Our vision has always been to invest in making our clients’ futures bright.

This includes providing useful information on all things regarding finance and home ownership. So, you’ve purchased your new home and now all that’s left to do is move in. Here are some moving tips to make the process go as smoothly as possible.

One-two weeks before moving

The weeks before moving can be very stressful if you do not start preparing in advance. Let’s take a look at the list of things to do before moving:

• Sort with an iron fist – Perhaps focusing on a room or two per day, go through and decide what is going with you, noting anything that might need special packing or to be insured. Donate or sell the rest.
• Order packing supplies / begin packing – Going through each room again, begin packing up. Labeling everything while doing so will save a ton of time at your new home. Keep an open mind for anything else that could be donated.
• Hire movers if desired – It’s a matter of personal preference, but if planning to hire movers, the sooner you can arrange help the better. You don’t want any last-minute surprises or to be left scrambling to rent your own moving truck.
• Change your address – To start routing your mail to the right address, visit your post office or change your address on USPS.gov.
• Update / contact those who need it – Gather school records and medical records; notify your bank, credit card companies, employer, utility companies, etc. This will help make the transition seamless and make you feel at home from the start.

Week of moving

The week you’re moving, make sure you create a moving out checklist that includes these items:

• Give back keys / get your new keys – Plan to get the keys to your new home and return your current set to whoever is in charge of them.
• Confirm movers – If you’ve decided to hire movers, make sure your move-in day is confirmed.
• Donate/use up groceries and clean out pantry and fridge – Consider donating nonperishable items to your local food bank. To have less to worry about on moving day, focus on using up groceries instead of buying more or ordering out. Toward the end of the week, clear and clean the fridge/freezer.
• Unplug major appliances – Especially if taking them with you, make sure your washer, dryer, refrigerator, etc. are unplugged and ready to go.
• Disassemble furniture – If you have furniture to break down, consider placing any screws or other hardware in a plastic bag and taping to its specific piece of furniture. Also, be sure that everything will fit through the door and in your new home’s space, in general.

Moving day tips

Moving day can be scary and exciting at the same time. These are our recommendations for the day you move into your new home.

• Clean remaining rooms / final walk-through – Clean floors, scrub tubs/sinks/counter-tops, wipe down walls, patch any picture holes, etc.
• Replace your locks – Security is first and foremost. There is no way to know how many people possess the key to your new house so change the locks.
• Say hello to movers and monitor progress – If you’ve hired movers, meet the crew and be sure to keep an eye on things to watch out for damage. This is also likely the time to pay, if you haven’t had to do so already.
• Spruce up your new home for move-in – Vacuum, sweep, and mop floors before placing furniture; wipe down counters; deep clean tubs, toilets, etc.
• Assemble furniture – Once everything is in its intended room, carefully begin to assemble furniture. Starting with beds may be the smartest move, as moving day will no doubt wear everyone out and having a cozy place to crash will be nice.
• Begin unpacking – With everything labeled, boxes will make it to their intended rooms. Now the fun of unpacking and making your new home truly yours begins!