A To-Do List For Right After Your Move

After you’ve slept in your new place for the first time and officially called it home, the fun has just begun. To help you settle into your new home, here’s a basic to-do list for after moving in, so you can enjoy your new home and feel a little less overwhelmed in the process:

1. Commemorate the move. Take a family photo in front of the house so you’ll be able to remind yourself what you looked like when you first moved into your new home. These special memories might feel simple now, but they’ll be priceless in the future.
2. Take inventory of the house. You’ve probably walked through your new home once or twice before moving day. Yet now that you’re moving in, go ahead and inspect every aspect of it. Look for any damages, leaks, etc., so you can address them right away, if necessary.
3. Take inventory of boxes. If you hired movers to manage your relocation, go through all your boxes and make sure everything made it in one piece. If anything got damaged or dented in transit, you’ll want to know that now. Then, if you do find problems, check your contract to see what liability coverage applies.
4. Clean. Before unpacking all your belongings, take the time to mop or vacuum floors, wipe surfaces, and scrub sinks and tubs. You’ll probably want to do this again after your goods are unpacked. Though starting with a fresh slate can do wonders for your mood.
5. Change the locks. Every time you move into a new place, it’s a good idea to change the locks. Why? In most cases, plenty of other people have had access to your home over the years, and many of them will still possess keys to its doors. To give yourself security and peace of mind, get the locks changed so that only you and your household members have access.
6. Update your address. If you haven’t already changed your address everywhere that it matters — USPS, bank accounts, credit cards, paychecks, voting address, library card, friends and family, etc. — do so now. You’ll have a window of time in which mail gets forwarded, but the sooner you can notify contacts, the better.
7. Unpack and get organized. Unloading furniture and boxes is only the first step of moving into a new place. Next, you get to unpack — organizing every possession in its place. Whether you unpack yourself, hire professionals or enlist the help of friends, attack this project step by step until your home is feeling more settled.

Settling into a new home is a process, so give yourself some leeway to get adjusted and learn your new routines. And, if you are still planning a move, enlist the help of the professional household movers that are also experts in corporate relocation: EE Ward Moving and Storage is your resource for making moves simpler, less stressful and more successful — wherever you’re relocating.