How to Get Ready for a Household Move
Last updated May 2024
Before you contact movers:
Lighten the Load
The longer the move, the more you save by having less to transport. Throw out, recycle, donate, or sell anything you can live without. Click here for our tips on getting rid of unwanted stuff.
DIY What You Can
For a local move, you’ll save big if you ferry over your own boxes and other small items, which account for a substantial amount of the weight and cost of a move. If you can, move jewelry, framed art, and other especially valuable belongings yourself. Then let a mover handle the piano, dressers, and other heavy, hard-to-move items.
Pack It Up
Packing up your stuff also saves a bundle. On most local moves, having a moving company pack roughly doubles your costs; but this saves you time and gives you a better basis for damage claims, since most movers won’t pay claims for items you packed unless the outside of the carton is visibly damaged. One solution? Pack your own durable items and let the mover pack fragile ones, such as dishes and glassware.
If you do all your own packing, ask the mover for advice. If you don’t pack properly, the mover may not compensate you for damage to packed items. Note the contents on the outside of each carton and tape them shut, so on delivery day you can see that they have not been opened.
If you’re taking large appliances, check owner’s manuals for instructions on disconnecting them and preparing them for shipping.
Prepare an inventory. List all important items individually, noting any defects or damage. For books, clothes, and other items of no special value, list “box of books” or “box of children’s clothes.” With small valuable items, such as jewelry, or items of great sentimental value, just move them yourself.
Find Cheap or Free Boxes
Mover-supplied boxes can cost hundreds of dollars for an average-size home. But some movers will supply used boxes for free, and you can often get discarded cartons from local stores, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, Freecycle, Buy Nothing groups, and neighborhood-focused websites. Also check prices for new boxes from companies that sell packaging materials; their prices may (or may not) be less than your mover’s.
Review Insurance Issues
Your mover’s standard contract language probably severely limits its liability for loss or damage to your belongings. While standard protection is free, its reimbursement rate is capped at 60 cents per pound, which won’t adequately cover most household items.
Most movers offer additional “valuation coverage protection” or “full-value protection.” $50,000 of coverage with no deductible typically costs $450 to $1,000. But before you pay several hundred dollars for moving insurance, check your homeowners or renters insurance policy; your belongings may already be covered. But you’ll have to file a claim for damaged or lost items, be responsible for any deductible, and run the risk of a future rate hike or getting dropped.
Evaluate Storage Options, If Needed
If your new home won’t be ready when you leave your old one, have the mover arrange storage. Get proof that insurance will cover your belongings against theft, fire, and other risks while in storage—the coverage you can buy for goods in transit doesn’t protect you from damage while in long-term storage.
Long-distance movers often place customers’ belongings in temporary storage to access another client’s stuff on the same truck, or if they need to wait a few days until their customers are ready for final delivery. Try to avoid this because it substantially increases the risk of damage.
If your new home can’t fit all your belongings and you don’t want to part with them, you can rent a self-storage unit.
