It’s no secret that planning is one of the most important things you can do for your move-in day.

No matter if you’ve chosen a short closing period or have time in between your offer being accepted, it’s important that you start planning as soon as possible.

It’s not a bad idea to start planning even before your offer has been accepted. If you are still searching for a new house or selling your current one, you should start by decluttering your house. This will help you with your moving day, but if you’re still selling your home, it will make the interior look nicer for potential buyers. Think of it as killing two birds with one stone.

In the time leading up to your moving day, start by packing up the things you won’t need until after the move. By doing this, you’ll be able to see what your most essential items are. Some examples of essential items could be things like toiletries, pots and pans, bedsheets, and a few articles of clothing.

It’s not uncommon for people to use their friends and family as their moving crew. Although this is a common trend in movers, you might want to hire a professional moving team if you are moving into a bigger house or moving expensive items. If you are downsizing, then using your friends and family will probably be okay.

Professional moving teams can help take a lot of stress off of you when moving day comes around. Moving large items like furniture up and down stairs can be very hazardous. You can leave this kind of job to the professionals so you won’t have to worry about injuring yourself or your loved ones around you.

Start by talking to a few high-quality moving companies in your area. Compare their rates to each other, then decide who you are more comfortable using.

After you’ve chosen your moving company, try to stay out of their way. Remember, these are professionals, and they know exactly what to do. There is no need to tell them how to strap down a piece of furniture or something expensive because they have already dealt with situations like this a thousand times.

You can always tell the movers your concerns, and if there is something that needs to be stored in a very specific way, feel free to tell them. However, once your concerns are taken care of, let them do their jobs. They’ll move faster, resulting in an overall quicker moving day.

In a previous section, I talked about how decluttering will help you decide which items of yours are more important. As you pack things up, you’ll already know what these items are. Put them in separate boxes for each room, and label them “open first” so you can differentiate between boxes.

Since you’ll know that everything you need is in one box, you’ll only have one important thing to open for each room before you get too tired. Once you’ve rested and regrouped with your family, you can open the other boxes at a later time.

If you create a labeling system, it can help you and your moving team knows exactly where boxes and bags belong. Everyone will also be able to know what’s inside. Labeling each box with a room name and what’s inside can help everyone involved speed up the moving process.

You can also decide if you want to buy moving boxes from your local hardware store. There are also reusable options that come with straps and handles to make carrying the box/bag much easier.

When you’re about to leave your old house behind, you shouldn’t have too much leftover. Perhaps you and the buyers have talked about big items of yours that they want to keep, but other than that, there shouldn’t be much.

However, there are still a few things that you should leave behind for the new buyers. These things include:

• Garage door opener
• Mail key
• Pool key if your neighborhood has a pool
• House keys

You should be able to ask your realtor if there are any specific things you need to leave behind. You can leave these items in the kitchen or give them to the new buyers directly.

Before your leave for good, go through all the rooms in the house one last time to make sure nothing important was forgotten. Check the bathrooms and cupboards, garage, attic if you have one, and any other space where something could have been left behind.

Before you leave your old house, look over all your things to make sure they are safe and securely strapped down. Check over your trailer too. No one wants their trailer to break as they travel to their new house, and no one wants something to fall out of the truck while you’re driving.

Take an extra 5-10 minutes before you leave to check over everything before you hit the road. It will save you from stressing once you’re driving.

When you get to your new house, things should go smoothly. Start by unpacking your “open first” boxes and putting them in their respective rooms. When the boxes have been put where they need to go, have your moving team bring in the big stuff like furniture and bedframes.

Remember, you don’t have to unpack everything as soon as you get there. Take some time to unpack the important stuff, then regroup with your family the next day to unpack the rest of your things. Additionally, don’t forget to take a moment to celebrate your move and your new house.

A new house is an incredibly exciting thing and holds a lot of potential for the future. By preparing for your moving day, you’ll minimize stress and be able to enjoy the moment a little more. Be patient with your moving team and be patient with yourself. The moving process may seem daunting, but as long as you attack it strategically, things should go smoothly.