New Home Checklist: Everything To Do Before And After Moving Day

Moving into a new home is exciting, but it can also be a daunting task if you’re not prepared. With a little prep work, you can make your move-in go smoothly so the couch is ready for that post-move nap before you know it. If you’re getting ready to move, we’ve got your new-home checklist.

Checklist For Before Moving Into A New Home

It’s a common mistake to limit your moving checklist to moving day. However, there’s a bunch that should be done before you pack the truck.

1. Budget For Moving Costs

According to U.S. News and World Report, costs for hiring movers to manage a long-distance move could soar past $5,000. This isn’t a small cost. When preparing for a cross-country or long-distance move, you should set aside money in advance and make sure that you’re ready.

The estimated cost is based on several factors including whether you’re doing a lot of the work yourself or hiring professionals. Many of the moving quotes you can get are based on both the distance of the move and how much stuff you have. If it’s a long-distance move, you could have clothing and certain items shipped to your new home or somewhere nearby ahead of time.

2. Hire A Moving Company

If you decide you would rather hire a moving company rather than pay your friends in pizza, make sure you understand what they’re going to do for you. A full-service moving company will pack everything up for you. Others may not do this or offer services a la carte.

Another consideration is whether or not you need moving insurance. Take an inventory of your things and their value. For example, do you own special heirlooms like a piano or jewelry? If this is the case, make the moving company aware during the hiring process so they can advise you on insurance and special handling options to protect your items during the move.

3. Arrange Transportation

Sometimes arranging transportation is as simple as deciding who goes in what car crammed in with all your worldly possessions. But for longer-distance moves, you may choose to have your vehicles and belongings mostly shipped in advance of your arrival. If you do that, it’ll be important to arrange transportation to the airport or train station on the day of the move and then have someone there to pick you up upon arrival.

4. Schedule Time Off

Remember to speak to your employer and take time off for your move. If you can, try to take more time than you think you’ll need. This gives you time to not only unpack everything but to make the house livable.

5. Take Inventory Of Your Belongings

In each room, document everything that’s being packed away in each box. This will help serve two purposes:

It’ll show the condition of everything at the time it was packed away in case there’s damage en route to your new home. Additionally, if you get personal property protection with your homeowners insurance policy, this will allow you to have evidence of what you own.

6. Safeguard Important Documents

You’ll want to make sure you have important documents safeguarded and maybe even with you while you’re moving. Think about things like Social Security cards, birth certificates and passports. Anything that would require jumping through hoops if you lost them is important to consider in this list.

7. Schedule Your Utility Shut-Off And Start Dates

If the utilities are in your name, make sure to notify your new utility provider about your moving in and let your current utility company know when they can shut off service. That way there are no lapses in service and you’re not paying for utilities where you no longer live.

8. Create An Organized Packing System

You want to put everything together in a cohesive manner. One helpful way to think about this is if you’re packing up your kitchen, silverware might go in one box while plates go in another. But you might pack items related to specific rooms near each other in the moving truck so that when you go to unload and unpack, it’s easy to find things.

9. Clear Out Unnecessary Items

When you move, it’s a good time to clear out the clutter that’s built up over the years. Do you really need the calendar with your hip surgery date from 2002? If it has utility, sentimental value, or brings you happiness, keep it. Otherwise, you’re probably okay to clear it out.

The one caveat here is that you’ll want to keep your financial documents for a while. For example, tax documents should be kept for at least 5 to 7 years in case you’re audited by the IRS. Take a moment to secure these sorts of documents or digitize them.

10. Deep Clean The House

Make sure you do a deep cleaning and really scrub and vacuum all the surfaces in your house. The new homeowners will appreciate it, but it also has a benefit for you. Cleaning ensures that nothing is left behind under that couch that hasn’t been moved in 10 years.   

11. Make Any Necessary Repairs Or Updates

If you’re a renter, you’ll need to make any repairs necessary to get your deposit back. If you own a home, you may need to make repairs based on the results of the appraisal to ensure that the home is safe and healthy for its new owners. You’ll have to make those repairs before the home can sell.

Additionally, buyers may have a home inspection done. You’ll have to work on fixing anything you agree to as part of negotiations.

12. Set Aside Must-Haves For Moving Day

You’ll likely have certain must-haves for your moving day. In addition to the traditional phone, keys and wallet check, think about things that are going to make life easier and bring you comfort. Things like snacks and tissues. If you have kids, you’ll want to make sure they have entertainment and access to loved stuffed animals.

Checklist For After The Move

Once you’ve moved in, there is a whole separate set of things you’ll want to take care of. Let’s go over what you need to know once you’ve gotten into the home.

1. Change The Locks

If you have a lease that requires you to change your locks before you move out, you’ll want to contact the locksmith a few days before moving day to get that scheduled. Additionally, it’s a good idea to change the locks on your new home in case a key that wasn’t turned over ends up in the wrong hands.

2. Install A Security System

Installing a security system can give you peace of mind. Some security system services allow you to install the equipment yourself, while others require you to pay for a service technician. Generally speaking, you’ll pay for the equipment, installation, activation, and a monthly monitoring fee.

3. Deep Clean The New House

You don’t want to assume the previous owners cleaned the house before they moved out. Whether you hire someone or do it yourself, it’s a good idea to deep clean the house. Everything we said to do in the old house before moving is a good idea.

4. Unpack Room By Room

If you do the extra work upfront, you should be able to make quick work of this. Now you just unpack things in the right room and tackle them one at a time. The hardest part of this will be figuring out where everything naturally fits in your new space.

5. Set Up Safety Measures For Kids And Pets

If you have kids or pets, a top priority should be to make sure the home is set up for their safety. You’ll want to have gates at the top and bottom of the stairs, child safety locks, oven knob covers and the like.

Put chemicals and medications in cabinets they can’t access. Secure all cutlery and lock up all hunting weapons. Also, make sure to apply covers to unused outlets.

6. Check Your Smoke Detectors And Home Systems

When you move into a new home, you’re probably not aware of when the batteries were changed in smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors and natural gas alarms. Test the alarms and change the batteries so you know the schedule. You may not have to worry about that if the batteries are sealed in.

It’s also important to test your HVAC systems. If you’re moving in the summer or winter, you may not think it makes sense to turn on the heat or air conditioning, but it’s good to know now what doesn’t work rather than having it fail the first time you need it.

7. Update Your Home Address

When you switch addresses, you’ll need to update your key accounts and contact information. The most important thing is filling out a change of address form with the Postal Service so you can have mail forwarded to your new address for up to 3 months. Other than the Postal Service, here are other entities to think about:

• Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
• Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)
• Social Security Administration (SSA)
• Insurance companies
• Banks, third-party payment apps, and credit card companies
• Employer
• Phone service provider
• Voter registration 

8. Set Up TV, Internet, And Phone Services

Let’s be honest. We can no longer live without the internet. Setting up web, TV, and phone services is extremely high on the list, so much so that cable companies will set up same-day service installs if you tell them you’re moving.

In some cases, you may be able to install the equipment yourself or even bring your own equipment. To do the latter requires some tech savviness, but it can save you equipment rental fees.

9. Find A New Health Care Provider And Transfer Your Medical Records

If you’re moving to a new area, you’ll need to find new doctors, dentists, orthodontists, and optometrists. If you have friends or family in the area, you may be able to get recommendations from them in addition to checking out online reviews.

Once you find a new provider, you should work with your former care team to transfer your records to the new offices. In some cases, you may be able to download your own electronic medical record and import it into the new health care system.

10. Get A New License And Register Your Car

If you make a permanent move to a new state, you’ll have to get a new license and vehicle registration to legally drive your car. Different states have different grace periods, but this should be prioritized early on. If you’re just making a move within the same state, make sure to update your registration details with the DMV.

11. Schedule Home Improvements

Once you move into your new home, you’ll learn its unique peculiarities. The first thing that will probably make the list is anything that needs to be fixed (think leaky faucets). If you had a home inspection done, you may be aware of certain things in need of maintenance in the near future, like a roof replacement. Maybe there are foundation issues. Make a list of repairs, in order of priority, then figure out what professionals you need to hire or what repairs you can do yourself.

Some things will become apparent over time. Does your kitchen or bathroom need to be updated to suit your lifestyle? Maybe you want to change the paint color? Whatever you want done, it’s important to schedule your home improvements as these things come up.

12. Get Familiar With Your New Home And Neighborhood

Now is the fun part: You get to settle into your new home and figure out how to make it work for you. You’ll also be able to meet the neighbors and learn who has the cutest dog (trick question, that’s everyone) and the best recipe for homemade cheesecake. Take time to enjoy!

New House Essentials: A Checklist

Before we finish up, here’s a table of essentials that you’ll likely want to have when you settle into your new home.

The Bottom Line: Must-Haves For Your New Home

Moving into a new home can seem like an overwhelming task, but with the right preparation, it doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. Whether you’re planning for moving costs and hiring movers or updating your car registration, hopefully our checklist has made it so nothing falls through the cracks.

If you feel like you’re ready to take the leap and buy that new home, Rocket Mortgage^® would love to help you start a mortgage application.