How to Save Time When Settling into a New Home

Moving home. Photo: Yorkshire Evening Post

Make a survival pack

Catherine Byrom, business development director at home removals and storage firm Andrew Porter, recommends putting together a survival pack for moving day, so you can get your hands on everything you need quickly.

She says: “When you’re packing up your home, it can be tempting to just put everything into boxes as quickly as possible, but this can make it quite difficult to find what you need once you’re in your new property.

“We always recommend people clearly label all their boxes with the room they will be going in and what’s inside, so they can be taken straight to the right place.

"However, it is also worth thinking about what items you will want first and putting these essentials into a survival pack you can quickly get your hands on.

“Items might include snacks, bottles of water, toilet rolls and phone chargers. You could also include a kettle and everything you need to make a cup of tea – both you and your removals crew will probably appreciate a break.”

A secure documents box is also a good idea to keep all essential paperwork together so you can find what you need quickly, as reported by Shieldsgazette.

Catherine says: “We all have important documents like passports, birth certificates and financial statements which could cause problems if they went astray. Putting them all together in a storage box or case means you can keep them with you on moving day and know where they are at all times.”

Figure Out What’s Going Where

You’ll save yourself a lot of time and trouble when moving into a new home if you make a plan of attack for setting everything up instead of just winging it. This is particularly true for large and heavy items like furniture. While you do probably already have a basic idea of what goes in what room, give yourself a moment to think about exactly how you’d like the set up to look. You can make changes later on of course, but going into this task with a general plan is always going to make the job easier.

Make Sure That Your Utilities Are Set Up

Photo: Yorkshire Evening Post

Hopefully, you took care of arranging for your utilities to be ready for you before moving into your new home, in which case now is the time to make sure that everything is ready to go and working properly. On moving day, verify that your electric, gas, water, heating and cooling, phone, and internet are set up. Then call your local waste management facility to ensure that your new home is set up for garbage pick up as well.

Do a Walkthrough

There’s no better time to do a complete walkthrough of your new house than when it is completely empty. So before setting up your furniture and getting unpacked (and even better, before unloading the moving truck—if possible), take a look around. Among other things, you’ll want to double check that:

All requested and agreed upon repairs have been made by the previous owner

Everything that was to be included in the sale is present in the house

Everything is in working order, including outlets, switches, and fixtures

If you find an issue that goes against the sale contract (for example: the previous owner took the washer and dryer along with them when they were supposed to leave them behind) call your realtor immediately to see what your recourse is. As for issues you find that were not covered in your contract, they’re your responsibility now, but it helps to know what they are.

Get to Know Your New Home

Photo: Pinterest

Your new home can be a bit of a mystery to you until you take the time to get to know it. That’s why most builders conduct a new home orientation. This is the time when the builder will show you the location and operation of key systems and components in your new home. The builder will likely also explain warranties and provide you with printed and/or electronic versions of operating manuals and warranties.

This is the time to make sure you know where the electrical circuit breakers, water cutoff valves and other key aspects of your home are located and how to operate them. Many builders also provide a record of the paint colors and brands, carpet and flooring choices and other decorative aspects of your home. It’s wise to file this information for future reference. Also, make sure you know where, when and how to change your furnace and air conditioning filters. Jotting down filter sizes is a great idea, too.

Learn to operate any and all systems — and save the manuals for them. This includes home security, home automation, home theater, garage door openers, water softeners, sprinkler systems, programmable thermostats, appliances and more.

Lastly, consider determining the best plans in case of a fire or other emergency. Locating these basic parts of the house and planning ahead will serve you in the future.

Check Up on Repairs

Most builders conduct a final walkthrough shortly before you close on your new home. This is the time when last-minute details are noted. Many will have been taken care of before you move in. If there are any open items, check with your builder so that each item is attended to. A burned-out lightbulb, a chipped electrical outlet cover, or a spot of touchup paint that’s needed are typical items that can show up during a final walkthrough.

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