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Your 8-week countdown to leaving Seattle

An interstate move rewards early starts more than any other kind. Capacity books up, surveys take time to schedule, and the paperwork decisions — estimate type, valuation coverage — deserve better than a rushed signature. Here's the timeline, counted down from eight weeks out.

8–6 weeks out

  • Submit your quote request and start collecting interstate estimates
  • Look up every prospective mover in the FMCSA registry by USDOT number
  • Confirm carrier-versus-broker status for each, in writing
  • Schedule video or in-home surveys — refuse to book on phone estimates
  • Begin the great purge: sell and donate everything not worth its freight weight
  • If renting, review your lease's notice requirements and calendar the deadline

6–4 weeks out

  • Compare estimates apples-to-apples: same inventory, same coverage, same spread
  • Decide on valuation: released value or full value protection
  • Book your mover and get the estimate type and delivery spread in the contract
  • Reserve your Seattle building's freight elevator for loading day and request COI requirements
  • Arrange vehicle transport now if a car is shipping separately
  • Start a photo inventory of high-value items, serial numbers included

4–2 weeks out

  • Give formal notice to your landlord and schedule the move-out inspection
  • Set Seattle City Light and Seattle Public Utilities shut-off dates, and open utility accounts at the destination
  • File USPS forwarding to the new state and update banks, insurers, and subscriptions
  • Transfer prescriptions and request medical, dental, and school records
  • Pack anything the movers aren't packing, labeled by destination room
  • Plan the delivery gap: where you'll sleep and what you'll live out of until the truck arrives

Final week, loading day & arrival

  • Reconfirm loading date, building elevator window, and the delivery spread with your carrier
  • Set aside a do-not-load zone: documents, medications, valuables, chargers, first-week clothes
  • On loading day, review the inventory sheet before signing and keep your copy
  • Get the driver's contact information and the shipment's tracking or reference number
  • At delivery, check items against the inventory and note any damage on the paperwork before signing
  • After arrival, update your driver's license, vehicle registration, and voter registration in the new state

First item on the list: know your options.

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