Moving Into a New Home Checklist 

From setting up utilities to ordering new appliances, here are ten of the most important things to do when moving into a new home!

There are so many things to consider when purchasing a new house. Luckily, we have compiled a checklist to help make things easier for you. 

The stress of moving and securing your financing can sometimes be overwhelming, but if you stick to this checklist, you can leave your worries behind and get to the exciting part: enjoying your new home!

We have you covered, from packing to setting up your utilities to scheduling necessary deliveries! It's important to remember that as you prepare for your big move, it's a process, so try to take this list one step at a time. Look at this as a marathon, not a sprint!

Before moving into your new house, there are a few things that you will want to make a priority so it will not slow your process down. We have ordered our list from most important to least important to keep your to-do list straight.

The Ultimate Checklist When Moving Into your New Home

Set Up or Transfer Utilities

Before you move into your new house, you will need to set up your utilities to make your home usable! Depending on your address and what types of utility companies service your address, you will have several companies that you will need to contact. We are talking about your Electricity provider, Water company, and gas companies. 

Many times, when you are under contract, your Listing Agent will have the information you need to do this. Once you have the company names, you will want to let them know what date to start your service. This will, most of the time, be your closing date. 

You'll want to contact your utility companies as far in advance as possible- at least 2-3 weeks before closing to give the utility companies enough notice to transfer your services out of the current owner's name and into your own.

While you're reaching out to your utility companies to start a new service at your new home, you'll also want to contact your current utility companies to disconnect services at your current address. The last thing you will want to be doing while you are unpacking is trying to contact your old service companies so you can take care of both of these tasks at once. 

Please ensure that all utilities are on and working at the final walkthrough of your new house. If they are not working as promised, this would be a good time to alert them that you will need your utilities turned on before moving your belongings in.

Set up an Appointment to have your Internet and Cable Connected

Once you have decided which internet/cable provider seems to be the best fit for your budget, you will want to call and schedule an appointment for them to come to your new house to set up the internet and cable connection. Many times you will need to arrange to be home for a window of time while you wait for your technician to arrive, so if you're unpacking, this would be an excellent time to set this up since you will be there anyways!

Be sure to ask your internet company if they have a special promotion or special that they are running. They will often lock you into a special rate for the first 1-2 years. Saving money is always a plus when you're spending so much money on that new house of yours!

Prep and Stage for Packing

Before you start packing up those boxes, you will want to start getting rid of anything you won't want to bring with you—purge as many personal or unusable items as possible. Donate unwanted clothing or decor to your local Goodwill facilities or even sell some things to put some extra change back in your pocket. Many people will love your secondhand decor and clothing if you start this process early enough.

Once you have finished purging, you will want to gather your packing supplies and have them handy and readily available. You will want boxes of several sizes to fit larger and smaller items. Pots and Pans will need to go in bigger boxes, while paperwork and jewelry will need to go into small and compact boxes. 

You will also want to use durable packing tape and try to find sticker labels to mark which rooms each box belongs to. You can find a permanent marker to make it easy to read for your movers. 

Make sure you have enough packing material, such as bubble wrap and stuffing, for packing your breakable and fragile items. Take your time packing these items because the movers often will need to learn how these boxes have been filled. As you complete each box, mark them FRAGILE to alert your movers to handle them cautiously.

As you get closer to moving day, you will want to keep a few boxes aside for your first few day's essentials. These are the items that you will want to pack last and unpack first. Please think about your toiletries, clothing, kitchen essentials, and a few plates and cups to hold you over until you find the rest of your kitchen items.

Contact Moving Companies and Schedule Your Move

Make sure to ask around to find which are the most reputable moving companies. Use a company that is ensured with good reviews and put your deposit down. 

Moving companies often want an inventory of the bigger items and furniture and an approximate amount of boxes, so this would be good to do AFTER you have finished the purging stage of moving. They will need an idea of how many people will be required for the job and how big of a truck they will need for your big day!

They may also have questions on accessibility into the home you are moving out of and the new home you are moving into, so be prepared to answer all those questions for them.

Update Your Address

This is a task that many hate to do but will be necessary to ensure a smooth transition. To make this as efficient as possible, you should start by having USPS forward your mail from your old address to your new address. That way, if your banking institutions need the correct address, they can contact you quickly, and you will still get to where you are. 

After you forward your mailing address, contact all your credit card and banking companies, insurance companies, car registration, and driver's licenses. 

Although this seems like a tiring task, it is 100% essential to ensure that your life will be moved over to your new home, allowing you to enjoy your new home faster!

Schedule Home Improvement Projects

You may also perform inspections when you are under contract to purchase your new home. At this point, you will discover any issues that need to be fixed. Sometimes if you're lucky, the sellers will offer to repair or pay to repair them. If not, it will leave this responsibility up to you to fix as the new owner.

Whichever the case may be, you will likely have an idea of what will need to be repaired, and many times you will want to get this on your schedule sooner rather than later so you can get to enjoying your new home even faster! 

Make sure to call around to get more than one quote, though, as contractors and vendors often have fees that vary quite a bit! This is the time to gather as much information as possible to make the most educated decision possible. 

Check reviews because sometimes the price is too reasonable to be true. You will want to use trusted vendors and professionals. We at UpHomes have a trusted list of professionals we work with frequently and are always happy to help connect you to the right people, so be sure to reach out to us when you get to this point in the process!

Check Appliances and Order New Appliances to be Delivered

It is common for a home to be sold without some essential appliances already in place. Sometimes the house will be sold without a refrigerator, or the washer and dryer need to be replaced. During inspections, if you find that some of these appliances need to be replaced, you will want to measure and schedule a time for those new appliances to be delivered.

It may not seem like it at the time, but you'll want to schedule those deliveries as soon as possible. Often, retailers need more time to get them, so it's best to get them ordered well in advance to ensure that you will have a refrigerator, washer, and dryer when you first move in. 

Schedule a Cleaning Service

Many times sellers will do their best to get the home cleaned and prepped for you to move in. But even then, you'll want to make sure that the cleaning meets your standards. If you decide to do it yourself or hire a professional cleaning company, you will want to ensure this is done before moving your items. This will be the last chance to clean ALL areas of your home before your things arrive.

The same applies to hiring a cleaner. Check reviews or ask your friends for a reputable cleaning company. The last thing you will want is for a cleaning company to refrain from showing up when you need to stick to a tight timeline. Ask several companies to get quotes and put them on your calendar! You won't regret this step. It will leave you feeling like you are starting in your new home with a clean slate.

Mark Your Calendar for the Move - Take Time Off From Work

At this point, you will have an idea of what your scheduled appointments look like from your closing date and final walkthrough to when you have prepared your cleaners, movers, and appliance deliveries to your internet providers coming out to initiate service. This will give you a better idea of how many days you will need to take off from work to be available and at home when you need to be.

Create an Unpacking Action Plan

This might seem silly, but it will give you a good sense of where to start. We find many times beginning with the kitchen first. Whichever your action plan may be, plan which rooms you would like to unpack first and complete unpacking that room.

Moving into a new house can be overwhelming, and you want to ensure you are getting everything. If you focus on one room at a time, it is less likely that you will be scouring your house looking for your coffee pot. 

Checklist on Moving into a New Home - Final Thoughts 

Whether this is your first home purchase or your fifth, you will find that our list makes this as seamless and painless as possible. We understand how many balls you have to juggle during this process, and we hope that after reading this article, you feel less overwhelmed and more excited about this next phase of your life in your new home!

It's important to remember to take things one step at a time. This is not a task that can be done overnight. It will take weeks and months of proper preparation, intentional thought, and planning.

If you or anyone you know is looking to buy or sell, please reach out to our trusted agents here at UpHomes, and we would be honored to help guide you through our process. 

Please share this article with your friends or family if you find it helpful! We always seek to help clients locally and nationally to spread our business knowledge and help as many people as possible. And of course, if there are any questions that you need answers to, contact us, and we would be happy to help you with your Real Estate related needs!