Home › Guides › Movers & delivery › The complete moving guide: planning, packing, and hiring movers without the stress
GuideMoving is consistently ranked one of life's most stressful events — but almost all of that stress comes from leaving things to the last minute. Turn it into a timeline and it becomes a series of manageable steps. Here's the complete playbook, from six weeks out to the moment the truck pulls away.
You pay to move volume, so the cheapest move is a lighter one. Go room by room and donate, sell or junk what you won't want in the new place. This is also when to decide your approach: a full-service move (truck plus crew) for a whole home, or moving help (labour only) if you've rented your own truck. Booking early locks in your date and better rates.
Lock in your crew and date now — good movers fill up, especially at month-end and in summer. Order boxes and packing supplies, and start packing the things you rarely use. Decide whether you're packing yourself or adding a packing service; professional packing is faster, better protected, and often worth it for fragile or large homes.
Schedule utility transfers (hydro, gas, water, internet) for both addresses, and update your address with banks, work, government, insurance and subscriptions. Confirm elevator or loading-dock bookings if you're in a building, and sort out parking for the truck at both ends. These logistics are what actually derail moving day when skipped.
Full-service local moves are usually hourly for the crew and truck, with the clock running from arrival to finish; small moves may be flat-rated. Long-distance is typically priced on distance and weight/volume. Price drivers are crew size, access (stairs, elevators, long carries), and total volume — which is why decluttering directly lowers your bill.
Pack heavy items in small boxes and light items in big ones, wrap fragile things individually, fill gaps so nothing shifts, and label every box by room and contents. Pack an essentials box — chargers, meds, documents, a change of clothes, basic toiletries — and keep it with you, not on the truck. Photograph electronics before unplugging so reassembly is easy.
Be present and reachable, have payment and any parking sorted, keep the essentials box and valuables with you, and do a final walk-through of the empty place before you leave. Point the crew to priority items and fragile boxes. A quick plan for where furniture goes at the new place saves everyone time.
Moving horror stories come from un-vetted crews — damage, no-shows and surprise fees. On Genie you can book a vetted, insured moving crew at an upfront or quoted rate, every crew member on a team job is background-checked (not just the lead), and payment is held until the job's done so there's accountability from first box to last.
Every task in this guide is something you can book on Genie — vetted, insured pros at an upfront price:
Two to four weeks is ideal, and sooner for month-end or summer moves. Genie can match a vetted crew quickly if you're short on time.
Local moves are usually hourly for crew and truck (small moves may be flat-rated); long-distance is priced on distance and volume. Decluttering lowers the cost because you're moving less.
For large homes or lots of fragile items, yes — it's faster and better protected. You can add packing to a Genie move and see the price before you book.
