A Step-by-Step Guide to Moving to a New House

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First off, congratulations on securing a new home; that's one less stressful thing to worry about.

What's next? Relocating!

Moving to a new house can be as exciting as it is challenging. There are tons of things to organize, dirt to clean, and, most importantly, a schedule to plan.

Why it's often a difficult and demanding phase, there are some helpful, handful tips to keep things smooth and seamless during the entire relocation process.

Here are a few tips to help you prepare before, during, and after the move!

Before The Move

The key is to prepare! Prior to your move, you will need to outline everything you will do from now till you lay your head on your bed in your new home.

Leave no stones unturned.

Let's walk you through everything you need to do before moving, the important stuff.

1. Do A Final Walk-Through of your New Home

If you have been to your new place before, perhaps for payment, maybe it's time to revisit. During an initial tour of your house, a lot of things can seem deceptive; it's part of the marketing strategy for the place.

Your job is to go through the house by yourself or with a friend and inspect. Check the walls for cracks, if the painting is peeling, and determine how much work you will have to do before or after moving.

• Paint and make repairs:

If you do see slight issues, you can contact the company selling the house to you or the landlord to fix any of the problems. Or if the painting on the walls isn't to your liking, now would be a good time to change it. 

• Child- and pet-proof your home:

Let's say you are moving in with your kids or a pet. You might want to take note of areas that might be unsafe for them, such as broken electric outlets, sharp edges, damaged furniture—anything at all that could cause harm.

• Clean the house:

After the painting and extra work are done in the house to fit your taste, you'll need to clean. Either by yourself or a hire, you need to do the deep cleaning before your move date. Honestly, you do not want to save the cleaning for the day you move in—you'll need your strength and attention on other matters.

2. Recruit Movers

It's best to hire professional movers unless you are moving just down the block or somewhere nearby. They make the move easier and ensure your belongings are properly taken care of throughout the journey.

You might think of DIY-ing this part but understand that loading and unloading boxes of properties takes a lot of strength and time. Plus, you are going to need all the extra power in your muscles on the day of the move.

3. Transfer and Set Up Utilities

Don't wait until you get into your new home before making arrangements for this. Unless you don't mind spending the first couple of nights in the dark and without basic home amenities like water, gas, and internet connectivity, start making arrangements for your utilities now.

Some service companies allow you to transfer your utilities depending on how far your new home is from the previous one. 

However, if you are unable to make this transfer due to certain circumstances, contact your service provider at the old place to cancel your packages. At the same time, you will need to discuss with the available utility service providers at the new location to have it ready by the time you get there.

4. Declutter and Organize

Now comes the first major challenging aspect of moving. Decluttering is never easy; sometimes, getting rid of things you own could be hard, even when you don't need them anymore.

If this proves overly challenging, get help to assist with the entire process of organizing. Here are some things to do before moving into a new house while decluttering.

• Sell or donate old belongings:

Among your plenty properties, there's a 100% chance you wouldn't need some of the things you own again. You could start a mini yard sale to make a couple of cash by selling them or become a philanthropist and give them out for free.

• Create an inventory list:

Think of it as a moving checklist of all your properties after selling or donating. Write down all your valuables and items you wouldn't want to lose. It will help you ensure nothing is missing when you start unpacking in your new space.

If you can, take pictures of important, fragile things, it could serve as evidence for your insurance claims later should there be any damages not caused by you in the course of moving.

• Get boxes:

Depending on how many properties you own, you will need plenty of these. Placing things into boxes makes organizing easier, smoother, and safer. Get boxes in different shapes and sizes as you need.

• Label the boxes:

To help you remember which box has what items, it's best you put a label on them. You could either write wordings of what's in them or color them for easy differentiation; just label them.

In fact, not only is this going to help you sort through the pile of boxes you probably have, but it will also help you movers know what's fragile and what isn't.

5. Reduce Food Purchase

With your move date closing in, you should consider reducing the frequency of your grocery shopping. Moving food alongside other belongings is a serious hassle and something you can avoid altogether.

Make a habit of eating what you have in your home, refrigerator, and pantry a week before moving to your new house.

6. Fix and Clean

Remember how you met your old house when you just came in? Leave it better than you came!

If a faucet or electrical outlet is damaged while you lived there, it's your job to fix it as you leave. Also, after decluttering and organizing your belongings in a box, you should clean up the entire house, leaving it spotless for the next owner.

Essential Buys for Your New Home

What to bring first when moving to a new house? While relocating, you might need to buy some basic essentials for your new home.

Let's look at some of the things to buy when moving into a new house, based on rooms:

The Day of the Move

The big day is here—it's time to move. What should you do? Here's a rundown of what to do while moving to a new house.

1. Stay Hydrated and Fed:

It's going to be a stressful day, so the best thing you can do for yourself is prepare. For starters, ensure you are well fed—not overfed, but just enough to get sufficient energy to get you through the day. Plus, have a bottle of water accessible to keep you hydrated as you work.

2. Pack Carefully with your Movers:

This is the point where you let your movers know what boxes contain fragile items if you didn't spell them out on your label. Join the mover in carefully arranging them into the truck or vehicle. That way, you can ensure even better handling of your properties.

3. Locate Necessary Functions:

Know your new house. If you don't already know where things like the circuit breaker and shut-off valves are around your new house, the day of your move should be a good time to make this discovery. Get familiar with all the emergency functions around your house.

4. Change the Locks:

Unless your new house wasn't previously owned, changing the locks is one of the first safety approaches you can take for your security. You can change this yourself if you know the tricks behind doing it, or you can call a professional locksmith.

After The Move

Move day is over, and you have probably woken up to a new day after relocating. What are the final steps to make your entire move complete and successful?

1. Unpack and Organize

It's time to empty out all those storage boxes you've accumulated. When unpacking, you should be meticulous in your approach. Since you already labeled the boxes, you know which ones to open when organizing. 

The best way to organize while unpacking is to start one room at a time. Instead of opening all the boxes at once, take a while to think about which to start with and where to place the items in them.

2. Set Up Security Systems:

Aside from changing the locks on the doors, you might want to install security measures around your house to keep you safe. For instance, install cameras and use smart doorbells and technology to alert nearby police stations of intruders. 

Depending on the crime rate in the city and neighborhood you are moving to, you could do this before or after your move. It's totally up to you.

3. Change Address Details:

This part is important, and you need to do it quickly. If you haven't already made plans for this, add it to the list. You need to update your address with your insurance company, credit card billings, mail, bank, and other important things attached to your old house.

4. Create an Emergency Plan:

An emergency plan for your new home is a series of steps to protect yourself and your loved one in case of critical events.

For instance, if you move to a location prone to natural disasters like earthquakes, tornadoes, and floods, you should have a plan for what to do when they happen.

Key Takeaway—Moving to a New House

As you settle into your new space, you might need to do a lot of maintenance work, and that's fine. If you're on a tight budget, you can spread these out over the first six months of your stay in the house.

Moving to a new house can be daunting, but it can also be a thrilling experience. The process can be simple though: make a plan, have a set move date in mind, and work towards actualizing everything you need to do.

Essential parts of relocating to remember:

• Make a final walk-through in your new home
• Set up utilities in the new space before your arrival
• Declutter and organize for the relocation
• Stay fed and hydrated during the move
• Change locks and set up security systems in your home
• Let all your service providers know of your address change
• Create an emergency plan.