Moving Guide & F.A.Q

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New Horizon Moving Guide

2 Months Before Moving

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Sort through the contents of closets, drawers, and cupboards to weed out what you don’t want or need. Hold a yard sale, or donate unwanted items to charity.

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Inventory everything of value you plan to move and determine replacement values for insurance purposes.

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Start deciding on what moving company you are going to use.

 

6 Weeks Before Moving

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Finalize real estate or rental needs.

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If moving out of town, make travel arrangements.

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Notify your children’s schools of the move and contact new schools for enrollment information.

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Obtain copies of school records, or have them sent to new schools. Obtain copies of medical records for each family member.

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Ask doctors to recommend doctors in your new community. Consult insurance agents to find out if changes to policies are necessary.

1 Month Before Moving

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Alert utility companies to disconnect services the day after you move and to have new service activated several days before you arrive at your new house. 

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Contact the chamber of commerce in your new town for information on utility services.

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If necessary, arrange for storage in your new community.

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If you’re packing your house yourself, order supplies and start packing boxes.

 

1 Week Before Moving

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If you’re packing your house yourself, finish packing boxes. Confirm travel arrangements, if needed. Arrange payment or deposit for movers.

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Write directions to your new home for the moving company, confirm delivery date, and give the company your itinerary and cell phone number. Get cash to have on hand to tip movers.

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Complete change-of-address forms at the post office, and send notices to magazine subscriptions, creditors, friends and relatives, alumni organizations, credit cards, banks, and any other necessary companies and organizations. Cancel newspaper subscriptions. Notify your employers — new and old — of your new contact information.

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Clean rugs and have them packed for moving. Obtain health certificates from your vet for pets traveling by air. Pack suitcases you plan to move yourself with clothes, toiletries, jewelry, and important financial records and documents.

Moving Day!

We’ve been planning it for a couple of months now but it’s finally here! Here’s what to do next:

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Pack your first-night box.

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Accompany the mover as he or she inventories your possessions and makes condition reports.

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Sign the bill of lading (ensure that the address and phone number are correct) and inventory, and keep your copies in a safe place.

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Lock windows, turn off lights, close doors, and take a final tour after the movers have finished to make certain nothing is left behind.

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F.A.Q.

Restricted Items

When you are planning your move, there are some common household items that should not be included in your shipment. Below is a partial list of items that should not be shipped.

  • Bleach
  • House paints
  • Open containers of liquid
  • Propane tanks or cans
  • Gas or oils
  • Butane
  • Ammunition
  • Open alcohol containers
  • Open non sealed food containers
  • Aerosols
  • Fire Extinguishers
  • Welding Gas
  • Antifreeze
  • Disinfectant cleaners (especially those that contain bleach or ammonia)
  • Perishable foods (unless the move meets strict guidelines – please check with your carrier about these to see if your move meets the guidelines)
  • Items with excessive odor

As a general rule, if the item is flammable, combustible or explosive it should not be included.

Successful Packing
If you are using professional movers, let them pack the fragile items, since companies are usually liable only for things they pack themselves.
    • Pack one room at a time.
    • Avoid mixing things from different rooms in the same box; it will make unpacking more time consuming.
    • Clearly label each box with your name, its general contents, an arrow indicating which side is up, “Fragile” if contents are breakable, and which room each box belongs in. Refrain from noting anything valuable, such as silver, on the outside of a box.
    • Assigning color codes to labels and corresponding rooms or family members can make un- packing quicker.
    • Use small boxes for heavy items, large boxes for light ones, and medium boxes for everything in between. Heavier items should be placed at the bottom, lighter ones on top. A good rule of thumb is that if you can’t pick up a box with ease, it’s too heavy.
    • When disassembling furniture, put hardware in a plastic bag and affix it to the corresponding piece (however, do not apply tape or any adhesives directly to polished or painted wood surfaces).
    • Never pack flammables or combustibles.

How to Pack Kitchenware

Cups, Glasses, and Stemware:

    • Gently stuff cups and glasses with wadded-up packing paper.
    • Wrap stems and handles with paper, crumpling slightly to create padding, and then wrap each entire piece individually in paper.
    • Pack cups, glasses, and stemware in an upright position, cushioning them well with crumpled paper, rather than laying them down. Label boxes “Fragile, This Side Up.”

Dishes:

    • All china is best packed in cartons made for that purpose.
    • Place one plate in the center of a stack of packing paper; grasp two or three sheets of the paper at one corner, and fold them over the plate, covering it completely. Place another plate on top of the first, and fold papers over from a second corner. Add a third plate, and fold the two remaining corners over it. Turn the stack upside down on the packing paper, and rewrap the entire bundle, sealing it with tape. (Some office-supply stores carry Bubble Wrap bags designed specifically to fit plates; these bags are more convenient, though they can be expensive.) Place the bundle in a small box, standing dishes on edge on a thick layer of crumpled paper or Bubble Wrap. (Dishes are more likely to break when packed flat.) Add additional bundles until the box is packed snugly. Stuff the top and all four sides with more crumpled paper, and tape shut. Label boxes “Fragile, This Side Up.”

Small Appliances:

    • Pack each separately in a box close to the appliance’s dimensions, rather than bunched together in one box.
    • Wrap each appliance with packing paper (and Bubble Wrap if it is heavy or fragile), and fit it snugly into its box. Stuff any gaps with crumpled packing paper.
    • Wrap handles of large objects, such as pitchers, with crumpled packing paper prior to wrapping them individually.
    • To wrap a teapot, wind rolled-up paper around the handle, then additional paper around the spout. Place the teapot upside down in the bottom corner of a stack of packing paper, and fold a few sheets over it until you have a bundle; secure it with tape. Wrap a teapot lid separately from the pot, but put both together in the same box.
    • Wrap knives individually in paper, then in Bubble Wrap. (Or wrap them in protective sleeves designed specifically for knives.) Label the bundles so you’re mindful of the sharp edges when you unpack it.
    • Pack pots and pans of graduated sizes in nesting groups; place two or three sheets of packing paper in a large pan, insert a smaller pan, and line that one with more p

Packing a First-Night Box

      Create a “first-night” box containing essentials. These items, many of which you’ll be using on the last morning in your old house and the first night and day in your new one, can be loaded on the truck last; label the boxes appropriately so that they will also be the first boxes off. Keep in mind that you should always carry valuables, jewelry, and important paperwork with you.

 

  • Basic tools
  • Bed linens for each bed
  • Change of clothes for every member of the family Cleaning supplies
  • Disposable plates, glasses, and cutlery
  • Flashlight
  • Light bulbs
  • Medicine
  • Napkins and paper towels
  • Nonperishable snacks
  • Telephone
  • Toiletries
  • Towels
  • Toys for children and pets
  • Trash bags
Downsizing

It is quite overwhelming to downsize after living in a home for many years. You have items you don’t need or do not have the space for but have a hard time letting go. We can help you declutter your old home and settle into your new residence so you feel right at home. New Horizon Movers can guide you or assist you with all of your downsizing needs.

 

Create a floor plan at your new residence to know what you are taking.

    • *New Horizon Movers works with Antique dealers as well as Stagers and Interior Designers to help make this process easier
    • Make 3 piles 1) Give away 2) Keep 3) Trash
    • Have family and friends come over to choose items they may want (sister may want an old crystal bowl, son may want china etc)
    • Donate what you don’t want or need after your give away party.
    • Decide what furniture you want to keep.
    • Furniture you are not taking
    • Ask what furniture your family or friends would like and when they can pick them up.(for a small fee NHM can deliver to them the day of your move)
    • Call a secondhand store or donation center for pickup (if they are not available (NHM can drop off the items for a small fee).