Moving To A New Home? Get Organized With These Tips
There’s lots to do when moving to a new home. Scouting out an area and deciding on a house, arranging for a mover, packing the house, thinking about utilities and services.
In order to accomplish these tasks, it helps to be organized. But where do you start? First off, I recommend coming up with a checklist of all the tasks you want to accomplish for your move. Include everything you can think of from http://www.moving-and-more.com/boxesformoving.html>buying boxes to making sure the utilities get shut off. Leave the list out on the kitchen counter and add to it as you think of new items. Here’s a moving checklist you can use to start you off.
Some other things to consider before you move to your new home include deciding what type of loan you want for your new house, arraigning for an inspection and having any work that needs to be done executed before you move in. If one of you will be seeking new employment once you get to your new house, why not read up on how to write a good resume so you can get an edge on landing that perfect job.
If you have school aged children, you've got a whole other list of responsibilities to think about. The article below gives you some great tips on how to setup for schooling and make sure your new house is in move in condition.
Title: Avoiding Post-Move Pitfalls: What to Tackle First
Author: dan the roommate man
Your spouse arrives home one day with the news that he or she
has been offered a job transfer. The opportunity is too good to
pass up, and within a short period, you're headed across the
country to begin a new life in a new city. You barely have time
to select a new home, let alone consider where you're going to
enroll your child in preschool. Which school would be best for
your child? Which one is closest to your new home? You figure
you'll explore your options after you move into your new home.
Unfortunately, plumbing problems greet you when you arrive in
your "new" residence, and you're tied up for a couple of days.
When you finally make some phone calls, locate the preschool and
head there for registration, you're asked to produce your
child's medical records. In which box were those packed? By the
time you head home, find the records and return to the school,
what are your chances of landing your child in the preschool of
your choice?
Moving into a new residence is one of the most exciting events
in anyone's life, particularly if you're a first-time homebuyer.
The amount of preparations required to successfully pull off a
move is exhausting. When you're moving, you're so busy during
the period leading up to the move that you're likely to give no
thought to what needs to be done just as soon as the boxes hit
the floor in your new home. Unpacking just might be the least of
your priorities - and yet, it's what we tackle first because we
want life to resume some sense of normalcy.
If you've got school-aged children, enroll your children in
their new schools before you even move, if you can help it.
Registration can be a stressful event, and it will take a load
off your mind as well as your children's to know that
arrangements have been made for the school year. If you're
planning on enrolling your children in school after you arrive
in your new home, pack their medical records in a safe,
accessible place so you won't have to search your entire home
top to bottom to locate them.
Another thing you should do well before you move is to fill out
a change of address form. Otherwise, you're going to have some
unhappy creditors slapping you with late charges; when, in fact,
your bills either failed to make it to your new home, or the
buyers of your old home decided to forward them to you three
weeks after they arrived. Your local post office makes it
extremely easy to change your address. You'll want to fill out a
change of address card approximately one month in advance of
your move, in order to allow time for the transition to take
place. If you wait until the last minute, you'll experience a
"lag time" for the receipt of your mail.
Relocating families who don't plan ahead often find themselves
without phone service for the first couple of days or more after
their arrival. You wouldn't dream of forgetting to arrange for
your utilities to connected, so don't forget the phone - unless
you plan to rely on a cell phone for a couple of days. If you're
particularly organized, you can arrange for the "perks" such as
newspaper delivery and cable television prior to your arrival.
Many cities and metropolitan areas have local Web sites on the
Internet that inform newcomers about local service providers.
Another chore you'll have to complete immediately upon your
arrival is the transition of your driver's license and auto
registration, which will change if you're moving to a different
state. While you're at it, change your voter's registration, as
well; depending upon your city, you may be able to modify your
voter's registration at the local department of motor vehicles,
enabling you to kill three birds with one stone, so to speak.
For security reasons more than aesthetic ones, find adequate
window coverings immediately upon your arrival. They don't have
to look as if they belong in the pages of House Beautiful; you
just need something temporary that will give you privacy and
prevent a prospective burglar from checking out what your home
has to offer. Speaking of security, have the locks throughout
your home changed immediately. You have no idea if the previous
owners distributed copies of your house key.
You'll also want to organize all paperwork related to your new
home. In the event of any unforeseen problems with your home,
you may need to consult your insurance information or warranty
documents. And when tax time comes, you'll be glad you kept an
organized file of your paperwork.
Unless you're expecting guests soon upon your arrival, don't
sweat the decorative details of your new digs until you've taken
care of such critical responsibilities as these. You'll have as
much time as you want to arrange the furniture and accessorize
your home, but checklist items such as registration, change of
address and most important, safety, can't wait.
About the author:
Since 1989 dan the roommate man has helped 1000's of people find
roommates. Need help? Contact him at 800-487-8050 or
www.roommateexpress.com
|