Your dream house is waiting for you, but there are so many things to take care of before you can finally settle. You can’t help but feel overwhelmed, and your moving process hasn’t even properly started. During these challenging times, we can’t stress enough the importance of staying organized. But, how can you keep on track when you don’t even know the full scope of your pre-moving and post-moving obligations? To help you paint a picture of what you must do, we’ve come up with this complete new house checklist. Armed with it, you’ll be calling your new place ”home” in no time!
The new house checklist – what must be done before the move?
Have you just purchased a home in Florida? Congratulations, but you are still a long way from moving into it. There are a couple of important tasks you must complete first, all of which you are about to be informed of.
Change the address
We trust you don’t want to miss out on important mail, which is why it’s vital you update your home address as soon as possible. The fastest and possibly the easiest way to do so is online, although you can also call or visit the nearest post office. Don’t forget to inform your bank, insurance provider, and others about your new address, as well!
Transfer your utilities
Contact your current utility providers to notify them of your move and request a transfer. The sooner you do it, the better; otherwise, you risk having no running water, electricity, and gas upon arrival.
Get in touch with the Internet and cable providers
Although not actually essential, timely access to the Internet and cable TV are more than welcome. To ensure you’ve got the signal, get in touch with local providers to schedule an installation. It’s best if you do it a couple of weeks in advance, as they might have their hands full.
Take note of the vital documents
With the moving process being so hectic, the last thing you want is to lose sight of important documents. That’s why it is of the highest significance that you gather all paperwork early on. You can also use this time to organize them, throw out the duplicates, or anything you believe you don’t need. Once you are fully aware of what must be preserved, make sure to put them all in one spot.
Have the new place cleaned
As part of your new house checklist, professional cleaning shouldn’t be skipped out on, especially if you are about to move into a house that was previously occupied. Previous residents have probably done the cleanup themselves, but you can never be too cautious in the midst of the pandemic.
Take a day or two away from the office
You’ll have so many responsibilities once you arrive at the house – responsibilities that you can only deal with if you take a bit of time off work. Make sure you inform your employers of this ahead of the relocation, though, to avoid possible misunderstandings. This should give you enough time to unpack, perform post-move cleaning, etc.
Pack
Before you actually begin packing, go through your belongings to determine what you wish to keep, and what you can toss or give away to someone else. Once you’ve made up your mind about the essentials, it’s time to pack. Give yourself enough time to do it, or else you risk losing things along the way.
Take pictures of the valuables
While moving to your new Florida home, there’s a possibility of something getting damaged during transport. You want to have a smooth process, but sometimes, accidents happen. If you are working with a moving company, it’s important that you take pictures of your valuable items to document the state they are in before transport. That way, should anything unfortunate happen, you’ll be compensated for the loss.
The new house checklist – what must be done after the move?
Just as there are things that you must take care of before the moving day, there are those that must be tackled shortly after arriving ”home”.
Unpack
You may be tempted to procrastinate unpacking, but the sooner you deal with it, the better. We’ll let you in on a little secret, too – there’s a way to simplify the whole process. Recruit the help of your loved ones and friends, and you’ll be all done before you know it!
Replace the locks
Feel free to skip this step if you’re the first to move into the house. If someone happened to live there before you, however, you shouldn’t neglect this part. After all, you can’t know if you are the only person with the keys to the place, and we trust you wouldn’t want someone else coming into your house unannounced.
Inspect the HVAC and ventilation
You should inspect the condition of your HVAC system and ventilation shortly after the move. Poorly maintained ducts, for instance, are a breeding ground for mold and bacteria, both of which could wreak havoc on our bodies. Have a professional check it all out, and clean the ducts, if need be. One thing’s for sure – you’ll instantly be able to feel the change in air quality.
Create a home improvement ”to do” list
There might be some things you wish to improve in the house, but you can’t get to it all at once. To not forget about the things you want upgraded, you should write them down on something like a ”to do” list. From there on out, tick off one by one until all improvement projects have been completed.
And there you have it! Our complete new house checklist should help you figure out what to do and when to do it! Now, it’s up to you to apply what you learned and enjoy spending time in your refreshed, new home.
Photos used:
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Article provided by Tanya Douglas tanya@eastcoasthaul.com