The day has finally arrived and you have a place which you can call your own. Congratulations, it is a very big and important step in each person’s life. When the initial joy passes, you will wish you had a spare head and another pair of hands just so you can take care of everything. You might be surprised with the amount of work you have to take care of before you can freely step into your new place. A
Legal matters aside, your whole life has to be relocated and that is never easy. Remember student days and moving away from home for the first time? Well, this is going to be even more frustrating. Don’t panic; you only have to follow a few easy steps and moving into your new place will go smoothly. So, let’s begin:
Change locks!
Yes, you have probably heard this one before, but we cannot stress just how important it is. Take a moment to think about this: how many people currently have the key of your house? Family members, close friends, neighbours, maintenance people? And, let’s face it, the previous owners of your new house probably think in a similar way. In order not to sweat at night and wonder who can enter your house without your knowledge, do yourself a favour and as soon as you get the keys of your new place – change the locks. It will certainly make you feel better and you will be able to sleep peacefully.
By Heanailee (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Know where to find important things
Imagine the following scenario: your bathroom sink faucet breaks and there’s water running and there is nothing you can do to stop it. Do you cry and panic or do you immediately go to main water shut-off and stop the catastrophe? The latter is the right answer, so make sure you know where to find the water shut-offs. Another important place in the house is the main circuit breaker; when you find it, label it so you know which breaker is for which area.
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Legal matters
It is a good idea to get your address changed, just to make sure that you will keep getting your mail and any magazines you are subscribed to. Check with your old post office what needs to be done and also contact your creditors and utility companies; you will want your electricity, Internet, gas and telephone for yourself and not leave it behind, won’t you? You can also contact your friends and let them know that you moved; it’s a great way to get in touch with some people you haven’t seen or heard from in a while, too.
Clean the place up
Not everyone will be nice and leave the place nice and clean for you to move in, so be prepared to do some hard work. And even if the place looks clean, you should probably clean it yourself as well, just in case. Arm yourself with the right tools and chemicals and prepare for battle – germs and dust must be banished before you set foot in your new place. When you finish, allow yourself a moment of respite and enjoy the victory. You will probably be very tired, so we suggest you call someone to take care of the garbage for you. Rubbish removal Sydney are highly-praised professionals who will be glad to help you.
Check smoke detectors and emergency exits
Just like with cleaning the place up, you will want to make sure the smoke detectors are fully functional and safe. Check the batteries and make sure you test them all. Each member of your family should know what to do if there is an emergency and how to get out in case of fire. If you have children, practise getting out of the house in case of fire, so they know where to go.
Image by Karin Beil via Flickr
We understand that this is a big deal for you and that you want everything to be done as quickly as it can be. Another advice we offer you: try to stay calm; looking back to this period you will probably remember only stress and panic. Do your best to fill your days with small pleasures and take some time to remember just how excited you feel. These will be good memories to share with your friends and family in your new home in the times which come.