Handy Hilton Head Checklists

Having a workable timeline for your move to the Hilton Head Island area is essential, allowing you to have enough time to get everything in order at your old location while getting your possessions, family and pets ready for the move to Hilton Head.

Establishing a Hilton Head Move Timeline

Following is a basic timeline for planning your move to Hilton Head. You can modify it as needed to fit your own needs.

Of course, it’s never too early to plan your move. But here is an Eight Week Schedule that is extremely workable and will allow you to plan your Hilton Head relocation without a bunch of stress.

Eight Weeks Before Your Hilton Head Move

•    Contact your mover and schedule your moving day.
•    Start removing all the items from your basement, attic, storage shed, etc. so you get an accurate idea of what you have to move.
•    Start using up things that you aren’t going to move, including cleaning supplies, frozen foods and any lawn maintenance supplies.
•    Contact the Hilton Head Chamber and the Hilton Head Island Visitor & Convention Bureau for information about the area.

Six Weeks Before your Move to the Hilton Head Island Area

•    If you’re relocating at your employer’s expense, verify what expenses they will cover and which ones are yours.
•    Contact the IRS or your accountant and see what moving expenses are tax deductible.
•    Start to inventory all your possessions. Which ones do you really want to pack up and take to Hilton Head? Which ones can be sold? And which ones can be donated to charity? This is particularly important if you’re moving to a smaller home in the Hilton Head area.
•    Make a list of everyone you need to tell about your move, including friends, family, creditors, subscriptions, etc.
•    Get a subscription to the local newspaper or bookmark their online version so you can start to familiarize yourself with Hilton Head Island politics, communities, neighborhoods, cultural events and activities.
•    Get all your vehicle licenses in order, including your boat, motorcycles, ATVs, and personal watercraft, if you have them. You’ll need to change all these when you get to Hilton Head.
•    If you’re going to be putting some of your stuff in storage, either where you’re living currently or in Hilton Head, make some calls so you can compare prices and reserve the necessary space.
•    Contact your children’s schools, your family dentist, doctor and make arrangements to get copies of your records to take with you or to forward to their counterparts in the Hilton Head Island area.

Four Weeks Until Your Hilton Head Move

•    Arrange for special transportation if needed for your pets and plants.
•    Contact the utility companies where you live now and set up a disconnect date for your services and provide them with your new address in Hilton Head where they can send your final bill. Make sure that you have your services set to disconnect the day after moving day, not moving day itself.
•    Contact the utility companies in Hilton Head to set up your new accounts, including your power, water, gas, garbage, cable or satellite TV, Internet, etc.
•    Contact your insurance companies and let them know you’re moving. This includes your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance as well as your vehicles.
•    If you’re doing the move on your own without a moving company, get moving boxes. Start packing the items you won’t be using in the next month.
•    Consider having a garage sale to sell off stuff you don’t need or getting boxes ready to donate to charity.

Three Weeks Until You Move to Hilton Head

•    Get your travel arrangements in order. If you’re driving to Hilton Head, figure out where you will need overnight stays. Remember to be flexible as your closing date can get delayed with last minute paperwork. If you’re traveling with your pets, make sure the hotels you’re considering are pet friendly.
•    Locate all your important papers and set them in a safe place where they won’t be packed. This includes your insurance, will, deeds, stocks, etc.
•    Visit your bank and arrange to close your accounts and then get your new accounts set up in Hilton Head. Remember, checks take some time to get printed so you don’t want to put this off until you get to Hilton Head Island. Ask the bank if you can pick up the checks at their office since you don’t want a bunch of checks sitting in a mailbox unattended.

Two Weeks Before Moving to Hilton Head Island

•    Go to https://moversguide.usps.com and submit a Change of Address form to the post office. If you have a home-based business, remember to also fill out one for the business as well.
•    If you’re driving to Hilton Head, South Carolina, have your car serviced before the trip. Make sure you have your car setup for your new location in terms of antifreeze, oil and lubrication.
•    If you’re in a building with elevators, contact the building’s maintenance supervisor or the management team to schedule their use.
•    If you’re using a relocation consultant in Hilton Head, contact them and confirm all your arrangements.

One Week Before Your Hilton Head Move

•    Make sure all your library books and any other rented items are returned to their location.
•    Remove all the contents from your safety deposit box or storage areas.
•    Pick up your dry cleaning.
•    If you have parking tickets or moving violations, make sure they are paid.
•    Drain all the gas and oil from any power equipment that is being moved to the Hilton Head area.
•    Give away any plants that you don’t plan to take with you.
•    If you’re using a moving company, make sure they have very specific directions to your new home as well as your itinerary and emergency numbers.

Two to Three Days Before Your Move to Hilton Head

•    Defrost your refrigerator and freezer if they need it. Be sure you block the door in the open position so pets and children can’t get locked in them.
•    Disconnect your major appliances if you’re taking them with you.
•    Finish packing any last boxes with the personal items you’ll need as soon as you get to your new Hilton Head home. These are the last things you want to put in the car or the moving van since they are the first ones you need to unload.
•    Set anything you’re taking with you aside so they don’t get accidentally loaded in the moving truck.

On Moving Day

•    Make sure you have water available to prevent dehydration.
•    Check the home one more time for anything you may have forgotten or missed.
•    Turn off the thermostat or set it so it’s not always cooling or heating an empty space.
•    Shut the water tank off so it won’t cause flood damage should it spring a leak or freeze.
•    If you’re using a moving company be sure you review their manifest to ensure everything is correct before you sign it. Keep your copies in your personal items box so you know where they are and can make any claims easily if something comes up amiss once you’re in Hilton Head.

You can set this list here up as a checklist by copying and pasting it into a Word document. That way you can simply check each item off as it’s completed.