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This is the checklist we email every Seattle local moving customer after booking. It's been refined over thousands of moves. The goal isn't to add work — it's to eliminate the specific failure modes we see week after week.
7 Days Out
- Confirm move date and crew arrival window with your moving company.
- Finish purging — donate to Goodwill, Buy Nothing groups, or Facebook Marketplace.
- Pack everything you won't need for 7 days (books, off-season clothes, decor).
- Confirm parking arrangements at both addresses.
- Notify your building manager of move time if applicable.
- Set up mail forwarding via USPS.com.
- Begin emptying perishable food.
5 Days Out
- Pack the entire kitchen except 3 days of dishes and pans.
- Pack bathrooms except essentials.
- Disassemble guest-room furniture you don't need.
- Confirm utility transfers (Seattle City Light, SPU, Comcast/Ziply).
- Photograph electronics setups before disconnecting.
- Schedule cleaning for your old place if required by lease.
3 Days Out
- Submit change-of-address to bank, employer, subscriptions.
- Defrost the freezer.
- Drain gas from lawn equipment (movers won't load fuel).
- Pack remaining bedrooms except bed and one outfit per person.
- Confirm payment method with mover.
- Plan move-day meals (sandwiches, water).
1 Day Out
- Pack a first-night bag per person (PJs, toiletries, change of clothes, meds, chargers).
- Pack a "first box" for the new home (toilet paper, paper towels, soap, snacks, basic tools).
- Charge all phones and laptops fully.
- Decide on payment method for the crew and confirm any tip plans (cash, Venmo, or Zelle) — tips are never expected, but if you want to recognize a great crew, decide ahead.
- Set aside valuables and documents — these go with you, not the truck.
- Confirm crew arrival time one more time.
- Get a good night's sleep. Seriously.
Move Day
- Eat breakfast.
- Be ready 15 minutes before arrival window starts.
- Walk through the home with the crew lead, flag fragile items and "do not move" piles.
- Stay accessible but out of the way — let the crew work.
- Do a final walk-through at empty: closets, cabinets, basement, garage, attic.
- At destination, direct each box/furniture piece to a specific room.
- Inspect for damage before signing the bill of lading.
- Tip the crew at end.
Day After
- Unpack bed and bathroom first.
- Unpack the kitchen second.
- Check that utilities turned on as scheduled.
- Document any damage with photos within 24 hours and file claim with mover.
- Update driver's license address within 60 days (WA law).
- Leave a review for your moving company while it's fresh.
Bonus: packing prep that actually matters
The single biggest pre-move time investment with the highest payoff is proper packing — see our guide to packing fragile items for the techniques our crews use. Most damage we see on inherited moves is preventable with 20 minutes of better technique per fragile box.
Frequently Asked Questions
Realistically: 15–25 hours of focused work for a 2BR if you're starting from scratch. Spread over 7 days, that's 2–3 hours per evening. Most people underestimate by 50%.
Toiletries, PJs, one change of clothes, phone chargers, medications, toilet paper, paper towels, basic soap, snacks, water, basic tools (screwdriver, scissors, tape), and any valuables.
Usually no for interstate moves (state agriculture laws), often yes for local moves but at your own risk. Confirm with your mover during quoting.
Yes for fragile dressers and any antique pieces. For sturdy modern dressers with light contents (clothes only), most crews allow them packed — but always confirm with your foreman.
4–6 weeks for May–September; 2–3 weeks shoulder seasons; 1 week for off-peak winter. End-of-month dates fill first.
