What you need to know when you move in.
it can be exciting to move into a new home, but don’t get distracted by all the shrubberies and housewarming party ideas you want to get started on. you first have to get the essentials taken care of, and that means buying the things you will need for your new home. you should be thinking about what kinds of things will be necessary for you to fully enjoy life in your new home and consider the many tasks that must be accomplished to make it liveable.
to assist you in your efforts, we have put together a list of things that you need to do. it starts before your move, covers the move itself and even includes what should be done after you have moved in. we have even compiled a list of items you need to buy for your home.
One month prior to the move.
moving vehicles must be organized
for those who are going to have professional move them out of their house, those arrangements need to be made well in advance. if you decide you want to move everything on your own, you still need to start booking your removal van as much as a month in advance. that way you can be sure you are getting what you need when you need it.
remove furniture you don’t want
is there furniture in your current home that you don’t want anymore? maybe the last resident left it or you just won’t have room for it in the new house. you can offload your furniture to any number of charities. they aren’t going to take mattresses from you, but they will accept just about anything else, so long as it is in good condition. you should call up the charity and have them take away the furniture for you. this gives you more space to work with and saves you the hassle of dealing with the furniture yourself.
you may not be able to give your furniture way to a charity. they may be unwilling or unable to take it from you, so you can always use a classifieds service to get rid of them or even contact your waste removal organization to see if they can take it off your hands.
have all necessary painting done
some people like to paint their new home before they move in. they may not like the current colour or they may just want to give the house a fresh look. whatever the case may be, you want to be sure you have the painting done a few weeks before you arrive so the smell of paint won’t still be lingering when you move in.
Two weeks prior to your moving in.
update your address
give yourself plenty of time to notify all your services, utilities, credit card companies and others to let them know that you will be moving. if you do this about two weeks before you move into the new house, you can have your mail sent there without any awkward transition period. you may want to update your address for all email billing accounts as well, as they may send mail to your physical address from time to time.
while you can do most of the address changing online or over the phone, you will need to change the address on your driver’s permit in person.
you should also notify the electoral commission, your water utility, the tax department, your financial institution, your insurance companies, your healthcare provider, your employer, and any online shopping sites you use regularly. be sure to tell your relatives and friends too.
sign up for anything you may need
there may be some new services you require when you move into the new house. you might need a new internet provider or a new phone company if you have a landline there. you will need to give these services a few weeks to get everything taken care of, since the technicians cannot always come out and install these items for you right away. it would be nice to move into a home that already has everything set and prepared for you, so make sure you take care of these in advance.
some services you need to research and possibly sign up for include:
- utilities- water, gas, electric
- internet
- telephone
- insurance for the home
it may also be necessary to hire a professional cleaner for the home. this is advisable if your home is not new and you want it to feel liveable.
The week before.
change out locks
you don’t know who the past tenant gave copies of the keys to, so it’s always a good idea to change up the locks. you don’t want unexpected visitors, after all.
male a plan for your furniture
before you move the furniture in, it is good idea to know where it is going to be placed. this way, you can save a lot of time and make sure that anyone who is helping you move is putting the furniture in the right spot instead of leaving it for you to move on your own.
One day before you move in.
put what you need all together
the same way you would prepare for a flight by getting everything ready the day before, you should have all your essentials organized and placed together to allow for easy moving. it may be prudent to fill up suitcases or other large and easily transportable items with the things you really need to have available to you right away.
keep your clothes on hangers
if you put the clothes you are going to use right away on hangers, you can lay them in the back of your car and have them ready to go when you move in.
plan for meals for the first few days
you will likely be spending the first few days unpacking and sorting everything out, so make sure you have some food available or that you know where you can get some. you may want to write down the numbers for some carry out or delivery restaurants near you.
Once you are moved in.
organize a list of what you need
as organized as you may be, you will probably still forget some essentials if you do not make a list of what you need. you may only realize you forgot something important at the moment you actually need it. it’s best to keep a running list somewhere where you can find it easily and keep adding to it. that way, you won’t be wondering what you needed when you go out shopping next.
get to know the neighbours
when you start to move in, be sure to say hello to the neighbours. you may need dot rely on them later to look after your things while you are in the process of getting everything into the house. it’s good to have people you can trust, so make sure to build that bond as soon as you can.
what you will need to buy
as you try to get done all the things that must be done, try not to forget all of the items you need to buy. if your new home is close to your old one, you can just pick up these items as you are shopping and drop them off directly at the new house to save some work for yourself on moving day.
the following is a list of items you will need once you move in. anything that isn’t on the list is not essential, and you can get to it later.
let’s start with the furniture:
- bed and mattress
- couch
- table for the dining room as well as chairs
- coffee table
- wardrobe closet
- writing desk
- linens for the beds
- shelves for books
- extra blankets and sheets
now moving onto the kitchen:
- a frying pan
- dish set
- hot beverage mugs
- cutlery
- saucepans
- cooking instruments- grater, spatula, knives, serving spoons
- a can opener
- plastic storage containers or tupperware
- small kitchen appliances- toaster, coffee machine, microwave, mixer, blender, kettle
- refrigerator
next we move on to cleaning supplies:
- vacuum
- mop bucket and mop
- dustpan and broom
- clothes iron
- board for ironing on
- garbage bags
- tissue paper
- dish soap
- dishwashing sponges
- toilet bowl cleaner
- disinfecting wipes
for the garden, you will need:
- outdoors broom
- garden gloves
- a rake
- watering hose
- lawn mower (push or riding)
do you have some suggestions of your own for new homeowners? did we miss something essential off of our lists? let us know.