Moving is a project with a deadline, and projects need checklists. This one starts eight weeks out and runs through the week you arrive, so the important things always happen before the urgent ones.
Wiz's tip
Put the checklist on the fridge backwards: the closing date at the top and the weeks below. Working backward from move day is how professionals never miss a deadline.
Eight to six weeks out
Declutter room by room and donate or sell what you will not move. Contact three movers for binding quotes. Notify your landlord or current lender. Start the school enrollment conversation with the new district, and order boxes, tape, and supplies.
Six to four weeks out
Schedule utilities to disconnect at the old home and connect at the new one, transfer or update homeowners and auto insurance, and begin packing the rooms you use least. Book the moving date, arrange parking permits if the new address needs them, and forward mail with the post office.
Four weeks to move week
Pack one room at a time and label every box. Transfer prescriptions and medical records. Confirm the closing date and the exact move-in time. Change addresses with banks, credit cards, subscriptions, and plan the Florida registration steps.
Move day and the first week
Walk the new home before the movers leave, confirm utilities are live, and change the locks. Test the smoke detectors and locate the water shutoff. Within ten days: register to vote, update vehicle registration, get the Florida driver's license, and introduce yourself to the neighbors. Then unpack the kitchen first and breathe.