MEET MARIA
Moving into a new home can be a dream come true. However, figuring out all those little details during the move can be a bit overwhelming. To ensure that your move goes as smoothly as possible, here are four things that you should prepare at your new home before moving day.
Change Out the Locks
This specific step applies to those who are purchasing a home that was already lived in before. While you may trust that the previous owners are giving you all the keys to the house, it’s still a good idea to switch out the locks. Since new door locks are fairly inexpensive to purchase, you should change the existing locks in the home to a new one. This way, you are the only one who has a key to the home. If you use the existing locks that were on the home, you never know who may have had a key to the home before you were given them.
Check for Leaks and Maintenance Issues
If you’re moving into a new home, you shouldn’t assume that everything is perfect. You should go through the entire home and ensure that there are no leaks or obvious maintenance issues that were disregarded during the build. If you’re moving into an existing home, you should go through the same interior inspection. Anything that was agreed upon in your contract for the previous owners to fix should be double-checked before you move in.
Decide How You’re Going to Unpack
Unless you have a lot of people helping you, you’ll likely be unpacking boxes over the next few weeks. You should come up with a strategic plan for unpacking before you get the boxes in your home. This way, you can direct the local movers to where you want your boxes positioned. For example, you probably don’t want all your boxes put in the living room of your home. This can create a major disaster when you’re trying to move around for the first few weeks until you get completely unpacked. Instead, have a clear plan ready to go and have those boxes that you plan on unpacking last put in a room you won’t be using frequently.
Have the Utilities Turned On
Whether you’re moving into a freshly built home or an existing one, you need to contact the utility providers to have them turn on your service. This includes your water, electric, trash pickup, phone, internet, and cable. Let these providers know when you will be moving into your home so that they can turn the utility on. Otherwise, you may find yourself in your new home without water or power.
Getting ready to move into your new home can be fun and crazy all wrapped into one. Do yourself a favor and follow the preparation steps above to ensure that your move goes smoothly. Realize that spending time preparing for the move is going to make all the difference in how smoothly it goes for you.
