By Ben Weger

Published Mar 1, 2018

Updated Dec 23, 2023

Having to move quickly makes the moving process more stressful. Many of your real estate clients will be forced to move on a tight timeline of only a few weeks. With so much to do and so little time, staying organized is a challenge clients need help navigating. The good news is, we’ve created a consolidated checklist for agents to share with clients who need to know how to move quickly.

If you want more tips to help your clients move, check out our moving guide for real estate agents and our unabridged epic checklist for moving.

One month before the move

All moving tasks are time-sensitive when your clients are working to move quickly. With one month until moving day, there is still plenty of time to plan and execute some of the most important moving tasks. These are the tasks that will save you and your client headaches down the road.

1. Find and book an in-home survey with an Updater Certified Moving Company. Find a moving company you can trust to move your belongings with care.

2. Use our in-home estimate guide to get ready for your moving company survey. This includes taking inventory, labeling furniture, and reading everything before you sign anything.

3. Select a moving insurance policy to protect your belongings during the move.

4. See if your city requires a moving permit for parking the moving truck.

5. Identify bulky furniture that is difficult to move and may require extra attention. Measure doorways, staircases, and elevators to ensure all of your furniture will fit.

6. Gather materials to pack fragile or unusual items such as plants, pianos, fine art, pool tables, and safes. Your moving company may not be qualified to disconnect certain appliances so you may need to hire a specialty mover to do the job. Talk to your moving company about what they will and will not move.

7. Plan a yard sale to sell any unwanted items and donate the remaining items to charity.

Three weeks before moving

Now that some of the external moving tasks are in the works, it’s time for your clients to start getting the interior of their home prepped. From getting all of their moving materials assembled to packing their least-used household items, week three is a test for the long days of packing that are around the corner.

8. Start packing all nonessential items. Start with the basement, garage, attic, and closets. Address any minor home repairs you find along the way. Here are some moving hacks to make your place look spotless.

9. Begin collecting free boxes wherever you can find them. Restaurants, grocery stores, and bookstores are good places to start. Here’s a list of other places to check. Also, consider renting plastic moving bins for heavy objects.

10. Invest in colored labels for moving boxes to identify what room objects belong to and what boxes should be opened first.

11. Set aside socks, t-shirts, towels, and linens to use as cushions for packing plates, glasses, and other fragile objects.

12. Send a moving announcement to friends and family with your moving date, your new address, and information if you’re throwing a moving away or a housewarming party.

13. Forward your mail with the U.S. Postal Service.

14. Update subscriptions like newspapers, magazines, and loyalty programs to your new address.

Two weeks before moving

Two weeks before the big move is the right time to get paperwork and home-services organized. Encourage clients to reach out to service providers for both their old and new home. Getting ahead on transferring utilities and choosing a new cable provider will ensure clients have service in place at their new residence.

15. Compare cable, internet, and phone providers in your new neighborhood. Schedule installation for your new home and set a cancellation date for your old services. Here are a few tips to save money when moving.

16. Transfer your utilities such as water, electric, and natural gas to your new property and schedule a cut-off date with your current provider.

17. Collect all financial and legal records in one convenient place. Here are some documents you’ll want to locate.

18. Dispose of any gardening chemicals, cleaning products, or poisonous items. Here’s a guide for disposing of toxic items safely.

19. Transfer your homeowners or renters insurance to your new home.

The final week before moving

The final week is crunch time for your clients. With a week to go and a lot of packing to do, pump-up your clients through the home stretch with these final moving tasks. The goal of the final week of packing is to make moving day as easy as possible.

20. Start a moving folder to collect any moving-related receipts and bills. This will come in handy at tax time when you claim a moving deduction.

21. Go through each room individually and pack items throughout the week as you no longer need to use specific items. Clean each room as you go.

22. Designate an essentials box with everything you’ll need during the first days in your new home.

23. Withdraw cash to tip your movers. Here’s some advice about tipping.

24. Empty and unplug your refrigerator and freezer to defrost the night before you move. Place a towel in front of the fridge to absorb any water that leaks. Also, drain the water hoses from your washing machine and ice maker.

What to do on moving day

Moving day has arrived and all of your clients’ prep is going to pay off. While your clients are focused on making sure everything makes its way onto the moving truck, here are some quick tips they can use to stay organized on the big day.

25. Complete any last minute packing. Check out these best practices for packing on moving day.

26. Set a personal moving day itinerary.

27. Protect tile, hardwood floors, and carpets during the cleaning and moving process.

28. Remember to remove light bulbs from any lamps going into the moving truck.

29. Do a final walkthrough of your entire home before you lock up. Here’s our ultimate final walkthrough checklist.

Have clients moving on an even tighter timeframe? Here’s our essentials checklist for clients who need to move quickly at the very last minute:

One week moving checklist

When there are fewer than seven days to move, getting the essentials completed on time is a struggle. In addition to the moving tips mentioned above, here are some additional tips to help clients complete a move quickly.

1. First and foremost, book a reputable moving company. Without time for comparison, it’s essential to book a great moving company quickly.

2. Throw away or donate as much as possible before you pack. Having less to box up and put in the moving truck will save time and feel great.

3. After you look for free moving boxes, consider renting plastic bins and a roll of packing paper so you can start packing right away.

4. Eat at home during your last week to clear your fridge and pantry. If you have nonperishable food leftover such as canned goods, ask your moving company if they partner with Move for Hunger, a nonprofit that donates food that would otherwise go to waste during moves.

5. Plan out your wardrobe for the week before you pack, then pack the clothes that you don’t plan on wearing for the week.

Need more last-minute packing advice? Check out our last minute moving tips guide to help you move quickly.

Whether your clients are moving in a month or in a week, moving quickly is a giant undertaking. Once they secure a moving date, offer these moving tips to help them strategize their moving tasks and make the transition to their new home as painless as possible. It’s not always easy to move quickly, but a little help from a seasoned real estate agent makes the process significantly less stressful.

Ben Weger

Ben is the former Content Intern for Updater’s Marketing team. The only thing he finds more exciting than discovering a new trend for content is starting his own.