Before you’re moving to a new house, there’s a wide number of important actions to take in order to ensure a safe, easy, and stress free move. Fortunately, the team at SOS has compiled a fantastic list of steps to take in order to be effectively prepared for a move. Check it out.
Hire Moving Company
Once you know you’re ready to move, hire a moving company. The earlier that you schedule your move the better. We recommend scheduling moves for the middle of the week, rather than the weekend, as it usually costs much less.
Get Moving Supplies
You might want to buy boxes or other supplies for packing up and transporting your belongings, but you may already have many packing items that you can use in order to save money. If you need boxes we recommend trying the local liquor store or cardboard recycling center in order to find free boxes.
Consolidate Belongings
Bring items that you don’t use, want, or need to local donation centers or charities – it will help make the physical labor of moving much more manageable, and goes to a good cause to boot!
Make a detailed inventory
Before you pack, create an inventory of all your belongings – you want to be able to double check the list when you get to your new location to make sure that all your belongings have arrived safe and intact.
Pack and Label
Start out with packing your least used belongings, as well as your crucial valuables – which you should set apart in their own secured box. Make sure that you label absolutely everything throughout the process; we recommend using colored or numbers coding systems that will coordinate with the rooms in your new property in which specific voxes should be placed. THis way it will be much easier to unpack.
Keep important documents together
Use a folder to keep any important or precious documents, or other paper goods that may get damaged or roughed around during transportation. These sort of documents include passports, birth certificates, social security cards, financial statements, receipts, or medical records.
Change your Address
Officially change your address with the United States Postal Service so you keep getting your mail sent to the correct location. Update your insurance, bank, phone, internet, and cable providers on your new address- as well as updating your driver’s license and car registration.
Taper off your grocery purchases
Since you’re going to be moving soon, make sure to stop keeping your home as stocked with groceries as you have been. You don’t want to waste food – and it’s simply an impracticality bringing any sort of perishable item with you on your trip.
Change Utilities
Make sure to notify all your utility companies- including gas, water, and electric – of your move so that service can be turned off at your old home and on at your new one – it’s best to do this as far in advance as possible so as to avoid being charged for an entire month that you won’t even be home.
Deep Clean
Clean your home thoroughly to avoid potentially losing a deposit on your home – and clean your new home before unpacking to make your living situation upon moving as absolutely pleasant as possible. Cleaning should be your final task that you do once the movers arrive with all your items – you’re going to want to unpack them in a clean house.
Replace Toilet Seats
The comfort-based benefits of this action should be obvious – you simply don’t want to share the same toilet seat as countless strangers! Fortunately, toilet seats come cheaply and are very easy to install.
Locate any leaks
Scour the home for any leaks in plumbing, faucets, or even toilets – by investigating the water meter after taking a break from using any water is one method – and repair any leaks that you identify.
Change Locks
Last, but certainly not least, comes the most important step of all. If you’re moving into a new property, you have no idea who has corresponding keys to your property. If you truly want your property to be secure, you should change your locks, or at the very least, rekey your property, ensuring that only you have access to your location. Trust the experts at SOS locksmiths to effectively provide any necessary rekeying or lock change service – with unparalleled efficiency, and all at a fair price.
