Congratulations! You’ve decided which mortgage is right for you, made it through the home loan process, found your perfect home, and made an offer. Now it’s time to shift your focus toward moving day and getting settled in your new home. We’ve outlined 5 points to start thinking about as soon as you get a mortgage and buy a home.
1. Set a moving-day plan
There are a few options that you have when moving, and it’s good to do a full comparison to see which plan will work best for you. You can either choose to sell everything, hire movers to move everything, or rent a truck to move everything yourself. Consider the total price, time of labor (yours or the movers), and the potential losses if your items are not handled with care. You’ll be able to make the right decision based on which of those characteristics are most important to you.
This is also a good time to make a list of all of the services that you need to cancel at your current residence and set up at your new home! Most commonly you’ll need to set up: Gas, Electric, WIFI, cable, and Garbage pickup (for some condos and townhomes). Allow for a few days of overlap when you’re deciding when to start and end services so that you have plenty of time to settle-in comfortably. Hint: Don’t forget to set a mail forward at the post office! Add a reminder in your calendar on the day before your move.
2. Compare prices – and make sure you’re getting apples to apples estimates!
If you hire movers, you’ll want to get estimates from multiple moving companies before agreeing to go with any of them. Most companies charge by the total space that your items will take in the shipment, so it is important to have a complete list of items ready when you’re requesting a pricing quote. You can use a resource like Moving.com to receive quotes from multiple moving companies quickly. Once you have a few potential companies in mind, read some customer reviews. Any reputable company will have online reviews available for customers to read.
3. Pack for efficiency and safety
Try to keep items and boxes organized by room so that it is easy to unpack once you make it to your new digs. When putting boxes together, place items that you are less likely to need on the bottom of the box, and items that you are more likely to need toward the top for easy access. Similarly, pack the boxes and items that you’ll want or need immediately last when you’re loading the truck. They’ll be the first items available when you’re unloading. Note: You should have a special box of important documents, files, and paperwork that you may need for your move-in. Keep this information with you during the moving process to avoid losing important information.
Use bubble wrap or packing peanuts to keep your things from being damaged during the moving process. For larger items, consider renting furniture pads or using thick blankets to stop wood from scratching or paint from chipping. Movers will usually help you secure items in the truck. If you’re doing it yourself, it’s a good idea to invest in straps to keep all of your items in place throughout the drive.
4. Keep pets and kids out of the fray
The constant motion of unpacking and unknown people in the house can cause a lot of stress for animals – it could cause them to lash out or even run away. On the day of the move, make sure that pets are corralled away from the movers and away from any open doors! If possible, choose a room with a door that will remain closed throughout the moving process and keep pets there until the movers are gone and the doors are all closed.
There are also many opportunities for injury during a move – especially with little ones running around! It is best to keep children entertained and out of the way during the moving process. If possible arrange for the kids to go to a friends house or to stay with a family member on the big day. It will be much more fun for them, and less stressful for you!
5. Leave yourself some wiggle room
Ideally, everything will go as planned and you won’t have any hiccups during the move to your new home. However, make sure you have a plan B, C and D in place so that you aren’t left hanging! Ask the moving company about storage options or look into local storage units in case the timing doesn’t work out as planned. If you’re moving to a new city, look at short term rentals, hotels, or sublets to keep in your back pocket in case your new home isn’t quite ready when you are. Above all, rest easy knowing that this is one of the final steps in getting settled into your new home!
