Plan Your Move | Black Diamond Moving

The timeline

Five phases, from the call to the keys.

If you can give us four weeks, we can give you a calm move

Phase 01

Four weeks before

The decisions

Most of the work in a clean move happens now, before anything is touched. Get the appointments on the calendar, decide what isn't coming with you, and put the paper trail in motion.

Schedule your move with Black Diamond, and walk the home with a senior estimator.

Tour the house room by room. Decide what to keep, what to donate, and what to discard before anyone packs a box.

If this move changes your primary residence, request copies of key medical and prescription records for the new home.

Begin the school records transfer if you're moving with children.

Review coverage for the move itself. Confirm your homeowner's policy transfers to the new address, schedule any fine art, jewelry, or collection riders, and ask us about full valuation coverage -- available for purchase if you'd like your belongings protected at their actual value in transit.

Phase 02

Three weeks before

The pantry & the prep

Two jobs this week: stop buying things, and start clearing the things we legally can't move.

Start eating down the pantry and freezer. Anything still on the shelf the week of the move is going to be a problem.

Settle any outstanding dues or assessments tied to the property -- HOA, club, or special-district.

Arrange service for major appliances if they're coming with you -- washer, dryer, refrigerator, anything plumbed in.

Begin disposing of items we can't transport: aerosols, corrosives, ammunition, propane tanks, lawnmower fuel. The full list is on the Tips page.

Phase 03

Two weeks before

The paperwork

The week the rest of the world needs to know you're leaving.

Book any travel for move week -- flights, hotels, kennels.

Set up mail forwarding with the post office -- or a permanent change of address if this home is being left for good. One request per person receiving mail here.

Update your address on recurring deliveries / payments -- pharmacy, wine club, streaming, and anything auto-shipped.

Transfer or update local memberships and standing accounts -- club, gym, and any vendor accounts.

Return borrowed items, and collect anything you've lent out.

Finish disposing of cleaning fluids, acids, and drain cleaners -- we can't transport them.

Phase 04

One week before

The handover

Money, utilities, and a plan for where the furniture is going at the other end.

Update your address with your bank, and redirect account and financial statements to the new home.

Reconfirm travel reservations.

Arrange cable, internet, and security disconnection at the old home.

Arrange utility connections at the new home -- power, water, gas, internet -- for the day before delivery.

Draw a floor plan of the new home with furniture placement, and share it with your foreman or designer. It's the single biggest thing you can do to make move-in calm -- it's how we place every piece to your direction.

Confirm your quote details and payment method with your senior estimator.

Set aside travel essentials in one place: chargers, snacks, medications, documents, and anything the kids or pets need for the drive.

Gather medicines and important papers. They travel with you, not with the truck.

Drain garden hoses and lawnmower fuel.

Begin packing suitcases for the days around the move.

If we're packing for you, leave items where they live. It's safer and faster than helping us pre-pack.

Phase 05

The final 24 hours

Last details & move day

A short list, but the one most people forget. Your only job on move day is to be present and answer questions. We do the rest.

Confirm your delivery time and the crew lead who'll meet you at the new home.

Pack a first out, last in box: cleaning supplies, toilet paper, toothbrushes, a coffee maker, the kettle. It's the first box off the truck on the other end.

Finish suitcases.

Defrost, clean, and dry the refrigerator.

Be in the home for the full day. Don't schedule anything else.

Walk the inventory with the foreman as the truck loads and sign the bill of lading.

Confirm the delivery address, the delivery date, and how to reach you en route.

Do a final walkthrough -- every room, every closet, every storage area, the garage, the attic, the shed.

Confirm windows and doors are locked, keys are with the right person, and the lights are off.

The interactive version of this list -- with checkboxes that remember themselves -- lives on the Checklist page.