As you approach the closing date of your home, you’re likely looking forward to moving into your new home. But before you move in, there are eight things you need to do.
1. Celebrate: First things first–a celebration is in order! Make sure to take a moment to celebrate this huge milestone before jumping into the rush of getting ready to move.
2. Change your locks: You want to feel safe and secure in your new home, so changing the locks and getting new keys will help protect you and your new home.
3. Service your HVAC and change the air filter: Make sure that the air you’ll be breathing is clean and comfortable. No one wants to deal with a gross air filter or heating/cooling issues when they’re moving in!
4. Deep clean the fridge: Not every seller will deep clean the home, and you want your fridge to be sparkling clean. It’s worth going over and doing a deep clean of the fridge and freezer before you bring food over.
5. Paint before moving in or unpacking: If you want to paint any area of the home, doing it before you move in and unpack will make life so much easier!
6. Set up mail forwarding: Many people forget this when they move, but it’s super easy and important! You just have to file a notice of mail forwarding with the Postal Service and then they’ll forward any mail from your old address to your new home.
7. Put the utilities in your name: You don’t want to move in and then realize your electric or water isn’t on! Set up your utilities ahead of your move in date–you can schedule it to start on the day you take ownership of the home.
8. Check smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms: The last thing to do before you move in is to check on one of the most important systems in your home–your alarms and detectors! Make sure that all is in working order and that your home is safe to move into.
Once you’re done with these eight things, your home will be prepped and ready for you to move in!