Checklist of 10 Things to Do After Moving to a New Place

Welcome home! Moving into a new house or apartment can be unbelievably exciting, and at the same time incredibly exhausting. To ensure a smooth transition, you need to create your own inventory of items. As well as, properly label boxes and set up all utilities within the first day or two of moving in. With so many necessary items to take care of before the celebrations can begin a checklist of things to do after moving is going to come in handy. 

While there may be a handful of changes you would like to make to your new place, try to focus on the positives, the things you can live with, and the issues that can easily be fixed — rather than on the major projects that might need to take place down the road. This mindset can help to ease the moving process and make the experience more enjoyable and less overwhelming.  Remember: everything will eventually fall into place, and the new surroundings will start to feel more like home with each passing day. So take a deep breath, and tackle these top 10 items on your checklist of things to do after moving as soon as you open the door to your new home.

1. Take Inventory

Moving into a new house can be hectic, especially when you’re a family with kids. Too much to think about and too much to take care of. That’s why, it’s recommended to hire a moving company you can trust, to make moving with children more manageable and seamless. 

Once you successfully unload your last boxes, do one last walk-through at your old place of residence to double-check that neither you nor the movers missed any small boxes or items. Place the boxes in the rooms where they will be unpacked so you can reduce clutter and more easily find specific objects you will need. Before unpacking the boxes, take a look around your new space to ensure the movers haven’t left behind any of the blankets or ties they used to keep your belongings safe in the truck.

2. Set Up Your Utilities

Once you're finally all moved into your new home and before opening any moving boxes, locate all of the necessary power and water supply boxes and turn them on. If you haven’t set up your utilities yet, take care of that right away. This is one of the most important things to do when moving because having comforts, such as Internet and cable, will help you feel much more settled and at ease.

3. Clean Up

Though the place may look clean (and while the property managers, contractors, and developers should have tidied up the place), a surprising amount of dust is released during the moving process. So take the opportunity to hire a cleaning service to do a thorough deep cleaning of your house before unpacking and setting up furniture. That way, the space will feel fresh and ready for your daily routine. While basic cleaning may seem like a task you could perform on your own, the moving process can be so physically taxing that it is a huge relief to remove this burden from your checklist of things to do after moving.

4. Sort Out the Locks and Keys

If you purchased a home that had previous owners, make sure to change the locks right away. If you are renting an apartment, check with the landlord before making this kind of change, as it is likely the locks were adjusted as soon as the previous tenant left. It’s also recommended to ask the locksmith for extra keys, just in case! Hide one securely on your property or give a copy to a trusted friend or family member living nearby.

5. Change Your Mailing Address

Share your new address with the post office, credit card companies, insurance companies, employers, the DMV, and anyone else who sends you important mail as soon as possible. Make sure your friends and family are aware of your new home address, too. Posting “I’ve moved” on social media is particularly effective for letting everyone in your circle know about your change in address so you don’t miss out on important events like weddings, birthdays, and baby showers.

6. Secure Your Home

Feeling safe in your home is incredibly important and can strongly affect how quickly you and your family adjust to the new environment. If your place is wired with a security system, setup will take next to no time at all, but make sure the security service is up and running as soon as you move in. 

If the home is not equipped with one, making sure to choose the right home security system should come first on your new home checklist. Consider a wireless option like Ring Alarm, which is a sensor-based security system you can easily set up yourself. Place the sensors on doors and windows, install the app on your phone, and now you have the ability to control the entire home security system from the palm of your hand.

7. Hire a Handyman

With so much to take care of, you do not want to have to worry about securing bookshelves to the wall, assembling your bed frame, screwing in the hooks to hang your plants, and putting up picture frames. Hiring a handyman for several hours of work can cut your set-up time in half, and help the place feel like home faster.

If there are any problems with your roof or air-conditioning unit, or if you know that you are in need of a special table or kitchen island, taking care of these issues upfront will allow you to avoid major projects in the future. Hire the roofer; the heating, air conditioning, or HVAC specialist; or the carpenter who can meet your needs.

8. Go Solar

If possible, make eco-friendly home improvements in your house, starting with installing solar panels on your roof right away. Not only will this remove the need to do so down the line, but it will also save you money each month, making it a worthwhile investment. If solar panels are not on your checklist of things to buy for a new house, at least consider solar pathway lights or string lights, which will brighten the outdoor areas and make it safer to get around after dark. These simple touches do not cost very much but can make a place look and feel more inviting.

9. Check It Out

Get to know the new property (and all the quirks that come with it), and identify any potential issues that may threaten the home or your health. When signing the paperwork or getting the keys, ask for recommendations for trusted electricians, plumbers, contractors, pool or hot tub services, and any other professionals you may need to contact in the coming years. Finding professional services now will take the frustration and guesswork out of the process when problems surely arise in the future.

10. Meet Your Neighbors

Now that you have settled into your new home, there’s one last thing left on your new house checklist, and that is meeting some of the neighbors. Whether you knock on individual doors to say hi, introduce yourself at the mailbox or find the next block party to attend, neighbors can be your best resource for settling into the new area. After all, those are the individuals you’ll be seeing day in and day out, and you’ll definitely appreciate seeing a friendly smile on their faces on the daily.

Now that you’ve checked out all the important things to do after moving to your new place, it’s time to enjoy your investment. The only thing that remains on the list is making the best memories in your new forever home, and we won’t be the ones telling you how to do that.

Disclaimer: California.com is not receiving any type of compensation for reviewing any of the products or services mentioned in this article.