New Home, New Life: What Needs To Be Done After The Move?

Moving is seriously stressful. No one looks forward to moving house for this reason. Although the concept of moving to somewhere new that is a better fit for you and your family is appealing, the moving process itself rarely is. There is just so much to think about; it’s no wonder that moving can cause severe stress.

There is a lot of advice when it comes to the moving process itself, but what about post-move – AKA once you and your boxes of belongings have arrived at your new home – what happens then? The truth is that it’s far too easy for everything to become overwhelming when you arrive in your new home, as there is a lot that needs to be done. However, if you take things slowly and are organized, there is no need for the aftermath of your move to be stressful or overwhelming.

To make the process a more straightforward one below is a guide to what you need to do after your move. Write a tick list, and as you complete each item off of it, put a tick by it – this will help you to stay organized and will give you a sense of accomplishment.

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Clean your new home

When you move to somewhere new, whether it is a rental property or a home that you have purchased, the chances are that it will have been cleaned by the last people living there. However, unless a professional clean was done on the property before you start unpacking and moving in, you might want to give your home a once over. After all, you don’t know how clean the property is, or what has touched where which is why it’s wise to take a couple of hours to clean your new home from top to bottom. Wipe down all surfaces using an antibacterial spray, focusing on the kitchen and the bathroom. Clean the floors – if you have a steam mop, this is ideal for using to clean both hard and carpeted floors to remove all bacteria.

Create a floor plan

Before you start unpacking your belongings, it could be wise to take the time to create a floor plan for each room. Don’t just assume that you know where everything will look best, instead take the time to create a plan of each room in your new home, showing where each piece of furniture could go. That way, you can ensure that there is space for everything and that each room is laid out in a way that you and your family will find comfortable and convenient. Not sure where each piece of furniture should go – take the time to play around with a few ideas.

Start unpacking

Once you have an idea of where you want everything to go, the next step is to start unpacking. The fact is that when it comes to unpacking your home after a move, it can be a stressful process. However, if you take things slowly and focus on one room and one box at a time, it does not have to be overly stressful. Don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to focus on too much at once – keep things simple and focus on one room and one box at a time. If you tackle the unpacking in the right way, it will seem much less stressful.

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Redirect your mail

If you have yet to redirect your mail, one of the first things that you should do after unpacking and organizing your new home is redirect your mail. The last thing that you want is not to get any important mail because it has been sent to your old address, rather than your new address. As well as redirecting any mail that has already been sent out, it is also important to take the time to contact your bank, energy suppliers, phone company, and anyone else who sends you mail and change your address. So that when it comes to them sending out correspondence to you, your mail is not being sent to the wrong address.

Have your locks changed

When you move into a new property, you have no idea who still has copies of your keys. The fact is that the old tenants or owners could have given out keys to their family or friends or they could have lost keys, which means that you don’t know who has access to your home. Instead of ignoring the issue, it is a smart move to have the locks changed. Get in touch with a specialist locksmith service, like Coastal Contract Hardware, for instance, and arrange to have your home’s front and back door locks changed. That way, you know that only the people who you give keys to, have access to your home, giving you the peace of mind that you need when it comes to your home’s security.

Focus on creating a comfortable and cozy home

It is not an easy process, adjusting to a new home. The fact is that even once you have moved all of yours’ and your family’s belongings into it, a new property does not always feel very homey. The good news is that if you are willing to take the time to find little ways to make the space look and feel homier, you can ensure that your new home is somewhere with a comfortable and cozy look and feel to it. It’s all in the details, which means that if you dot a few well thought out accessories around your new home, you can help to create a space that feels like home for you and your family.

There you have it, a guide to everything that you need to know for after you move to a new home. It is not easy adjusting to a new home; it can take much longer than you would think to feel comfortable and relaxed in your new home. Hopefully, however, the tips above will help to not only reduce the stress that you are under but also to speed up the process of making your new home feel homier.

Disclosure: This is a contributed post.