If you’re reading this part of our moving guide, you’re thinking ahead and realizing that planning and organization are very important to a successful move. While the thought of taking care of hundreds of things before moving day can overwhelm even the most experienced movers, there are some tried and true things that can do to make the process more efficient and relieve some of the stress a move causes.

If you’re moving for the first time, your stress level is probably much higher as you face the fear of the unknown. You can take comfort in knowing that millions of people move each year, and most of them have successful moves in the end. These checklists can guide you through the challenges of your upcoming move.

Here is a to-do list if you’re moving day is seven or more weeks away:

• If you’re relocating because of work, you should first understand your employer’s policies relative to your move. How much of your moving costs will they cover? Will they require multiple moving quotes for reimbursement?

• Begin contacting and researching licensed professional moving companies to get multiple moving quotes.

• Moving companies offer a wide range of services and prices, and it’s important that you fully understand their capabilities and costs. It’s best to speak to four or five movers and receive binding estimates from them before choosing a mover.

• Begin planning how you will be laying out your items in your new home. Draw a simple floor plan based on the room sizes of your new home to get a sense of what items may or may not fit in each room.

• This is a great opportunity to simplify your life and get rid of things you no longer need. Moving can be expensive, and the cost is determined by the number and weight of your items. You can save a lot of money by reducing the amount you need to move.

• A good way to pare down the number of items is to donate them, have a garage sale or give them to friends and family.

• Create a moving planner or folder. This should be a permanent record of all items related to your move. Begin assembling videos and photos of items that you will move and create a simple filing system to track all of your related expenses and correspondence with moving companies and other contractors.

• Use your moving planner to maintain all of your receipts. You may be eligible to deduct many of your moving expenses if you’re doing a qualified move. You or your tax preparer will need to complete Form 3903 on your federal tax return in order to claim a deduction for your moving expenses.

• Identify any high value items that you will be moving and arrange to have them appraised.

• This is a good time to begin researching your new neighborhood and community. Homescape’s local real estate snapshots are a great source of city and neighborhood information. You can also contact the local chamber of commerce and schools for other information that can be mailed out to you in advance.

• If you will be traveling by air or renting a car for your move, book your transportation as far in advance as possible to secure dates and times and reduce out-of-pocket travel costs. Look at flexible air tickets in case something changes with your moving schedule and you are forced to make adjustments to your flight.

• If you have young children, notify their current schools about your upcoming move and arrange for the release and transfer of school records and transcripts to their new schools. Because transcript requests can sometimes take some time, do it as soon as possible to avoid delays.

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