Moving Into Your New Home? Here Are The First Things To Do

You have finally overcome the daunting task of packing from the old house, calling a moving company, and eventually moving into that new home that you just acquired for yourself.

The truth is, nobody likes the process of moving. It can be overwhelming, nerve-wracking, and exhausting. Moving is so much work in one day, and it gives you so much to do for that. 

It is now time for the next and final phase of your move into your new home. This last step is just as crucial as the process of moving itself, and you have to make sure that you do not miss out on the important stuff.

If you can break down the steps of moving into a series of simple tasks, you can simplify the process for yourself. You might even need to create a checklist which would that would enable you to set your priorities right and keep track of the remaining tasks ahead of you.

When moving into a new house, one of the most important things to do is to keep organized. A part of being organized is keeping a list of things to do.

By doing this, you will stay organized and keep your stress level to a minimum. “The process of moving can be just as stressful as purchasing your home. “Says Laurie Hollowell of Keller Williams Realty Destin. The preparation and the actual move day can be tiring.

By putting everything on paper that needs to be done, you can complete one step at a time working your way through the list more methodically than trying to tackle everything at once.

Below you can find a great starting point that will make moving into your new home a breeze.

1. Get utilities to turn on

You need to call and notify the following companies early to transfer the electrical, gas, sewer, water, and trash to your name.

In some places, however, in some areas your escrow or title company may transfer utilities for you.

Make sure you know who is responsible for the utilities before closing.

Don’t wait until the sun goes down before you realize that you don’t have electricity or recognize that you didn’t have water when you were planning to take your bath; just because you forgot to turn them on.

If you are moving to a whole new city, town, state, or country, it might mean that you have to set up utilities in another area because your current suppliers might not provide services to your new home.

Make a list of all the services and utilities that you had at your former location.

This would help you to keep track of all services that you still need to sign up for with a new service provider or utility company.

2. Change the locks of your new home

You should do this as soon as possible. You don’t know the number of people that could have the keys to your home.

Picture this; assuming the previous owner was a guy, he still has a key, his wife and relatives most definitely have spare keys, his close pals most likely has them.

Let’s not forget his girlfriend, if he wasn’t married. That way too many potential people that you don’t know.

For these reasons alone, you need to call a locksmith ASAP and get the locks of your new home changed. If your door needs deadbolt, the locksmith can help you with the installation too. 

To get a locksmith to your new home expect to pay somewhere between $80 – $120 depending on the area you live in.

A pro tip is to take your key to the local hardware store or Walmart and get extra keys made. This can save you more than a few dollars.

Also, this time is probably the best time to change all your locks to work with just one key.

3. Start unpacking your stuff

A rule of thumb for you is to be as organized as possible. Yes, both packing and unpacking are a struggle.

If you don’t enjoy the idea of unpacking because then thought of getting all your stuff out of the boxes stresses you out already, thinking about how much of a nightmare it can be.

A brilliant idea would be to devise a simple plan to get it done. Otherwise, it would remain undone for quite a while or never get done at all.

You do not want to end up having to sort through all of your boxes four months down the line. 

4. Take an inventory as you unpack

The home inventory is an essential step in unpacking and should not be overlooked.

The purpose of taking that inventory is to ensure that every item of yours makes it to your new home without any damage or without getting missing.

If you employed the services of hired movers, this process is all the more critical.

This will help you file an insurance claim on damaged or missing items if you purchase moving insurance. 

5. Order food and drinks

Trust me when I say this, moving day is not a good day to cook. You have a lot of things to do and focus your mind on, and cooking will not be one of them.

You can decide to pack snacks to take along with you on the day of moving so that you can munch on something as you unpack.

If you want to feed others as well, like your friends that helped you upload or offload, you should consider placing a large order for food or snacks and drinks to supplement.

This usually goes a long way to motivate all the parties involved to do an outstanding job. Your options do not have to be limited to just slices of pizza and soft drinks.

You can get take-out from a Chinese joint together with a case of beer to be delivered through your favorite food delivery app. Bottled water can also come in hand.

6. Keep up with appliance maintenance

Start by vacuuming the coils behind and underneath your fridge.

These coils usually get clogged with dust and hair making it very challenging for them to perform at their best.

If you are planning on making any significant home improvements like a complete kitchen renovation you may want to consider having this done before you unpack all of your kitchen supplies.

Also, there is minor maintenance that you can do for your water heater.

Emptying the tank and flushing it will help to remove any dirt that has built up over time.

Essential maintenance for your air-conditioning unit is to put a new air filter in as well as running some bleach to the drain pan at the air handler.

You should also set a maintenance calendar from your move-in date for the future maintenance of your devices.

7. Start making your list of emergency numbers

You have now moved to a whole new location, and you need to make a new emergency contact list. You don’t have to wait until you need them urgently before you then start to find the numbers.

The point of an emergency contact list is that it is always available whenever you need to make a call to an emergency number.

Some of the addresses and local phone numbers that should be on your emergency contact list include; the fire department, the police department, nearby hospitals, and other emergency services that pertain to the new area that you have found yourself.

8. Don’t forget to file an insurance claim

If after moving, you discover that some of your properties got damaged by the moving company you should go ahead and submit an insurance claim as fast as possible.

This only applies if you purchased a moving contact. Usually, in the moving contract, the mover has to acknowledge that that has received your claim within 30 days, and they have a whole of 4 months to either deny that claim or offer you a settlement.