Moving is genuinely hard. It's also predictable: the same tasks come up in roughly the same order for every family. Below is the checklist we walk our buyers through — adapted specifically for East County. Save it, print it, and work through it at whatever pace fits your timeline. When you're ready for a printable version, use the buttons at the end of this guide to open our Free Downloads hub.
60 Days Out
The biggest decisions happen here. Get them right, and the rest is logistics.
- Decide on your current home. Sell it, rent it out, or hold it. Each path has different timing implications. If you're selling, talk to your agent about pre-listing prep now — staging, paint, repairs, and photography can all happen while you're still living there.
- Get pre-approved with your lender. If you haven't already, do this now. Pre-approvals are good for 60–90 days and let you make competitive offers when the right home appears.
- Set your search criteria. Communities, school districts, must-haves, deal-breakers, hard budget. The clearer your criteria, the faster the search.
- If you have school-age children, contact your target school district about enrollment. Some East County districts have early enrollment windows that start months ahead. Liberty Union and Brentwood Union both have specific timing windows worth understanding.
- Get 3 moving company quotes. Long-distance moves require 4–8 weeks of lead time during peak season (May through September). Local intra-Bay moves can typically be booked closer to the date but better movers fill up.
- Start decluttering. Whatever you don't want to pack, don't pack. Donate, sell, or toss now — it's much easier in your old home with time to spare than in the chaos of move week.
30 Days Out
Move is real now. Logistics dominate.
- Confirm closing date with your title/escrow company. The official closing date drives most of the rest of the timeline.
- Schedule the actual move. Reserve the moving truck, movers, and any specialty services (piano movers, vehicle transport, etc.).
- Set up utilities at the new home. PG&E (gas + electric — see two-week section), water service (varies by city — some are municipal, some are East Bay MUD), garbage (varies by city), internet (Comcast/Xfinity, AT&T, and Sonic all serve different parts of East County — Sonic is often the best fiber option in newer Brentwood/Oakley developments).
- Submit change of address with USPS. Forwarding is free; takes effect within 7–10 days.
- Update address on key accounts. Bank, credit cards, IRS, employer, insurance (auto, health, life), retirement accounts, subscription services.
- Notify schools of withdrawal from current schools and confirm enrollment at new ones. Get records transferred.
- Buy moving supplies if not provided by movers — boxes, tape, packing paper, markers.
- Start packing low-use items — books, off-season clothing, garage stuff, decorations.
Two Weeks Out
This is the heads-down phase.
- Set up PG&E for new home. Call 1-800-PGE-5000 or set up online at pge.com. Service typically starts the day of your closing or move-in. Note: PG&E is the only gas+electric utility in East County — there are no alternatives.
- Confirm internet installation. Comcast/Xfinity and AT&T require professional installs; book them now. Sonic and other fiber providers may have longer lead times in some neighborhoods.
- Confirm garbage and recycling pickup. Service is provided by Republic Services (most East County), Waste Management (some areas), or municipal services depending on city. Sign up for service and get your bins delivered before move-in.
- Forward mail and update DMV — California requires you to update your address with DMV within 10 days of moving.
- Schedule final walkthrough at the new home (24–48 hours before closing if you're buying).
- Pack day-to-day items. Kitchen, dishware, daily clothing, toiletries.
- Confirm move logistics. Truck size, parking, building access (if applicable), insurance.
One Week Out
Almost there. Keep things calm.
- Pack an "essentials" box with items you'll need first 24–48 hours: toilet paper, paper towels, basic kitchen tools, phone chargers, medications, change of clothes, sheets/pillows for first night.
- Defrost freezer, drain washer/dryer hoses, prepare appliances for transport.
- Confirm everything with movers — date, time, address, parking, payment.
- Take photos of any rented or leased property you're vacating to document condition.
- Pack a "first-night" duffel for each family member with overnight essentials.
Moving Day
The day of. Stay flexible.
- Be present at the old home for movers. Walk through with the foreman, point out fragile items, label rooms in the new house plan.
- Take final meter readings (gas, electric, water) at the old home. Keep the photo on your phone.
- Do a final walkthrough of the empty old home — check every closet, under every appliance, behind every door. People always leave one thing behind.
- At the new home, do a quick walkthrough before unloading begins. Verify everything is as expected. Identify priorities (which room to unload first — usually kitchen or kids' bedrooms).
- Tip the movers if appropriate (typically $20–40 per mover for a half-day move; more for long days or hard moves).
First Week in Your New Home
You made it. The actual settling-in is a marathon.
- Update DMV. California gives you 10 days to update your address with the DMV. Online or in-person.
- Update voter registration. Online via the California Secretary of State.
- Check car registration. California-to-California moves don't require new registration; out-of-state moves require new registration within 20 days plus a smog check.
- Drive your commute. At a real-world commute time, end-to-end. Note anything unexpected (traffic patterns, parking, etc.).
- Find your essentials map.
- For a Brentwood family: Streets of Brentwood (groceries + Target + restaurants), Brentwood Library, Heritage High area, Round Valley trailhead, the year-round Saturday farmers market on First Street.
- For a Discovery Bay family: Boardwalk Marketplace, Safeway in the village, Discovery Bay Yacht Club, Marina Bar and Grill / waterfront dining on Marina Road, Marsh Creek Trail access.
- For an Antioch family: Hillcrest BART, Lone Tree Way for groceries and restaurants, Antioch Marina, Black Diamond Mines visitor center.
- Walk the neighborhood. Greet a few neighbors. Find the park within a mile of your house. The relationships you build in the first 30 days set the tone.
- Update your USPS forwarding if anything didn't get redirected; most things do, but utility companies and small subscriptions sometimes miss.
- Schedule any deferred home improvements. Whatever you put off until after the move — a fence repair, a small reno, a paint refresh — book it now while you have momentum.
A note on PG&E and Mello-Roos
Two things specific to East County buyers worth understanding upfront:
- PG&E. California's gas+electric monopoly. Service has had some quality issues over the past decade. Average East County household bills run $200–400/month depending on size and season. Solar is increasingly common in newer Brentwood and Oakley developments and meaningfully reduces the bill.
- Mello-Roos assessments. Many newer Brentwood and Oakley neighborhoods have active Mello-Roos special tax assessments — additional property taxes that fund infrastructure (roads, schools, parks). Typical assessments add $1,500–$5,000 to your annual property tax bill. They're disclosed in the listing agreement, but if you're a first-time buyer, plan for them in your monthly budget.
We've done this many times
Moving is the kind of thing that feels overwhelming the first time and routine after a few. We've helped hundreds of families through this process — happy to share specific recommendations for movers, vendors, schools, and the small things that make moving day easier.
Need a printable version of this checklist? You'll find the 30-Day Moving Checklist — plus our neighborhood worksheet and cost-of-living calculator — on our Free Downloads page. Use the buttons below to jump straight to the moving checklist or browse everything we offer.
