Congratulations! Your offer has just been accepted on a new house. You are ready to move in and make it your own. But what do you do next?
As a first-time homeowner, it can be difficult to know what all needs to happen to successfully move into a new home. You are new to this and you will probably be asking friends and family some tips and suggestions on what to do. For those of us that don’t like to ask for help, we turn to the internet for our answers.
And there is no better way to answer this question than simplifying the response down to the top 10 things you should do before moving in to your new home.
While I like to send you tidbits on what and where I buy my products, do know that if you click an affiliate link on this page and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. See my disclosure policy here.]
1. First, sort through your current possessions. Create four piles for your stuff: donation, garbage, keep, and stuff that you borrowed that should be returned to the right owner. 😊
Next, separate your keep piles into boxes according to the room that those items will go into. This will take some planning but it will save you immense time once you move in. Fortunately, you probably have a month or so to do this while you wait for your closing day!
2. Secondly, decide if you want to paint and which rooms drastically need a paint job.
Pick out paint colors for each room that you will paint. Buy your materials ahead of time so it’s ready to paint once you sign the closing documents.
3. Find a reputable steam cleaning company.
Set up an appointment to steam clean the carpets right after the closing. You will need to give your carpets some time to dry before moving in. This can get pricey. You can accomplish this task yourself by renting a steam cleaner. But, take note, you will probably be pressed for time to do so.
4. Buy some pretty contact paper that you can lay down inside of all of your drawers. Depending on the age of your new home, your kitchen and bathroom drawers may work properly, but have worn down insides. You can easily refresh your drawers with contact paper or self-adhesive shelf liners. Cut your paper to size and lay flat in your cupboards. Consequently, you will feel great putting your clean dishes on this nice new clean surface.
5. In your final walk-through before closing, be sure to check that all of the faucets work and don’t leak. You may also want to check the lights, nothing worse than having to go buy light bulbs on moving day because you cannot see. Bring a notebook, and make a list of items that do not work. You may even want to discuss with homeowner at closing.
6. Check out the neighborhood. You should probably have looked at this before you put an offer on the house, but now really look. How much traffic is on your street? Does the street look like it needs work and you can assume you will get an assessment soon to pay for part of it? Lots of variables to consider here. And you may want to meet with some neighbors to get their opinions.
7. Now that you will own your home, you will need to get homeowner’s insurance to protect yourself from costs associated with house damage. The biggest example I can think of that people use this coverage, is for hail damage to your roof, granted I am in the Midwest. A great place to start is where you get your car insurance; most companies will give you a discount for having both homeowners and car insurance.
8. Buy some products to clean your new home. Once you have access to your new home, you will want to clean clean clean. Buy some chemical cleaners (or use a lot of vinegar) and scrub the old owners’ dirtiness out of your house. Certainly, kitchens and bathrooms are a must. You want to feel like you are moving into a new home. Hire a cleaning service if you are pressed for time or you just don’t want to do it yourself.
9. Buy a notebook and pen, so you can start a list of future projects for your home. Projects could be as simple as replacing door knobs or faucets. Similarly, it’s amazing what a new light fixture and a paint job can do for your space. You just put a large down payment on your house, don’t overwhelm yourself with buying all these new items right away. Moreover, you will have years to make updates and to create a home that works for you.
10. Schedule a moving day. Find a reputable moving company to assist you in moving the large items. You can also save money and enlist the help of your friends and family. Be sure to be ready to go by moving day. And remember, you may not need to move in on the same day you close on your home, although, you will be excited to!
In short, these are the top things that I have found that you should do to have a successful moving day.
Honorable mentions
Moving in to your new home can be super busy, but you don’t want to wait too long to accomplish these tasks:
Contact your utility companies to be sure you are signed up for garbage, water, heat and electric. You may also want to get cable internet, phone, or tv.
Secondly, contact your post office to change your mailing address. This can be done on-line at usps.com or call them directly.
Are you ready to move into your new home?
Helping you plan for tomorrow,
~H.
You may be interested in,
Sharing is caring. Please share this post on Pinterest!
