Top 5 things to do upon moving into a new home

Once you've bought a home and the sale has officially settled, now comes the exciting part when you finally get to move in! 

There’s a lot involved in moving, and as well as packing up and cleaning your old property, there’s a few important tasks to attend to at the new place– such as checking everything is as per the sale contract, carrying out a deep clean, connecting services and more.

Below, we've outlined the top 5 things to do upon moving into a new home, making the process of settling in as painless as possible.

Check and inspect

Check that everything is in order and how you expected it to be. If you took photos at the open home inspections and during the marketing period, cross reference them with what you see once you have moved in. As a guide, make sure that you check that any repairs that were agreed upon in the sale have been completed, everything is in working order around the house and all elements of the property that were included in the sale are still there. If there are any issues relating to what was agreed upon in the sale, you should contact the selling agent. Anything beyond the agreement is now yours to deal with.

As you are walking through your new home, you should also start writing down anything you’re wanting to improve or change. From there, you can create a prioritised to-do list and start tackling each job once you’re ready to start home improvements.

Deep clean

As the home has most likely been empty for quite some time and many people have walked through it during the marketing period, it‘s best to start with a clean slate and deep clean your new home from the front door to the backyard. Make sure you do this before you start setting up your furniture or unpacking your belongings, so you don’t miss one inch of floor space.

As this is probably the first and last deep clean you will do in your home until you sell it, you may want to hire a professional cleaning service to assist here.

Get everything connected 

To get your home set up properly you will need all your utilities up and running. When it comes to water, you don’t need to do anything yourself. Depending on which state you are in, the local water authority will be notified of the sale via your conveyancer or the state land registry office, after which they will get in contact with you on how you can manage your account.

To get powered up, you’ll need to call your energy and/or gas provider to transfer your account. The most important thing is to state the day you moved in, so you are not charged for the previous homeowner’s usage.

When it comes to your internet connection, it is best to factor in a lead time of two to three weeks before it is connected and working. This is due to the limited availability of technicians and having to wait for any equipment to arrive. For this reason, it is best to organise this ahead of time, so you’re not left without internet for an extended period.

Another task is to locate your fuse box and water valve on the property. This is super important to know in the event of an emergency or when trades need to access them when working on your property. As a starting point, the water valve is generally around the edge of the property, and the fuse box could be in the garage, storage area or even on an exterior wall.   

Set up major appliances 

If you’re moving major appliances to your new home, you’ll want to make sure these have all survived the move. Whether it’s a refrigerator, washing machine, or clothes dryer, you should prioritise getting them set up and switched on. Be sure to check the specific product manuals to understand how you should safely set these up. For example, most refrigerators will need to be stabilised in their new position for at least three hours before they’re connected and turned on again. For existing appliances in the home like the oven and stovetop, make sure you try to use them in the first few days of moving in as these may be covered by the contract. 

Sort out the admin 

Once you have everything in your home ready to sort, set some time aside to get into homeowner administration. Any paperwork or receipts related to your move should be filed away for safekeeping.

If you haven’t needed to do so beforehand (the need to have insurance before moving into a new property varies by state) now is the time to organise house and contents insurance. This is where it pays to take your time researching each provider and policy; start with online comparison sites and then call the providers directly to get the best deal possible.

For security purposes, you may want to change the locks on your new home, making sure you have enough keys cut for all occupants and a spare set or two in case you are ever locked out. 

Once you’re settled into your new home, start the process of changing your address on your driver’s license, bank accounts, health services, subscriptions, and the electoral roll. After all these important elements have been sorted, you can then get onto the next big step…meeting your neighbours

For assistance with starting your buying journey speak to your local Hockingstuart agent today.

Read more about the process of buying and view our wide selection of high-quality properties for sale here.