TAKING ALL THE RIGHT DOCUMENTS AND PAPERWORK WITH YOU WHEN MOVING

With movers booked and only a few days left to the move, you should concentrate on assembling all the right documents you’ll be taking with you. Among the most stressful moving tasks and situations, it’s easy to forget to go through those paper stacked up in the closet that contain just about every important piece of paper you’ve ever received. Receipts, contracts, house deeds, car titles, marriage certificates, birth certificates, passports or even your grade school report cards – all need to be moved.

You’ll have to first organize all the piles of papers scattered around your home before the move. This will reduce the amount of time you’ll spend looking for them in your new home. When you are moving and packing supplies, you need to make sure that you keep all personal documents and important paperwork with you and try to avoid losing track of them while you’re packing. Things like receipts, appraisals, videos and photos; you will not be using packing and unpacking services provided by the mover.

Once you’ve found where to get free boxes for moving, in case you do decide to move these in a box, you should ensure that you make copies of all of your important paperwork. Make sure that copies are packed in one place, while the originals stay always with you when you move.

WHAT’S CONSIDERED IMPORTANT PAPERWORK?

Important documents include, but are not limited to: passports, birth certificates, social security card, school records, etc. Take all vital documents that you’ll need to access frequently, such as moving documents, closing papers for the home you are moving to, mover estimates, new location job contacts, the utility company numbers for both where you are moving from and to your new home you are moving to, and keep them separately from all of your other documents. Additionally, it is important to maintain important information and secure collection of documents, such as account numbers and bank records, current bills, phone lists, realtor info, maps to your home you are moving to, and more. Don’t leave these to the responsibility of moving company or mover. Keep these with you at all times!

When you begin packing make sure to pack your documents carefully and keep them in a safe place, so that you can easily locate them until the move. Once you arrive to your new home, you won’t be questioning yourself: ‘’where did I put my birth certificates?’’ or ‘’where’s last months’ bank statement?’’.

BENEFITS OF PROPERLY ORGANIZING YOUR IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS BEFORE YOUR MOVE

A typical move can be hectic and overwhelming. The less time you spend searching for important documents like real estate paperwork, mortgage documents or moving contracts, the more time you’ll have for other moving-related tasks.

It is important to stress that you keep your bills, invoices, and receipts all in one location, so you don’t misplace anything. Maintaining organized records and holding on to your important receipts and documents can save you money in the long run and help you save on taxes. More importantly, it can come in quite handy during emergency situations. If something happens to your home or your car that you are able to instantly locate all of your insurance documents for example.

ORGANIZING YOUR MOST IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS

To begin organizing all of your documents and papers, gather them all together and separate them into different categories. This will enable you to determine whether it is crucial to keep all of the documents. Take your time and look through each document to decide on its importance. If you are unsure of any given document, set it aside and come back to it later. You don’t want to make the mistake of accidentally discarding a document that you actually needed.

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Here’s a list of the different categories your documents may fall under and what they include:

1. Moving documents

Contract with the movers, bill of lading with the movers, inventory list, estimates

1. Property-related papers

Lease documents, selling and buying agreement documents, insurance coverage documents for your property such as home and auto insurance, tax receipts, warranties, registration documents of motor vehicles, and tax papers

1. Financial documents

Bank account statements, credit card bills, loan papers, income tax papers, tax deduction bills, saving and bank transaction statements.

1. Contractual documents

Any contract tenure documents, documents and warranties for electronic goods, such as a laptop or a phone – you’ll want to make certain you’re not leaving behind the contracts, guarantees, and receipts for these items. It’s virtually impossible to obtain service without having a proof of purchase. Also, make certain you’re taking the manuals with you. You never know when something will fail and you’ll need troubleshooting tips.

1. Passport, certificates and personal records

Birth certificates, passports, social security cards, marriage certificates, divorce certificates, death certificates, military documents, security documents, veterinary and vaccine information for pets or children, driver’s license/organ donor cards, magazine subscriptions, medical records, prescriptions, school records – should be packed securely, such as a fire-resistant safe or sturdy filing cabinet.  If you have a profession that requires licensure, make it a point to pack all supporting information, including your certificates or licenses, and any information you may need to transfer your right to practice to another location, or renew your current license.

Try and keep your documents separate and organized in a way that makes anything easy to find if you’re in a rush. Make a section of duplicates as well and keep them in that folder, so you’ll always know which files are the copies and which ones are the originals.

You may want to use a color-code or labeling scheme that separates the different types of files i.e. home, car, school, kids, insurance, work, etc. in order to distinguish one from the other, and have a separate color or label for each category.

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Another idea would be to get a portable fireproof box, if you don’t already have one, and use it to store duplicate copies of your important documents, or even upload all the documents on cloud-based storage. Having a back-up or duplicate copy of your most important file or document may come in handy after you move into your new home.