Moving day is the last step after the calls, the walkthrough, and the paperwork. It should be the easy part, and with a little planning, it usually is.
This guide walks through moving day in order: confirming the date and time, arranging transport, carrying your important items yourself, leaving furniture behind, arriving and settling in for the first night, and a short list for your first week.
If you have not reached moving day yet, the move-in page explains each step before it. The what to bring page helps you pack for a furnished shared room.
1. Confirm the Date and Time by Phone
A few days before you move, call to confirm your move-in date and the time you plan to arrive. Joyce, the house manager, answers the phone at (469) 503-6007. A quick call makes sure everyone expects you at the same time.
If anything changes, such as a later discharge, a delayed ride, or a work shift, call again as soon as you know. It is always easier to adjust a plan in advance than on the day.
While you are on the phone, ask anything you are still unsure about for the day itself, so you are not guessing when you arrive.
2. Arrange Your Transport
Decide how you and your belongings will get to the house. That might be a friend or family member with a car, a rideshare, or public transportation. Because the room is furnished, most moves fit in a car or a few bags.
If you are using transit, plan the trip ahead with the official DART trip planner or a map app, and think about how much you can carry comfortably. If someone is driving you, confirm the time with them the day before. The guide on getting around without a car has more on planning trips.
The exact address is shared when your tour and move-in are arranged. Keep it with your moving day notes.
3. Carry Documents, Medications, and Valuables Yourself
Some things should never go in a box or the trunk. Keep your most important items in one bag that stays with you the whole day.
That bag should hold your photo ID, your Social Security card or number, benefit or income letters, your signed paperwork, any medications you take, your phone and charger, your wallet and bank card, and anything of personal value that would be hard to replace. The guide on keeping documents safe covers this in more detail.
- Photo ID and Social Security card
- Benefit or income letters and your housing paperwork
- Any medications you take
- Phone, charger, wallet, and bank card
- Small valuables and keepsakes
4. Leave Furniture Behind
The room is furnished, so you do not need to move a bed, a dresser, or other furniture. That makes moving day much simpler.
Focus on clothes, shoes, toiletries, and a few personal things that make the space feel like yours. If you are leaving a larger home, the guide on downsizing to a furnished room helps you decide what to keep, store, sell, or donate. If you are unsure whether a particular item will fit in a shared room, ask before moving day.
5. Arrive and Settle In for the First Night
When you arrive, take your time. Bring your bags in, find your space, and put your important documents somewhere safe first. Then unpack the things you will need tonight and tomorrow morning: clothes, toiletries, and your phone charger.
Introduce yourself to any housemates you meet with your first name. If you share a room, say hello to your roommate and briefly mention your usual schedule. That one detail helps both of you.
Do not try to finish everything on the first night. Get some rest. The rest of the unpacking can wait.
Pack the Night Before
Pack everything except what you need in the morning the night before you move. Put your document bag by the door so it cannot be forgotten. Charge your phone fully, and write the house phone number, (469) 503-6007, on paper in case your battery runs low.
Pack a small first-night bag on top: a change of clothes, toiletries, your charger, any evening medications, and something to sleep in. That way you do not have to open every bag to get through the first evening.
Label bags simply so you know which one holds what. When you arrive tired, a label saves real effort.
6. Your First-Week List
The first week is for settling in. Keep a short list and work through it at your own pace.
- Finish unpacking and organize your space.
- Reread the house expectations and ask Joyce about anything unclear.
- Learn where house supplies are kept and how the WiFi connects.
- Notice when the kitchen and laundry tend to be free.
- Test your routes to work, the grocery store, and the pharmacy.
- Start updating your address, beginning with USPS mail forwarding.
Keep Going After the First Week
The house expectations page gives an overview of how the shared home works. The first month guide picks up where this one ends, with a week-by-week plan for settling in. The change of address checklist helps you update every office that sends you mail.
For Families Helping on Moving Day
If you are helping someone move, offer the practical help they ask for: a ride, carrying bags, or keeping them company. Let the person lead how their space is arranged. Once their things are in, give them room to settle. A quick check-in call the next day is often all the follow-up needed.