Moving house is hard work. And if you have also just sold a house, you are quite possibly already feeling pretty drained. The simple fact is though that you can’t quite take a break just yet – even though the sale of your home is complete and you are holding the keys to your new one.
However, with a little forward planning, you can help ensure that your move will go as smoothly as possible and you can look forward to some down time to enjoy your new space more quickly than you might imagine. Here are five top tips to keep in mind to help you do just that.
1. Change Your Address the Right Way
Chances are that your close friends and family, as well as your boss and co-workers, know you are moving and some may even have the address already, but there are lots more people and organizations that will need to be informed of your change of address as soon as possible.
Aside from the rather obvious – heading to the post office to set up having your mail redirected to your new address for at least a few months take an hour or so to send out an email to all of the important contacts in your email address book regarding the address change – and its effective date – as well.
2. Change the Locks
Yes, it’s terribly exciting to get that bunch of keys for your new home but now it’s time to change the locks and toss them away. Why? Because over the years that we live in a home most of us give a spare key to the babysitter, the cleaner, various relatives, maybe a couple of friends and so on and so on. And often we forget we ever did and never ask for them back.
So, as a new homeowner, you have to assume that they’ll be more than just you with keys to the place, and that thought can be a bit unnerving. Have a locksmith – or if you are handy, do it yourself – install new lock sets on all exterior doors, not forgetting any other buildings on the property such as a storage shed or garage.Yes, it’s an extra expense but the peace of mind you’ll get is priceless.
3. Have a Good Cleaning Session
In all fairness, most home sellers do make an effort to leave a home clean and tidy for the new owners. Whether yours did that or not, you may still want to do some cleaning yourself. Washing the inside of kitchen cabinets will make you feel good when you start putting your dishes and supplies away. Scrubbing the fixtures in the bathroom and kitchen is another way make you feel at home, relaxed and familiar in these new spaces. Mopping, vacuuming, and dusting will do wonders for how at home you feel. Sounds a little silly perhaps but it’s true, as you’ll discover.
4. Install closet organizers.
Most standard closets come with a pole and a shelf. That is hardly adequate to accommodate everything! If you are taking advantage of a final walk-through with your agent, take proper measurements of all of the closets. Then head to the home store and pick up some suitably designed and sized closet organizers. This will help ensure that everything has a place from day one and will make it so much easier to maintain a new home.
5. Have Your New Home’s Mechanical Equipment Serviced.
The furnace, the air conditioner, and even some of the bigger appliances like the washer and dryer, the refrigerator and the dishwasher should be inspected. Even though your purchase agreement likely stated that the previous owners should leave all equipment in working order, it’s still a good idea to get to know the working parts of your new home. In addition, this is the time to set up ta relationship with good servicing companies that can be useful – to say the least – should something break down in the future.