Preserving your sanity on moving day starts long before you close on your new home. Here are some steps to help you prepare:

• Clean! Clean! Clean! What is the point of paying exorbitant moving costs to move things you will either give away or throw out?
  
  
• Inventory. Now is the time to bring your household inventory paperwork up-to-date. If required, ensure that you have a list of all your valuable items along with pictures. (Know what proof your insurance company and moving carrier requires to support a damage or loss claim.)
  
  
• Research Moving Companies. Be prepared to negotiate and ask for discounts! (Some movers will give you up to 60% off if you are moving during their off-season.) Obtain three estimates from three licensed moving companies. When the moving company sends over a representative to estimate the weight of your household goods, proceed with caution! Unscrupulous vendors might try to convince you that you don't need a written estimate. Not only do you need a written estimate, the wording on the estimate needs to be very concise. The estimate must use terms such as "not to exceed" or “best estimate.” This prevents the vendor from grossly under estimating the weight of the load to get your business, and then recovering the actual cost by presenting you with a huge bill. If you think the price of automobiles gives you sticker shock, wait until you see how much it costs to move.
  
  
• Reduce your expenses by packing some items yourself. Some movers provide separate estimates for packing and hauling. If this is the case, you might be able to reduce your expenses by packing unbreakable items yourself while leaving the breakables or expensive items for the movers. Just remember, your moving company will not assume liability for breakage of any items you pack.
  
  
• Check your purchase contract for the move-in date. Make sure the purchase contract reflects the date you want to move into your new home. If you are moving into a newly built home or a vacant one, this probably isn't much of an issue. But, if you are waiting for the sellers to move out so that you can move in ... well, that's where the fun begins. You will have negotiate with the sellers on when they can move out, so that you can move into their old home. Put it in writing—the purchase contract should state any agreements between you and the sellers.
  
  
• Send out change of address notices. As soon as you have your new address, send out your change of address notices.
  
  
• Don't forget the utilities. If possible, arrange to have the utilities disconnected the day after you move so that the movers can pack at night if required. Make your arrangements with the utility company at least a week ahead of time.
  
  
• Repair or remodel before moving into your new home. If there is time between the closing and move-in date, you may want to accomplish any required repairs, painting, or remodeling. Just don't be tempted to perform this work before the closing date, or you might find yourself paying someone else's repair bills!
  
  
• Safety first. If you have small children, try to find someone to take care of them on moving day. The newspapers recount endless stories of children who drown in swimming pools or are injured in some mishap because their parents were caught-up in the choas of moving and left them unsupervised.
  
  
• Be prepared for chaos. Prepare a box with everything you need in it to get through the first couple of days in your new home. Put a prominent label on the box so that you can find it readily among all the other boxes.
  
  
• Check the mover's inventory sheets for accuracy. Depending on the size of your load, you can expect the movers to begin packing your household items one to two days prior to moving day. Once the packing begins, the movers will record boxes and items on an inventory sheet. Make sure all your boxes and individually tagged items are accurately recorded on the inventory sheet.
  
  
• Check for missing items. When your household goods arrive at your new home, use the inventory sheet to mark off your boxes and items as they are unloaded from the truck. Match the tag numbers on the boxes or items to the corresponding numbers recorded on the inventory sheet. Tag numbers recorded on the inventory sheet without an accompanying box or item indicates it is missing. If you find you are missing boxes or items, call the moving company (most moving companies provide a 1-800 number for this purpose) and be prepared to provide them with the tag numbers of the missing boxes or items. Sometimes the items are not missing at all, the shipment was just split and the items are on another truck headed to your destination.
  
  
• Prepare the bedrooms of small children first. Small children can become unsettled at night in a new bedroom full of unfamiliar shapes and shadows. By finishing their bedrooms first, they will have a safe place to play and sleep.
  
  
• Security and safety always. On moving day, change the locks on the doors of your new home. You can never tell who still might have a copy of the old set of keys. Also, make sure all doors and windows lock properly and don't forget to check the smoke detectors. Don't go to bed unless you have working smoke detectors—even if you have to purchase battery operated smoke detectors to get you through the night. A fire in the middle of the night, when your family is unfamiliar with the layout of the house and there are packing boxes scattered everywhere, can be deadly.