Stage 9 — Pack + Move Out
This is the loud, chaotic week when your house becomes boxes. Whether the government is moving you (Path A) or you're running a PPM (Path B), the same disciplines protect you: document everything, separate what can't be replaced, and never let the truck leave with something you can't live without.
The "do not pack" pile — set it up before anyone arrives
The single most important thing you do on pack-out day happens before it: physically separate the stuff that must not go on the truck, in a closet or your car, with a sign on the door. Movers pack fast and pack everything in reach.
Keep with you, never on the truck:
- Orders (all copies), IDs, passports, birth/marriage certificates, medical + dental records, and your kids' school records — the detach checklist had you gather these; now keep them on your person.
- Valuables and irreplaceables: jewelry, cash, important paperwork, hard drives, anything sentimental that no claim could ever truly replace.
- A "first night" box: medications, chargers, basic toiletries, a change of clothes per person, and whatever your kids/pets need to not melt down in an empty new house.
- Anything you'll need on the road during the drive to the new base.
What movers will and won't take
Carriers won't move certain items — and the list matters because finding out at the truck is too late. Generally excluded: hazardous materials (propane, fuels, paints, aerosols, ammunition), liquids that can spill, perishables, plants, and open/consumable food. Some items have special handling. Confirm the exact list with your carrier or counselor for your move — don't assume; the rules are specific and we won't guess them for you.
Drain fuel from yard equipment, empty and dry the grill, and deal with the garage chemicals before pack-out, not during.
Document like a claim is coming — because one might be
Damage happens. Whether you can recover for it (Stage 10) is decided now, by your documentation:
- Photograph and video everything of value before it's packed — especially electronics, furniture, and anything with existing wear (so "it was already like that" doesn't become your problem).
- Build a high-value inventory. Items above a certain value get listed separately on the paperwork; know which of your things qualify and make sure they're recorded. Note serial numbers on electronics.
- Read the inventory sheets the movers write, before you sign. Their condition codes ("scratched, dented, soiled") become the baseline. If they pre-code your good couch as "scratched," dispute it on the spot — that code is what a claim gets measured against.
If you're doing a PPM: the weight tickets are the whole game
A PPM pays based on weight, and the only proof of weight that counts is a certified weight ticket — one empty (your vehicle/truck before loading) and one full (after loading), from a certified scale. No tickets, no payment, full stop.
- Get the empty weight before you load, the full weight after — same vehicle, both certified.
- Keep every receipt (truck rental, fuel, materials, hired labor, tolls) — they support the expense side and settle disputes.
- Track all of it as you go in the PPM Tracker so the claim package is complete when you file, not reconstructed from a shoebox weeks later.
What to do this stage
- Stage the "do not pack" pile + first-night box before pack-out day.
- Photograph/video valuables, build the high-value inventory, and read + verify the movers' condition codes before signing.
- Confirm the won't-move list with your carrier and deal with hazmat/fuel/perishables ahead of time.
- PPM: capture certified empty + full weight tickets and bank every receipt in the tracker.
Next — the last stage — Stage 10: Move in + settle. Delivery, damage claims, and turning an empty house into home.