Moving Out for the First Time Checklist: What to Do & What Not to Do

According to statistical data, the average American moves to a new home once every 5 years.

What this basically means is that, sooner or later, you yourself will be facing a house move for the very first time, most often a move out of your parents’ house.

And when it happens, you’d better be ready for the occasion.

In the majority of cases, moving out for the first time is tough due to the fact that you don’t have any previous experience in moving house. And due to the lack of such move-related experience, it’s fairly common to make some rookie mistakes, and that’s OK.

Unless, of course, the mistake you make happens to be a costly one.

To help you minimize the chance of committing any costly moving mistakes and judgment errors, here’s what you should do and what you shouldn’t do when moving out for the first time.

What you should know when moving out for the first time

The main thing you should know when moving out on your own for the first time is that the house moving process hides a number of challenges that you yourself are likely to face as well.

And it’s how you manage to deal with those move-related challenges that will determine how successful your move will be in the end.

Be sure to use these tips for moving out for the first time to your advantage.

1. Costly Mistakes

It’s very likely that you won’t know what to do when moving out for the first time due to the fact that you’ve never been through a house move before.

And that’s OK, sooner or later everybody moves house for the first time, so your aim should be to avoid any serious rookie mistakes during your move.

10 Moving Mistakes You Must Avoid

2. Time Management

Due to your inexperience in moving house, you won’t have a clear idea of how to organize the time you’ve got until Moving day.

And that’s exactly why you are strongly recommended to follow a good MOVING CHECKLIST to guide you through the process.

Moving Checklist: The Greatest Moving Checklist of All Time

3. Moving Cost

As a first-time mover, it’s normal that you won’t really know what to expect from the move in terms of price – that is, you may not have the slightest idea how much your residential move will cost you.

As a result, you may not be financially ready to cover the moving expenses – something that will complicate matters even more.

How Much Does It Cost to Hire Movers?

4. Cost Reduction

The house moving process is not cheap in any way, but since you’re moving out of your home for the first time, you won’t be familiar with any good ways to lower the moving cost.

That’s right, it often comes down to those must-know cost reduction techniques that have been proven to work like clockwork. 

How to Reduce Moving Costs: 15 Ways to Save Big

5. DIY or Movers

Organizing a self-move when you’re moving out of state for the first time is an overly ambitious decision that often proves to be a big judgment error in the end.

But here’s the next challenge for you: you don’t really know how to find a good moving company either.

Hire Movers or Do It Yourself: 10 Questions to Help You Decide

6. Packing Anxiety

It’s normal to be experiencing high levels of anxiety about moving out for the first time.

In reality, the mere thought of having to pack up all of your things for moving is enough to fill you with panic as you’ve never packed for a move until now.

What’s more, you won’t know what items to take and what items to leave behind either.

Packing Timeline: What to Pack When for Moving

What to do when moving out for the first time

The thing is that it won’t be easy to overcome the clear disadvantage of not having enough house-moving experience.

And yet, you can manage your upcoming move just fine by knowing what you should do and what you shouldn’t do when moving out of your parents’ house for the first time.

Here’s your personal must-do checklist when moving out for the first time:

• CREATE a moving checklist – a detailed to-do list that will contain all the move-related tasks that you need to complete on time. Remember to add only tasks that relate to your specific move – that is, to personalize your moving checklist to reflect your own needs. For example: don’t bother with Take Rex to the vet if you don’t own a pet dog.
• ORGANIZE your time with the help of the moving checklist you’ve set up for yourself. Think about that moving timeline as a calendar that will guide you, day by day, until you find yourself in the new home. Bear in mind that proper time management is key when you’re moving out on your own for the first time. [Ultimate Moving Checklist]
• SET UP a budget to monitor your moving expenses. As a first-time mover, you won’t really know how to properly budget for your move and you may soon find yourself spending (much) more money than you’ve allocated in the beginning. A moving budget should help you stay within your financial limitations – after all, the last thing you’d want is to overspend on your move. [Moving Budget]
• INVENTORY all the items in your home and create a detailed inventory that will help you decide which things to move to the new home and which things to get rid of before you move away. One of the biggest mistakes when moving out for the very first time is to move everything that you own without asking yourself if you’ll ever use some of those items or not. [Moving Inventory]    
• SORT OUT your possessions and determine on a case-by-case basis what to do with each one: TAKE it or LEAVE it. Maybe the best advice when moving out for the first time is to take ONLY the most essential things with you. And here’s why: the more items you’re moving to a new home, the higher the moving cost will be because of the extra weight. [Declutter Your Home]
• GET rid of the things that you do not plan to use in the near future. Consider selling some of those things for profit – moving seems to be an expensive affair so any cash you earn from the sale will be more than welcome. Organizing a profitable garage sale before moving away is always a good idea. [Garage Sale]
• ATTEMPT to score free moving boxes so that your limited budget doesn’t get burdened more than necessary. Budgets seem to be rather restricted for first-time movers, so ask your friends if they happen to have cardboard boxes that they don’t really need. [Free Moving Boxes]
• PREPARE the rest of the required packing supplies as well: wrapping paper, bubble wrap, stretch wrap (Saran wrap), furniture blankets, and packing tape. Get black and red markers for labeling boxes as well.
• ASK your parents and your friends to help you pack up your stuff. Hiring professional packers is rarely realistic when moving for the first time (due to the limited budget), so your best bet is to rely on timely packing assistance from the people close to you. Here’s an idea: organize a packing party and invite your good friends to it. [Ask Friends for Help]
• USE a good packing checklist to organize the packing task in the best possible way. Losing precious time during the most time-consuming job during a residential move is always a bad idea. So, follow a detailed packing timeline and stay one step ahead at all times. [Packing Checklist]
• START packing up your things as early in the process as you possibly can. You probably don’t know this but the task of packing a home for a move takes forever to complete – in effect, it begins from the moment your move is confirmed and ends on the move-out day. Initiate the packing task from the rooms that are harder to pack up – attic, basement, garage, and other storage areas. [Pack in 3 Days]
• BE careful when packing fragile items – things that can get easily broken during the move due to their delicate nature. Use sufficient padding materials to protect your breakables, including inside the moving boxes to stop them from shifting during transit. [Pack Fragile Items]
• LABEL each box the moment you’ve packed it up. Write down the content, destination room, and special handling instructions, if any: FRAGILE, HANDLE WITH CARE, THIS WAY UP, and so on. [Label Moving Boxes]
• CHANGE your postal address before you move out. While this task is not as essential as the other ones in your moving checklist (you can change your address after the move too), there’s always the risk of losing an important piece of mail if fail to do it prior to Moving day. [Change Your Address]
• SHARE your new postal address not only with your friends, but also with major government institutions (IRS, DMV, etc.), financial institutions (banks), insurance companies, and other important organizations.
• REQUEST in-house surveys from top-rated moving companies. Have movers come to your home for accurate price calculation and potential risk assessment. When you’re moving house for the first time, you just have to know the estimated moving price in advance. [Request Cost Estimates] 
• COMPARE the moving cost estimates you’ve received from the professional moving companies. Since you’ve never compared moving quotes before, it’s important to be on the lookout for price offers that appear to be too good to be true. Why? Moving quotes that are way lower than the rest could be a sign of moving fraud. [Avoid Moving Fraud]
• RESEARCH the movers you plan to use as your partner – check whether they have been licensed by the U.S. Department of Transportation and read customer reviews to gauge how reputable and dependable they are. And when you do make an informed decision, book your movers ASAP for a chance to get a discount for early booking. [Compare Movers]
• WEAR appropriate clothes and shoes on Moving day to minimize the risk of personal injury. Pick clothes that won’t restrict your movements but are not baggy either for fear of getting caught on something. Wear the most comfortable pair of shoes you own, closed ones with anti-slip soles.
• WELCOME your professional movers and show them around the house. You should still stay actively involved in your own move in case the pros have any questions for you. However, in most cases, it’s best to just let the movers do their work.

Pros and Cons of Moving Out of Parents’ House

What NOT to do when moving out for the first time

There’s no denying that being a first-time mover is disadvantageous – you’ll be prone to making rookie mistakes and judgment errors due to the lack of move-related experience.

But there’s always a first for everyone, so the most important thing is to prepare well for the forthcoming move by following the above-mentioned DOs – the things you should do when moving out for the first time.

Now, let’s take a look at the things that you should not do when moving out for the very first time.

• DON’T ASSUME that you’ll manage to organize a successful DIY move despite the fact that you’ve never moved house before. Instead of risking a total home moving disaster, trust a good moving company that will assist you along the way. [DIY Moving Mistakes]
• DON’T HIRE the services of a moving company without researching those movers to make sure they are licensed, reputable, insured, and experienced enough to take care of your valuables.
• DON’T LOOK only at the bottom price when comparing moving cost estimates in writing, tempting as it may be. You also need to weigh in other factors such as the charges for any extra services and the reputation of the moving company itself. [Extra Moving Services]
• DON’T UNDERESTIMATE one of the most critical tasks when moving out for the first time – packing up an entire home for moving. The earlier you start sorting and packing your stuff, the better the chance of completing the packing task on time. [Packing Mistakes]
• DON’T PACK everything you own as it’s one of the most common mistakes when moving out for the first time. It’s imperative that you sort out your things first and get to move only the items that you plan to use in the near future.
• DON’T PACK any dangerous items that professional movers are forbidden by law to transport. Hazardous goods include but are not limited to items that are flammable (combustible), explosive, and/or corrosive in nature. Instead, find the best way to dispose of them properly prior to Moving day. [What Movers Won’t Move]
• DON’T FORGET to pack a few essentials boxes – cardboard containers packed with absolute essentials that you’re going to need during the period when your usual household items are being moved to the new address. Remember to pack a change of clothes for each family member as well. [Essentials Boxes]
• DON’T SKIMP on wrapping and padding materials when packing your fragile items for the very first time. Use plenty of packing paper and bubble wrap as the best way to protect your delicate items during the haul.
• DON’T LEAVE any unlabeled boxes in an attempt to speed up the packing process. Bear in mind that a decision not to label moving boxes will be counterproductive as you will lose loads of precious time after the move to find the boxes you’re looking for.
• DON’T LEAVE young children and pets unattended on Moving day simply because dangers will be everywhere. Instead, keep your kids and pets in a room that’s far from the house moving epicenter, safely away from harm’s way. [Moving Day Checklist]
• DON’T MOVE OUT without saying a proper goodbye to your friends. There are many ways you can do it – do it face-to-face with each good friend or invite your pals to a farewell party. [Goodbye to Friends]

Tips for Moving Out of Parents’ House: Moving Checklist