Congratulations!
Closing day was a success and since you planned and organized your moving arrangements before now, then you must have already successfully parted ways with your old house and arrived safe and sound at your new one; but now what?
There are only a few more things you need to do before you can be completely settled in! Here’s a helpful guide of things to do right after moving into your new home:
Take inventory when you arrive at your new place
There’s nothing like waking up the day after a move and finding damaged belongings or worse: missing boxes entirely. As you are unpacking the moving truck, make sure you take the time to conduct an inventory checklist.
This will ensure that you have all of your items with you at the new house and will also give you the opportunity to check on the condition your belongings are in.
You could have dropped a tote or ripped a piece of furniture during the hasty moving process, so it’s better to be aware of the state your belongings are in as soon as you arrive at your new place.
Take photos of your new (and empty) home
This may seem like an odd task, but realtor.com says that taking photos of your new home proves to be very important when purchasing a new house.
If some time has passed between the home inspection and the previous homeowner bidding the space farewell, then proper documentation can help you prove that damage occurred in the interim, and not on your watch.
Clean, clean, clean
It may not be the most exciting thing you’ll want to do upon moving in to your new home, but giving your space its initial deep cleaning is a must before you unpack your belongings.
Cleaning before you unpack will allow you to get to those hard-to-reach places that are normally behind furniture and other household items. Deep clean the carpets and de-streak those windows so that you can get settled in properly.
Unpack your new home, of course!
Unpacking is the first thing you’ll want to get to work on, but try to complete the aforementioned tasks before you tackle all of your boxes.
It’s a good idea to focus on unpacking the highest priority areas first, such as the bathroom and essentials in your bedrooms.
- Next, you should organize your kitchen so that you can have a new home-cooked meal sooner rather than later.
Organize your receipts
In the midst of moving, you tend to accumulate many receipts from the various expenses you take on.
Take a moment to gather all receipts and documents related to your move and put it in one, secure place that you can reference in the future.
- This file will come in handy if you plan on filing a claim for your move on your next tax return.
Find Phone, Internet, Water & Electricity Service Providers
>In order to truly be settled in to your new home, you need all of your electronics up and working and of course, the lights on.
Before you make any decision, it’s important to consider your service provider options.
The best way to get a lay of the land is by asking your neighbors for their opinions. They’ll know firsthand which service providers are reliable and which ones you should stay away from entirely.
You can also take to the internet on sites like Yelp and Home Advisor to find a trusted plumber or electrician.
Consider changing those locks at your new house
Though the previous homeowner may have been very trustworthy, you can’t be too sure when it comes to a new place.
- Maybe they had given a copy of their key to someone that they forgot to get it back from. In order to eliminate the risk, consider changing your locks upon moving in.
After researching the nearby service providers, you probably found the perfect local locksmith that will help with this job.
Where do you leave your trash?
Finally – a simple task, but an essential one. Find out when pick up day is and what you’re allowed to leave out for the trucks from neighbors or the town.
- You may want to put this at the top of your to-do list because unpacking will supply you with a good amount of trash and cardboard that you’ll want to get rid of as soon as possible.
Explore your new city!
The last step to settling in is getting acclimated to your new city.
Find the places that you normally frequent the most, like grocery stores, the gym, and perhaps your favorite restaurants as well. You’ll want to hunt down your nearest post office, bank location, and medical centers.
Also it wouldn’t hurt to practice your daily routine in your new place by driving what will be your daily commute to work or taking your kids to visit their new school.
This will hopefully calm the nerves for all of you that will soon be starting work or classes in a new environment. The more familiar you become with your new community, the more comfortable you’ll be.
Moving is a task within itself, but once you settle in to your new home, the hard work and time spent will be worth it.
If you haven’t reached the settling phase of the moving process yet and are still planning, Highland Moving & Storage Vancouver can help make your move easier. Give us a call at 604-581-2300 today to learn more about our professional moving services or to get a quote!
