Residential Moving Guide: A Step-by-Step Moving Plan

Key Takeaways

A clear residential moving plan reduces stress and prevents costly mistakes.
Hiring a professional mover early gives you time to focus on family and logistics.
Decluttering before packing saves time, space, and moving costs.
Full-service movers like Armstrong handle packing, transportation, and coordination.
Planning ahead ensures a smoother, more reliable move day.

As your local, full-service mover we have helped dozens of families in the greater Raleigh area get ready to move into their new homes. If you want to keep stress and mess low, you need to have a clear plan of action.

At The Armstrong Company – Raleigh we know what it takes to make a move go smoothly and we want to share those tips with you! Below you’ll find an expert timeline with tips to start building your own move plan to save you and your family time and peace of mind.

Why You Need a Residential Moving Plan

A residential moving plan helps reduce stress by breaking the process into manageable steps, minimizing last-minute surprises that can disrupt move day. With a clear plan in place, you can stay organized, avoid overlooked details, and coordinate more effectively with a professional mover like Armstrong—ensuring a smoother, more reliable moving experience from start to finish.

Your Step-by-Step Residential Moving Guide Timeline

This step-by-step residential moving guide outlines exactly what to do and when, helping you stay on track in the weeks leading up to your move. By following a structured timeline, you can prepare your home, manage logistics, and work seamlessly with your professional moving team for a well-coordinated and stress-free relocation.

Six Weeks Before Moving: Hire a Professional Mover

Hire your team: At least six weeks before your desired move date, you’ll want to hire your full-service move team. Choosing a full-service mover instead of a ‘show up and load up’ team means you’ll have less on your plate during your move process and more time to focus on getting prepared to enjoy your new home.
A full-service mover like Armstrong – Raleigh will also take over all the small details of your move and come prepared to pack, clean and organize your entire move from top to bottom!

One Month Before Moving: Declutter and Prepare

Declutter: Long before you start packing things you need to decide what is actually coming with you to your new home. Moving is the perfect opportunity to get a fresh start, free from clutter and old junk you forget about in the corners of your attic and garage.
Have a garage sale: Once you’ve weeded out what you don’t want to come with you to the new home, this is a great opportunity to set up a garage sale!
Place signs a few days ahead of your garage sale on your nearest cross streets to get the most foot traffic and get ready to make some extra cash from your unwanted items.
Donate: If you’re ready to clear out clutter and want a fast solution that gives back, find a local Goodwill or Salvation Army to donate your items.
Most of these establishments can accept large items you may have a hard time finding a new home for and the funds will go back into charitable efforts in your community.
Arrange utilities: Call your new utility provider for gas, power and water and set up transferring the utilities in your new home under your name so you can have a seamless transition.
Ask for time off work: Moves are hard work and often mentally exhausting. Taking the time to step away from work for more than just the day of your move can help you come back to your job refreshed and ready to get back on track.

Three Weeks Before Moving: Address Changes and Home Planning

Change of address: You can easily arrange for your mail to begin being forwarded to your new address by either filling out a post office form online here or a change of address form in person.
This is quick, easy, and will get you the important information you need via mail faster than waiting until you’re moved in. You should also update your new address with your place of work, schools, doctors, banks, and any other place you may need important information from.
Arrange for pet care: Your furry, winged or scaled family members can get stressed out by moves too. Having strangers remove everything from their natural habitat can be an upsetting ordeal and the traffic and propped doors may create unsafe conditions for your pet.
Plan to have a family member or boarder keep them safe and secure, until you’re settled in your new home and can introduce them in a relaxed atmosphere.
Plan for new home security: Do you already have a home security system? Communicate with your provider to get it set up within the first few days of your move or begin shopping for your new security company.

Two Weeks Before Moving: Final Services and Cleaning

Hire a cleaner: Regardless of whether you’re a renter or homeowner, you will most likely be responsible for making sure your previous living space is cleaned before you leave.
Discontinue services: Make sure all of your garbage, newspaper delivery, pest control, and other regularly occurring services are discontinued or updated to your new address.

One Week Before Moving: Essentials and Move-Day Readiness

Make an essentials boxes: Collect all of the items you will want the day of your move and for the first few days like hygiene items, phone chargers, changes of clothes, etc.
Keep important documents close at hand: Make sure you have your move team contract, ID, new home documents, and any other vital information ready to grab in case you need it.
Get excited! Now that you’ve done all the preparations you can really sit back and get ready for a successful move day!

Contact Armstrong – Raleigh if you’d like to find a full-service move team, serving greater North Carolina. You can contact us online or over the phone at 919.425.9853. We’re ready to help you from start to finish.

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Frequently asked questions

How far in advance should I start planning a residential move?
– Most residential moves should be planned at least six weeks in advance. This gives homeowners enough time to hire a professional mover, organize packing, and coordinate utilities without rushing.

What should a residential moving plan include?
A solid moving plan includes hiring movers, decluttering, scheduling utilities, preparing essential items, and coordinating move-day logistics. Full-service movers like Armstrong help manage many of these details.

Is it worth hiring a professional mover for a residential move?
– Yes. Professional movers provide trained crews, proper equipment, packing services, and reliable scheduling—reducing physical strain and minimizing the risk of damage.

What does a full-service residential mover handle?
– A full-service mover can manage packing, loading, transportation, unloading, and even cleaning and organization, allowing families to focus on settling into their new home.

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