There is no single number of weeks that fits every household. Lead time depends on how big the home is, how far the goods travel, whether anything goes into storage, and which week of the year you want. This guide shows what drives the answer so you can set your own.
What decides your lead time
A short local move of a small apartment needs less planning than a whole house that travels across several states. The more services in the move, the more people have to be scheduled around your date. Packing crews, a driver, a loading crew at one end and an unloading crew at the other all have to be free on the same days.
Season matters as well. Summer weekends and the last days of a month are the days most households pick, so those dates fill first. A weekday in the middle of a month is usually easier to schedule than the first or last weekend. If your dates can bend, tell the estimator which days are firm and which are only preferences.
The three steps that come before moving day
Moving day sits at the end of a short chain. First you get a price. O'Brien's gives that three ways: a phone ballpark when you only need a rough idea, an online request, or a free, no-obligation in-home estimate by an O'Brien's estimator. Second, the estimator visits and walks through every room, the garage and any storage space. Third, you choose a date and the crew is scheduled.
Because the in-home estimate is done by appointment, it is the step most likely to set your calendar. Book it before you start packing, so the estimator can see the home as it really is. Each in-home estimate comes with 10 free heavy-duty boxes, yours to keep, so you can start packing right away. How our estimates work explains what the visit covers.
When to call earlier than usual
- You are moving between states. A long-distance move runs through the Bekins network, and the shipment is priced by weight, so the weight has to be estimated before a date can be set.
- Part of the move goes into storage first. Vault storage needs about 2 to 3 weeks notice to ship stored goods, so tell the office early if a delivery date depends on it.
- You need packing. Full packing of a whole house takes a crew more time than a drive does, so the packing days need to be on the calendar too.
- You have a piano, a pool table, a hot tub or fine art. Specialty items need their own planning; see specialty moving.
- The date is tied to a closing, a lease end or a school start. A fixed deadline is a reason to call sooner, not later.
If your date is close
If the move is only days away, call the office at 775-359-6683 and say so in the first sentence. The office is open Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm, and can tell you what is open on the schedule. A near date does not rule out a move, but it narrows the choices, so be ready to be flexible on the day of the week. For a longer look, read last-minute moves.
A simple rule to follow
Request your estimate first, pick the date second, and give notice to your landlord or buyer third. Once the date is set, work backward through the moving timeline so utilities, address changes and packing all land before the truck does.