Moving can be a stressful process. Here are some guidelines to help your Central Florida moving experience go smoothly.
Congratulations, you SOLD your Orlando home!! Now it is time to move and moving can be a stressful process. Here are some guidelines to help your Central Florida moving experience go smoothly.
Planning and Packing
Collect cardboard boxes and other containers for moving:
- Professional moving companies use only sturdy, reinforced cartons. The boxes you can get at your neighborhood supermarket or liquor store might be free, but they are not nearly as strong or padded, and so can't shield your valuables as well from harm in transit.
- Use plastic storage bins
- Use sheets, blankets, pillows and towels to separate pictures and other fragile objects from each other and the sides of the carton.
Get rid of items you do not plan on bringing with you
- Have a garage sale or donate items that you are not planning on bring with you to charity. Many donations can be a tax write off.
Make sure you have a "necessities box"
- Have a few labeled necessities and place items that you will immediately need when arriving in your new home ex: toothbrush, soap, flashlight, screwdriver, towels, a couple of children’s toys and bedding.
- Pack these boxes in LAST so they will be the first thing off of the truck when you arrive at you new home
Appliances
- Wrap small appliances in newspaper or kitchen towels or linens. Use a medium box to pack small appliances. You can pack several small appliances to a box.
- With large appliances, you should make sure you check your owner's manual for any special instructions before you start to pack. Larger appliances should be cleaned inside and out before you move them. Use space inside appliance such as washing machines and dryers to pack towels or linens. Make sure you securely tape down any loose parts: the burners on your stove, the electrical cords, etc. Wrap the appliance with furniture pads and tie securely.
Kitchenware
- Wrap breakable items in bubble wrap or newspaper.
- Pack plates and glass objects vertically, rather than flat and stacked.
- Put a layer of bubble wrap between each plate or bowl.
- Make sure you fill the top of the box with crumpled newspaper to prevent items from shifting while in transit.
- Place the heavier items in the bottom of the box to prevent breakage.
- Computers and Electrical Equipment
Have Backups of all of your important computer data
- Try to use the original boxes if possible. If not available make sure that you wrap these items in plastic before packing. This will keep the dust out of your electronic equipment. Use plenty of padding (newspapers, bubble wrap) when packing these items
- Use a number labeling system on your boxes holding your expensive electronics make sure you keep a master inventory list of what is in each of those boxes. Using a numbering system will prevent potential thieves from not knowing what is in those boxes.
- After your move always make sure that your computers and other electronics have a chance to set and reach room temperature before plugging them in. Plugging these items in before they have had a chance to adjust to the change in temperature could result in malfunction.
Notify of change of address and gather important documents
Change of Address
- Give forwarding address to Post Office four to six weeks in advance
- Inform your company of the address change for their mailings - ESPECIALLY for your W-2 form.
- Friends, relatives, business contacts.
- Subscriptions: book clubs, magazines, newspaper, record clubs
- Automotive: insurance, registration, Drivers licenses
- Banking: Accountant, Stock Broker
- Government Agencies: Federal and State Taxes, Social Security (if receiving benefits), Veterans Administration, Military Retirement
Medical Records
- Ask for referrals in your new location
- Birth records, Medical records, Pet records, Prescription history.
- Insurance - life, health.
- Transfer optical, prescriptions, X-rays
Utilities
- Make sure you turn off your utilities in your previous home and have the Utilities on in your new home prior to your move in:
- Cable, Electric, Gas, Water, Sewer, Lawn service
- Telephone - keep your phone service on through moving day
- Orlando Area Resources & Utilities
Arriving at Your New Orlando Home - Checklist
- Call a locksmith to change EVERY "access" lock (alarms, sheds, mailboxes)
- Check any pilot lights in your stove, furnace, hot water heater.
- Check the telephone gas, electricity, water.
- Go through your check list above - make sure each item has been completed.
- Register to vote; file for your Florida Homestead Tax Exemption.
- Register your car with State of Florida plates & get new driver's license within the state required time limits.
FINAL MOVING NOTES:
- Keep track of your moving expenses, some may be tax deductible.
- The BUSIEST moving season is the summer. Most people move in the first and last days of the month.