Moving home can be a very stressful experience, but it’s important to get organised and understand the first things you need to do when you move into your new home.
Once you have bought your new place, the contract has been signed and all the finer details have been sorted out, you now have the important task of getting ready for the move.
From finalising your finances and booking a removalist, to packing up all your belongings and cleaning up your old place, you can often forget to organise everything you will need once you have moved in.
Below, we breakdown the most important things you need to do when moving into your new home to ensure you are organised and ready to go.
Inspect Your New Home
Check that everything is in order and how you expected it to be. If you took photos at the open home inspections and during the marketing period, cross reference them with what you see once you have moved in. As a guide, make sure that you check that all repairs that were agreed upon in the sale have been completed, everything is in working order around the house and all elements of the property that were included in the sale are still there. If there are any issues relating to what was agreed to in the sale, you should contact the selling agent. Anything beyond the agreement, that is now yours to deal with.
As you are walking through your new home, you should also start writing down anything you’re wanting to improve or change. From there, you can create a prioritised to-do list and start tackling each job once you are ready to start home improvements. If you are unsure of what needs to happen or how you can get it done, you can jump on trade services booking website ,hipages to get connected with the right tradesperson or ask your agent for some tradesperson recommendations.
Deep Clean
As the home has most likely been empty for quite some time and many people have walked through it during the marketing period, it‘s best to start off with a clean slate and deep clean your new home from front door to backyard. Make sure you do this before you start setting up your furniture or unpacking your belongings, so you don’t miss any floor space.
As this is most likely the first and last deep clean you will ever do in your home, until you sell it, you may want to get professionals involved. Not sure of where to find a reputable cleaner? Ask your agent for some recommendations.
Get Everything Connected
To get your home set-up properly you will need all your utilities up and running. When it comes to water, you don’t need to do anything yourself. Depending on which state you are in, the local water authority will be notified of the sale via your conveyancer or the state land registry office, after which they will get in contact with you on how you can manage your account.
To get powered up, you’ll need to call your energy and/or gas provider to cancel any old accounts before creating a new one in your name. If you have a provider from your previous address and you are wanting to carry it over, it’s also possible to transfer the account. The most important thing is to state the day you moved in, so you are not charged for the previous homeowner’s usage. Getting electricity and/or gas in your home only takes about 1-2 days, so no need to worry if you did not get a chance to arrange it ahead of time.
When it comes to your internet connection, you do need a lead time of about 2-3 weeks before it is connected and working. This is due to the limited availability of technicians and having to wait for any equipment to arrive. For this reason, it is best to organise this ahead of time, so you are not left without internet for an extended period of time.
Another task is to locate your fuse box and water valve on the property. This is super important to know in the event of an emergency or when trades need to access them when working on your property. As a starting point, the water valve is generally around the edge of the property, and the fuse box will be in the garage, basement, or storage area.
Set Up Your Major Appliances
If you are moving major appliances to your new home, you’ll want to make sure these have all survived the move. From your refrigerator and washing machine, to the clothes dryer and air conditioner, you should prioritise getting them set up and switched on. Be sure to check the specific product manuals to understand how you should safely set these up. For example, most refrigerators will need to be stabilised in their new position for at least three hours before they are connected and turned on again. For existing appliances in the home like the oven and stove top, make sure you try to use them in the first few days of moving in as these may be covered by the contract.
Sort Out All the Admin
Once you have everything in your home ready to sort, set some time aside to get into homeowner administration. Any paperwork or receipts related to your move; you should file away for safekeeping.
An important step in the home ownership journey is taking out house and contents insurance. The best thing to do is take your time researching each provider and policy. Start with online comparison sites and then call the providers direct to get the best deal possible. If you want to ensure you are also covered for the move, it is wise to have insurance arranged prior to moving, as many policies have transit insurance. Otherwise, you can organise this through your removalist.
For security purposes, it’s standard practice to change the locks on your new home. Consult a professional locksmith on changing over the locks and getting keys made. And with that said, make sure you have enough keys cut for all the occupants and a spare set or two in case you are ever locked out.
Once you’re settled into your new home, start the process of changing your address on your driver’s license, bank accounts, health services, subscriptions, and the electoral roll. After all these important elements have been sorted, you can then get onto the next big step…meeting your neighbours.
