A Checklist For Moving Into Your Newly Built Home
Having a checklist for moving into your newly built home is a surefire way to make moving day less stressful and ensure that costs are kept under control. There are many pieces to consider when organizing your move, including how to pack for a smoother transition, finding a mover, planning furniture layouts, and finding a temporary home for pets during your move.
We’ve put together a comprehensive list of tips and ideas to ensure your moving day is as smooth and stress-free as possible!
Make Plenty of Notes During Your Final Walkthrough
Approximately one week before your possession date, you and your builder will do a final walkthrough of your new home. During this walkthrough, you’ll review the various parts of your home; which means this is an ideal time to take plenty of notes.
Pay attention to the overall floorplan and layout of each room and visualize how each space can be used to arrange your personal items, including boxes and furniture. Make notes about where furniture can be placed right away, where pathways should be kept ensuring movers can get through the spaces, and where boxes for each space will be unloaded.
Also, make notes about where your movers will be able to park outside. Will they have a driveway to park on? Do they need to find space on the street out front, or gain access via a garage or side entrance? Informing them in advance of any barriers or potential challenges will help make things smoother on moving day. Keep in mind that residential construction areas are high activity zones and the vehicles parked nearby may be unpredictable.
Free Resource: Your Complete Moving Checklist
Try to Schedule a Cleaning Before Your Move
Once your big furniture and appliances are moved in, the spaces under, around, and behind them will be difficult to access, so scheduling a deep clean before moving in will ensure those spaces are already clean before placing your items there.
Moving into a brand-new home, you likely won’t need to do a deep clean as the builder typically does a final clean just before possession day. However, depending on your preferred level of cleanliness, you may want to schedule cleaners for yourself to tidy up any residual dust.
At the same time, you can schedule your cleaners to deep clean your old home to ensure it’s prepared for its new residents. This isn’t typically a requirement if you owned your home rather than rented, but it is a courtesy.
While you’re packing up your old home, this is a good time to consider items you no longer need. Moving into a new home is a great opportunity to declutter, start fresh, and minimize. You’ll feel so much better moving into a new home with fewer things to find homes for. Once you’ve packed up the essentials, review what items are left and decide if you really need them.
Be Selective if You Hire a Moving Company
If you plan to use a moving company to haul your items from your old home to your new home, there are several things to consider. Not all moving companies are the same, and some can even make your experience more stressful and unpredictable.
You’ll want to start the vetting process early; the further in advance you book, the fewer surprises may occur at the last minute. Starting the process six weeks in advance is ideal but aim for no more than two weeks before your possession date to book a mover.
Asking your friends and family for referrals is a good place to start. At least you’ll know they’ve had a positive experience with a moving company, so your chances of having the same experience will be higher.
Do your research online for potential moving companies. Be sure to check their reviews wherever possible to see how others have fared with their service. Choose two – three companies from whom to obtain a quote.
Keep an eye out for red flags. There are less-than-perfect moving companies on the market, and if you aren’t careful, you may face challenges, hidden fees, and unexpected, stressful situations. For example:
- Movers shouldn’t charge for quotes.
- The company information should be easy to find online and should be fully transparent.
- Their website should be informative and easy to navigate.
- The information provided should be up-to-date.
One major red flag is the estimate you receive from your prospective movers. If the price is significantly lower than others, they may be attempting to “buy” your business, but you’ll find on moving day that your final bill is a lot higher than their estimate from hidden fees and “unexpected” expenses.
Your moving company should be easy to communicate with and be able to answer all of your questions with clear and concise information.
Related article: The Cost to Hire Movers
Packing Properly Is Key
Packing is an art. Anyone who’s moved at least once knows there are two ways to move: organized and disorganized. It may seem easier just to toss your items randomly into boxes and bags, but if you’ve ever moved this way, you’ll know it’s a horrible way to unpack and takes significantly more time.
It’s far more efficient to take time packing in an organized manner to make unpacking easier.
Start by organizing boxes into each space that requires packing. Mark them clearly with the room to which they belong and be sure to only pack items from that room into those boxes. While packing, try to organize items by the spaces in which they’ll go. For example, all décor items belonging to one shelf should be packed together. This makes unpacking more efficient since you can place all the items at the same time.
It’s important to keep your moving day essentials handy and separate from all your other boxes and items. Things like toilet paper and toiletries, dishes and cutlery for the day, water bottles, a change of clothes, and important documents pertaining to moving are ideal to keep aside.
Use a Planner
While you’re packing, it is a good idea to keep a planner to track an inventory of items, tasks to complete, and notes about where items will go once they’re moved. This will help take care of any loose ends on moving day when your mind is on so many things at once.
Tracking inventory will ensure nothing is left behind. Keep a count of boxes and furniture pieces for each room and space, and what is in each box if some items are needed sooner than others. This list will also help your movers know where to place items, so be sure to provide a copy to your moving company as well.
Use your planner to keep a checklist of tasks relating to your move, such as transferring utilities, phone, and TV services, school registrations, vehicle registration and insurance policies, and other related items.
Make a Plan for Your Pets
Our pets may be part of our family, but moving day can be very stressful for them. Additionally, they can be very much in the way of the hustle and bustle of moving items, and they may run the risk of getting injured. It’s best to find them a temporary home for the duration of your move.
If you have family or friends willing to take your pets for the day, that would be ideal. However, if this isn’t an option there are plenty of pet daycares available that offer your pet a fun-filled, action-packed day as well.
Moving to a new home can be stressful for your pets. New surroundings and new smells can take some time to get used to, but there are things you can do to help your pet transition to your new home. If possible, bring them on a visit to the new home before moving in to familiarize them with the space and new smells. Once you’ve moved in, use familiar items such as their favourite toys, blankets, and bowls to help them settle in along with you. And most of all, be patient.
Related article: Tips for Preparing Your Family for the Big Move
Take Care of the Utilities and Update Your Address
Prior to moving day, it’s ideal to transfer all your services, including utilities, phone, and TV to your new address. These companies typically need about two weeks’ notice for the change, so it’s best to do this as far in advance as possible. It would be frustrating to move into your new home and not have power or Internet for a few days, and could cause trouble if you work from home.
Make a list of important documents and services that’ll require an address change, such as insurance, driver’s licenses and vehicle registration, banking facilities, credit cards, and other important services. Also, be sure to set up your homeowner’s insurance to take effect the day of your possession.
Consider having your mail forwarded from your old address for the first few months. Canada Post offers six- and twelve-month intervals for this service.
Be sure to change your address with other services such as Skip the Dishes, Amazon, or any other online service you use.
Take Plenty of Photos
In case of potential loss or damage, take photos of your valuable items before your move. This way you’ll have a record of the condition of these items before they’ve been handled by your moving company.
Additionally, take plenty of photos of each space in your new home wherever possible. This will help you review the spaces before you’ve moved to arrange for furniture placements and decorating ideas.
It’s always a bit stressful to transition from one home to another. After all, your home is your sanctuary – your space to feel comfortable and safe. But moving can also be an exciting time as it brings new beginnings and hopefully a better lifestyle for you and your family.
With the right amount of planning and using a well-designed checklist, you can significantly reduce the potential stress of moving day and start enjoying your new home as soon as you move in.
Related Article: Moving to Alberta: The Checklist to Buying a Home in Alberta
About the Author:
At Sterling Homes, our mission is to provide the opportunity for affordable homeownership without compromise. Over the last 70 years, Sterling Edmonton has quickly become one of Edmonton’s most popular builders. We bring more than seven decades worth of exceptional customer service, superior design and unparalleled craftsmanship to the greater Edmonton area. As a member of the Qualico Group, Sterling Homes focuses on greater Edmonton’s finest family communities, while being able to offer some of the region’s most family friendly prices thanks to volume purchasing power for materials, trades and land. This has not only made Sterling one of Edmonton’s bestselling, move-up builders, but also one of the industry’s most respected home providers. It is through our uncompromising commitment to our customers that we proudly deliver the Sterling Advantage – that’s why each and every home we build includes a 10-year home warranty, a completion guarantee and new home warranty excellence rating. Our Advantage is our pledge that, when you build your dream home with Sterling, we will deliver a timely, well-built home you’re sure to enjoy for years to come.
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