Checklists for your Reston Movers

Drawing up a checklist is one of the first things that you should do when you begin to prepare to move out of your home. The reasons are simple: there are too many individual objects to wrap, pack and store before you go; logistical precision is a must; and your Reston moving company is going to need to know in advance what they are to load in their truck. It’s certainly not rocket science to know that lists will help to organise everything into a systematic, manageable operation.

However, you are probably going to have to make more than one list. Not only do you have to identify what is to be wrapped and packed first, and then loaded onto the truck, but you will also have to have the key days check-listed to make sure all the final chores are seen too. Here’s our guide to the checklists needed for moving lock, stock and barrel.

Packing Checklist

This is the first step and, in many ways, the most important. You’ll need to check every single item and in great detail. Don’t simply write ‘books’ or ‘DVDs’, since any one of those books or DVDs (probably your favourite) could be misplaced if its not on the list. Start this list in plenty of time, perhaps as early as two months in advance, and be systematic. Go room by room, including everything from a child’s toy to a cabinet. Remember, this will be the basis for the Reston moving company’s checklist, which you must send them later.

Security/Utilities Checklist

There are things not related to moving that must also be looked after, and you should make a checklist of these. They can include informing the electricity, gas and water companies of your impending move and the need to have their services disconnected on a certain day (usually the day after moving day). There is also the security of the house. Perhaps you’ll need to install some locks on windows and doors to ensure you can lock up effectively, or maybe the house alarm must be tested or reset before you go.

Mover’s Checklist or Inventory

This is probably the most important checklist of them all, since the team from the Reston moving company that you have hired is going to have to know what they are moving. They also need to have this in advance, and will need details such as box sizes, the number of boxes, the contents of the boxes (especially if they are fragile) and any specialist items that also need to be moved. It’s a good idea too to specify which room each box comes from and which room of the new house to leave them in when they deliver – though some people do that through a color-coded system, which you can detail on the list.

Moving Day Checklist

This is the final one, and should be the simplest to compile since it will use the basic info of the others. This will detail every item to be loaded onto the moving truck, something which the movers will have also. Check with them that it corresponds before they begin to carry everything out, and stand at the door if necessary to check them off. As for windows and doors, a family member can move around the house and complete that list, while the final utilities readings can be done when everything else is done.

There is one other list to consider – the Valuables Checklist. This will detail all the items that are of special value to you (jewelry, documents, investment bonds etc) that you want to keep an eye on yourself. These items should be packed into a few boxes that can fit in the trunk of your car.

Lists make the whole task of packing and moving much more manageable, and while it might seem laborious, in the end you’ll be thankful of them.