7 things to do before you move into your new home

If there’s one thing I can guarantee during the process of buying a home, it’s that you’ll walk away from the closing table with a sore wrist. The volume of documents you’ll sign is boggles the mind!

Yet as you walk away from the closing table with keys in your hands, please know that there is still work to be done. This is the fun part of the process though. Now that you have the keys to your new home, now starts the process of getting it in move-in condition.

Now there are some things that should be done before closing.

Transferring utilities into your name

This is something you’ll want to do in advance of closing. I like to typically remind my clients to make the call to transfer utilities at least two weeks prior to closing on the new home so that on the day of closing they are in your name!

This would include electricity, water, gas and/or propane, sewer, trash collection, security service (if the home has one and you want to continue service), cable, and internet. This would also include trash service.

If you’ll be transferring other services into your name at the new address, such as landscaping and pool cleaning, do those at the same time.

File a change of address

Go online to moversguide.usps.com. Click on the blue “Get Started” button. Answer all the questions on the new page and use the “Next” buttons to navigate through the rest of the process.

Determine the quickest route to school and the best commute route to work

This is something most people I’ve found will do while in the midst of house hunting, but in the event you haven’t determined your best route to work and school, definitely would go ahead and plan this because in all the excitement of moving into the new home, Monday will roll around before you know it.

Do you know how long it should take to get from your new home to school and work on time? A couple of apps you might try are Waze and Route4me!

Now if you want to do it “old school,” I’d encourage you to make those drives during the morning commute time (not on a weekend), so that you can get a realistic picture of the time required so that on the Monday after closing you can relax and know that nobody in the family will be late for school or work.

Re-key the locks

This task, of course, will need to wait until the home is actually yours after closing. Call a locksmith or if you’re the DIY type, re-key the locks yourself.

You might consider one of the new smart locks. Especially handy for large families and those who have a tendency of losing keys. PC Magazine has a great list of the best smart locks of 2019 at pcmag.com.

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