5 Thing You Need to do Before You Move into a New Place
Moving to a new house can be stressful. Moving into a new place is something that everyone goes through at least once in their lifetime. These are just a few tips and tricks that will help to make the process easier for you on your journey to moving into your new place in Stratford, Connecticut.
- Change of Address
One of the first things you will want to do is file a change of address form with your local post office. You can head over to the stratford post office and fill out the form with your new address. Or you can hop online and fill out the form on the USPS website. You will want to do this before you move into your new house so you don’t want to miss out any important mail like bills.
In addition to changing your address at your local post office, you will also want to change your address on your driver’s license, voter registration, credit card companies,
banks, auto insurance providers, any subscriptions you might have, and of course utilities, cable and internet provider.
- De-clutter and Downsize
When you are starting to pack for your move, one of the best tips is to reduce the amount of stuff you have. You will want only to take the things you need or use when you move to your new place. You don’t want to waste your time and energy packing items you no longer need or won’t use in your new house.
You should start to de-clutter by paring down your wardrobe, donating furniture you no longer need, or won’t fit into your new place. Take inventory of what you have, what you need, and what you can donate or sell. When you begin packing, set up boxes for donation, trash, and keep. Take stock of what you have, what you find valuable to you, and your new journey to moving into a new place.
Another thing you can do before you move is have a yard sale. This is a great way to de-clutter and downsize what you have and give the stuff you no longer want a new home. Plus, you will make money to help you with your move or use it towards buying new key pieces in your new home.
- Change the Locks and Security
Before you move into your new home, you will want to change all locks on exterior doors. You should contact a local locksmith to come and replace all the locks on your doors and give you new keys. Remember that the previous owners may have given a spare key to a neighbor or family members, realtors, a cleaning service, etc. So for peace of mind, it is a good idea to have all new locks on your home.
You will also want to inspect your new home by double check to see if all windows and doors close tightly and lock from the inside. Change the batteries in all smoke detectors. You also might want to look into installing a security system.
- Clean and Spruce Up
While most homeowners will make sure their home is clean before they move out, that might not always be the case.You can either do this yourself or hire someone else to do it.
Before you move into your new place, you will want to inspect the home and see if there is any sprucing up you want to do. It is a good idea to do this before the moving truck delivers all of your boxes. You might want to replace some of the flooring, change out the carpeting, or add hardwood floors.
Also, check to see if your new place needs to be painted. It is a lot easier to accomplish this with an empty room. You can add a pop of color to some of the rooms in your new place, touch up the trim work, or add crown molding for some added detail.
- Mechanical, Electrical and Repairs
Before you move into your new home, make sure you do one final inspection and walkthrough. Make sure you have the heating and cooling systems serviced and cleaned. This is an excellent time to set up a service contract for routine maintenance.
Check the electrical in the home to make sure everything is up to date and code. Older homes might require upgrades to the electrical outlets. You might need to add additional outlets for televisions, phones, computers, lamps, etc.
Also, check to make sure all the lighting is working properly inside and outside the home. This would be the perfect time to change the lighting in the kitchen or add additional lighting in the hallways.
Final Note
These are just five things you should do before you move into your new place. Make a checklist of everything you need to do before, during, and after you move so, your next big adventure goes smoothly.
