• Keep all of your paperwork accessible and secure.
• Cleanout your old home and do a walk-through to ensure you don’t forget anything.

After you’ve moved in, find out when the local garbage days are and how to deal with oversized items.