How Long Does It Take to Move?

There are some things people never have enough of and time is definitely one of the most important among them. It seems that if only there was more time, life would be so much better, easier, and happier – we would be able to finish all our work, have rest, spend time with our families and friends, practice our hobbies, complete our projects, etc… But time is always ticking away faster than we’d like to and we need to prioritize our tasks and organize every minute of every hour in order to be able to do everything on time.

This is all the more true when it comes to moving house. There are so many things to do when organizing a move that time seems to be moving at double speed. No matter how good one’s organizational skills may be, it is incredibly difficult to find the time to complete all the tasks that need to be taken care of prior to the Big day.  

But how long does it actually take to move house? What is the average time to relocate? How long does the moving process take? How much time do you need to organize and perform a smooth and trouble-free relocation?

These questions are very difficult to answer as the time it takes to move house depends on a number of factors, unique for every relocation scenario. Yet, you can get a rough idea of how long you’re going to need to move to your new home – just factor in all the time-demanding tasks listed below and create a customized moving timeline that will help you keep track of your progress and stay one step ahead at all times.

1) Finding an Appropriate New Home

House hunting is both exciting and nerve-racking – and quite time-consuming.

Finding a house or apartment that meets all your needs and preferences can take from a single week to a couple of months, depending on your specific requirements and the status of the real estate market in the area.

At the very least, you’ll have to find the time to research your housing options and gather all the information you need in order to make the right choice. You may even decide to move into temporary housing at first, so that you have the chance to see the available properties in person and get a better idea of the atmosphere in the different neighborhoods of the city before deciding on a suitable property to buy or to rent.

See also: How to choose a good neighborhood to move to

Once you have found the perfect new house or apartment for you and your family, you need to allow about 10 weeks for the transfer of ownership to take place (making an offer, negotiating the details, completing the conveyancing process, performing a house survey, closing the deal).

In case you’re renting, you will only need a couple of days in order to come to an agreement with your future landlord and sign the lease contract.

Related: How soon after closing can you move in

2) Selling Your Old Home

The time it will take you to sell your old home depends primarily on the desirability of the area where it is located and the price you set.

In any case, you will need a couple of weeks to stage the house for sale and get a few valuations. Then, there will be viewings and negotiations with potential buyers, home surveys, and various other more or less time-consuming details to be taken care of before you can at last sell your home and get your money.

The process usually takes about two months in the best case scenario when you find buyers quickly and no unforeseen problems arise.

If you’re moving out of a rented property, you need to review the terms and conditions in your lease agreement and notify your landlord about your move about a month in advance. (See also: Renters’ move-out checklist)

3) Ensuring Professional Moving Assistance

Unless you’re moving just across town or have very few items to relocate, you’re going to need professional moving assistance in order to ensure your safe and successful relocation experience.

So, be sure to allow yourself enough time to research your moving options and find the best movers for your needs – ask for recommendations, get a free moving quote to see what different moving companies have to offer, ask three or four movers that seem to best suit your requirements for on-site estimates of your moving costs, compare the offers, research the movers in detail, and pick the best moving partners for you. Make sure you book their services as early as possible.

The entire research and selection process will take you at least a week – and it’s a good idea to start shopping around for movers about two months before your desired moving date.

Must-read: How to choose a moving company

4) Taking Care of the Paperwork

There is plenty of paperwork to take care of prior to your move. You need to:

• Collect and organize your personal documents, financial documents, property-related documents, etc.;
• Obtain yours and your family’s medical records;
• Obtain your pets’ health certificates and vaccination records;
• Obtain your children’s school records;
• Change your address with the USPS;
• Transfer utilities;
• Cancel subscriptions and memberships.

Keep in mind that obtaining and/or updating all the necessary documents can take a long time (a month or so), so you need to start preparing the paperwork as early as possible. Don’t forget that you will need some time to review and properly organize your papers, as well.

Related: Documents to take with you when moving

Even after your move is over, there will still be paperwork to deal with – you will need to update your driver’s license and car registration, update your insurance policies (or get new ones, depending on how far away you’re moving), update your voter’ registration, etc.

There are strict deadlines for changing or updating these documents (usually 30 days after the move), so you need to make sure to take care of the paperwork on time – no matter how exhausted you may be after the arduous relocation process and how busy you may be with urgent post-relocation tasks.

5) Organizing Your Belongings and Getting Rid of Unwanted Items

When moving house, you need to go through all your earthly possessions and decide the fate of each and every one of them – set aside the things you’re going to take to your new home, throw away useless, worn out, or damaged items, and find a way to get rid of everything else.

Have in mind that:

• Selling your no-longer-needed items – especially if you want to sell them at a profit – will take a lot of time. You’ll need to list the items online and it’s impossible to tell how long it will be until you find a buyer. You will be able to sell your unneeded stuff much faster if you organize a garage sale;
• Donating your unwanted items will not take much of your time – you will be able to just drop them at the charities that want them (and many charities will even pick them up from your home). All you need to do is make sure everything is in good condition and ready for donation;
• Giving items away to friends and neighbors will not require any extra time or effort on your part – you can do it during your farewell party or whenever they come to visit you.

Do not forget though that sorting out your belongings can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks (depending on how much stuff you own and how sentimental you are while going through it) and should be completed about 6 weeks before moving day, so that you have enough time to deal with all the things you’re not taking with you.

Allow yourself a couple of days to inventory the items you’re going to move to your new home as well – your moving inventory list will help you keep track of your possessions, will double as a packing list, and will serve as proof of the condition of your belongings should any of them get lost or damaged while in the movers’ custody.

You can use some advanced moving apps to speed up the inventorying process (you’ll be able to take photos, make videos, add audio comments, easily edit your entries, etc., as well as send the completed inventory directly to a moving company for estimation of your moving costs) but it will still take some time.

6) Packing Your Belongings

Without a doubt, packing is the most laborious and time-consuming task you’ll have to take care of when moving house.

The exact time it will take you to pack your belongings for moving depends on the number of items you want to relocate to your new home, as well as on the complexity of the job – the number of delicate and fragile items you need to prepare for shipment (packing breakables requires great care), the number of large furniture pieces that need disassembly, and the number of specialty items that require specialized packing techniques or any other special preparations before they can be safely packed for moving (such as works of art, pianos, pool tables, aquariums, and other difficult to move items).

So, how long does it take to pack a house?

1)  If you’ve decided to pack your belongings yourself (or with the help of family and friends)

Provided that you spend the majority of the day packing, you’re going to need:

• about 2 days to pack a studio or one-bedroom apartment;
• about 3-4 days to pack a two-bedroom house or apartment;
• about 5 days to pack a typical three-bedroom home;
• about a week to pack a standard four-bedroom house.

Don’t forget to allow some extra time in your schedule for packing the storage areas in your home – garage, basement, attic, etc. – as they’re full of all kinds of items and take plenty of time to pack. Also, make sure that you have all the packing supplies necessary for providing the best possible protection for your items stacked in your home – running to the store for a few more boxes or some extra wrapping materials will take time you can’t afford to waste.

Of course, it makes much more sense to start packing as early as you can instead of waiting for the last week before your move. If you spend an hour or two each day boxing up the items you’re not going to need until moving day, you will have only your everyday essentials left to pack in the last days before your move – this way, you’ll be able to pack your belongings at your own pace and to take proper care of each and every one of them. Refer to our detailed packing timeline for more detailed information on what to pack when for moving.

Good to remember: A packing marathon right before moving day is likely to result in lots of stress and possible damage to your items, as you won’t have the time to pack them carefully enough and ensure their safety during transit.

Must-read: When to start packing for a move

2) If you’ve hired professional packing help

Your packers (a team of three or four experienced professionals) will pack up your home in about:

• 2-3 hours – for a studio or one-bedroom apartment;
• 3-4 hours – for a two-bedroom home;
• 6 hours – for a three-bedroom home;
• 8-10 hours – for a four-bedroom house.

Related: Self-packing vs professional packing services

7) Final Moving Preparations

Regardless of how many relocation-related tasks you have successfully taken care of as early as possible, you’re still going to need about a week to complete your moving preparations:

• Pack a box of essentials;
• Reserve a parking place for the moving truck close to the entrance of your home and an elevator for the exact time of your move (if applicable);
• Say your goodbyes to your friends and to your home;
• Prepare all the household appliances and furniture pieces you’re going to take with you for moving;
• Take measures to prevent accidents and injuries on moving day;
• Prepare your home for the movers.

8) Moving Day

The actual time your movers will need to take your possessions out of your old home and load them onto the moving truck depends on:

• The number of boxes to be loaded onto the moving truck;
• The number of furniture pieces and household appliances you want to relocate;
• The number and type of specialty items you have for moving;
• The specialized services required in your particular circumstances – crating, handling of delicate items, handling of bulky items, furniture disassembly, appliance servicing, hoisting, shuttle services, etc.;
• How well prepared you are (whether there are any unpacked items or some unresolved issues that need to be taken care of in the last moment);
• The flights of stairs your items need to be taken down – or the free access to an elevator;
• The distance from your home to the parked moving truck;
• The weather conditions at the time of your move;
• The number of movers you have hired for your relocation.

Assuming that everything is ready and no unforeseen problems occur, the process typically takes about:

• 2-3 hours for moving a studio or one-bedroom apartment;
• 4-5 hours for moving a two-bedroom home;
• about 6-7 hours for moving a three-bedroom home;
• 8-10 hours for moving a four-bedroom house.

(The above times apply to a residential move performed by a team of four professional movers).

See also: Moving day checklist

9) Transporting Your Items to Your Final Destination

Depending on the actual distance between your old home and your new one, as well as on the traffic and the weather, the transportation of your items may take from several hours (for a move across town) to about a week (when moving from coast to coast).

10) Unpacking and Settling In

It won’t take the movers long to unload your goods and take them into your new home (several hours, depending on the size of your shipment) – especially if you know where you want each and every item to go. Upon your request, the moving experts will also help you reassemble furniture, connect appliances, and unpack your most essential items – all within a few hours. Using professional help at that last stage of the relocation process will allow you to speed things up at a moment when you have no energy left to deal with anything.

Once the bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and kids’ rooms are all set up and ready to use, everything else can wait for a while. In fact, unpacking all your belongings, arranging them, and making your new place feel like home may take you any amount of time from a single week to several months – after all, you won’t be in a hurry anymore, so you’ll be able to take your time and do a little bit of work every day until you create the home of your dreams.

So, how long does moving house take? The average length of time to move house is about 2-3 months – any smaller amount of time won’t be enough to complete all the necessary relocation tasks in a safe and efficient manner. If you include the time necessary for finding a new home and settling in after the relocation, the process can take about 6 months – or even a year.

SEE ALSO: How to save time when moving

One final piece of advice: Never rush things. Always plan for a moving task to take a bit longer than you thought it would, just to be sure that you’ll never be short of time.