Have you recently decided to move to lovely Florida and need a moving checklist? Florida is fantastic, from no state income taxes to sunny weather year-round, beautiful beaches, and much more!
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Now that you’ve made the decision to move to Florida’s sunny climes, it’s time to start preparing. Indeed, over the next few days and weeks, that’s all you should be doing. That way, when moving day comes, you’re ready to leave and prepared to arrive. To help, we put together this comprehensive moving to Florida checklist. It’s filled with tips, advice, and more to make your move less stressful.
Checklist Item #1: Find a Job in Florida
If you’re still in the work pool, putting “finding a new job” on your moving checklist before you leave for Florida is a good idea. Sure, if you’re financially able, you can wait until you arrive. If not, though, finding new employment before you get here is vital. There are several resources to help you find the best job possible in Florida. We’re all familiar with sites like LinkedIn and Indeed, but there are several websites dedicated, specifically, to get a job in Florida. We recommend checking out these websites to kick start your job search.
- Employ Florida
- Career Source Florida
- State of Florida Jobs
- Florida Department of Economic Opportunity
If you’ve already lined up a job, congrats! You’ve completed the first step of your moving to Florida checklist!
Checklist Item #2: Moving Your Things to Florida
We always recommend hiring a moving company to handle your move. (It’s an incredible amount of physical work!) However, if you don’t own a lot or need to save money, you may choose to move on your own. Either way, you need to make that choice well ahead of time. Here are your two options, outlined:
Option 1: Hiring a Mover
- Start getting estimates about 3 months ahead.
- Compare estimates to decide which mover offers the best price/service combination.
- Pick your mover and schedule your moving dates.
Option 2: Moving Yourself
- Start gathering packing supplies about 3 months ahead.
- Call moving truck rental companies and decide which to use.
- Reserve a moving truck.
- Decide what to keep, donate and throw away as early as possible.
- Start packing.
Checklist Item #3: Renting a Florida Storage Unit
One thing that people often miss when marking off their moving to Florida checklist, is renting a storage unit. We always recommend you have a storage unit ready for your movers. When the moving truck arrives, the movers (whether it’s you or professionals) will need to unload your things off of their truck ASAP. That makes having a new place to live rather essential. However, if you want to take your time finding the perfect home, renting a storage unit in Florida is a good choice. That way, your things will be safe and secure while you find the ideal spot to call home.
Checklist Item #4: Finding a Place to Live in Florida
Most folks try to find a new place to live before moving to a new state, and Florida is no exception. We know many of you will take your time finding the perfect house, but you can start now doing research on the neighborhoods that you want to call home. Check out our other blogs on our favorite Florida cities to get started.
Another vital piece of advice is, if you still have children, research the education system in your prospective neighborhood. We all want the best for our children, which makes enrolling them in a good school vitally important. To help, check out Niche. They’re one of the best sources of info on schools you’ll find online.
Checklist Item #5: Setting Up Your Services and Utilities
All of the services you use in your current home need to be canceled before you leave. Putting in a cancellation order should be done about 6 weeks ahead so that the providers can schedule you in. Include these on your moving to Florida checklist:
- Electricity
- Gas
- Water
- Garbage
- Internet
- Cable TV
- Gym, golf, and other memberships
- Landline Telephone
Checklist Item #6: Gathering Important Documents
Ensuring you have all your essential documents, paperwork, and records is critical when moving. We suggest gathering them up as early as possible, including:
- School transcripts.
- Marriage, professional and other Licenses.
- Retirement documents such as 401(k).
- Car, boat, and other Titles.
- Bank records.
- Health records including medical, dental, etc.
Start Your Plan for Moving to Florida As Soon As Possible
As you can see, there’s a lot to do on your moving to Florida checklist! From planning the move to gathering documents, paring down, and packing, your hands will be full. That’s why it’s essential you start early. By doing so, you’ll get everything done by moving day and have much less stress during the move. (You’ll also forget fewer things, reducing your stress and frustration even further!)
At HideAway, we’re the Florida self-storage experts. Our safe, clean, and secure storage units in Florida are a favorite among Floridians. Many store their household goods with us while they search for the perfect place to call home. Others store their boats, cars, and winter stuff with us, as well as antiques, collections, and more.
If you have questions, chat with us online or, even better, reserve your storage unit before you arrive. (It’s easy and fast.) If you like, you can also visit a HideAway location in Florida and meet the on-site manager. They can show you some storage units and help you choose the best for your needs. Until then, best of luck preparing and moving to Florida! Once you’re here, you’ll wonder why you didn’t move down years ago!
Check out more Florida tips on the Hide-Away blog!
