4 weeks before
- Book your movers and get a written quote that says hourly or agreed price
- Ask both buildings for their move rules: hours, elevator booking, sample COI and any deposit
- Give your landlord or managing agent written notice of your move-out date, as your lease requires
- Start a sell, donate and toss pile: every box you don’t move is time you don’t pay for
- Order boxes, or book packing help
3 weeks before
- Send your mover both buildings’ COI requirements
- Book the service elevator at both ends
- Schedule internet installation at the new place; the first open appointment can be two weeks out
- Start packing what you won’t miss: books, off-season clothes, art
- Book junk removal for anything that isn’t coming with you
2 weeks before
- File a change of address with USPS, and update your bank, employer and subscriptions
- Set up electricity and gas at the new place and schedule the shut-off at the old one
- Check both streets for hydrants, driveways, bus stops and street-cleaning days
- Measure your biggest furniture and the narrowest door or stair at the new place
- Start eating your way through the freezer and the pantry
Get an exact written quote, usually back within minutes.
1 week before
- Confirm both buildings approved the COI
- Pack everything except what you use every day
- Take apart anything you’re comfortable with, and tape screws in labeled bags to the furniture they belong to
- If you’re moving a fridge, empty, defrost and dry it the day before
- Confirm the arrival time with your mover, and let your doorman or super know
The night before
- Pack an essentials box: chargers, medicines, toiletries, toilet paper, a change of clothes, a box cutter and snacks
- Strip the beds and bag the bedding
- Take down TV mounts, curtain rods and shelves
- Set aside keys, documents, jewelry and anything irreplaceable to carry yourself
- Get cash for tips if you plan to tip (it is never required)
Moving day, hour by hour
Here is how a typical 8am, 1-bedroom move goes with us:
- 7:45am: you get a text that the crew is on the way
- 8:00am: a walkthrough with the crew lead, pointing out fragile items and anything that is not coming
- 8:15am: floors, doors and banisters protected; furniture wrapped and taken apart
- 8:45am to 10:45am: loading, room by room
- 10:45am: a last look through the empty apartment with you
- 11:00am to 11:40am: the drive
- 11:40am to 1:00pm: unloading, beds rebuilt and furniture placed where you want it
That is 5 hours, or $825 at our rate of $165 an hour for 2 movers and a truck. A walk-up at both ends or a lot of unpacked boxes is what turns it into 7.
What to skip
- Packing books in big boxes: use small ones so each stays under about 50 pounds
- Moving things you plan to throw away at the new place
- Packing the contents of your fridge: eat it, give it away or toss it
- Leaving all the packing for the weekend before: three short evenings beat one long Sunday
- Booking any mover who quotes without asking about stairs and elevators
When the list is too much
If four weeks of prep isn’t realistic, we can do the heavy lifting. Our packing service can pack a 1-bedroom in a morning, and our junk removal crew takes away what isn’t coming on the same trip. Moving somewhere new? Our guide to moving to Astoria and our Queens movers page are good places to start.
