October 29, 2019
With the build complete and your new home ready to be occupied, there are a couple of steps left before you make the big move. Tick off each of these checklist items for a stress-free transition into your forever home.
Get rid of items you won’t need
Regardless of the season, it’s time for some spring-cleaning. To make your move all the more easier, shed any unwanted, old or broken items well before the delivery truck arrives. That way, you’ll have less to sort out in your new home.
Tidy up
Keep the kitchen benches clear and the mop handy, as dust particles from the build will continue to settle on surfaces over the first few weeks. A good shampoo of the new carpets is a great way to freshen them up and help lift some of those pesky loose fibres that clump in the corners.
Set up home and contents insurance
Now that you’ve built your dream home, it’s important to make sure that it’s protected. Home and contents insurance will provide your residence with financial cover should damages or theft occur. There are a number of different cover options available depending on which insurer you go with, so shop around to find the right one for you.
Organise as many connections as possible
Get all the grunt work out of the way by setting up your utilities, phone and internet connections in advance where possible. This will make settling into your new home more of a breeze – you won’t be sitting on the phone for ages when you’ve got 20 boxes left to unpack.
Update your contact details
It might be a good time to let people know where you’re moving to. It’s up to you when you want to share this information with family and friends, but it’s ideal to update your details with your insurance company, bank and superannuation fund in advance, and set up a mail redirection with Australia Post for when you move in. Also, you should change over your details on the electoral roll and for any subscriptions you want to continue.
Work out where you want to place furniture
Before you start packing up the delivery truck and making the trip over to your new place, you should come up with a plan for where you want your furniture to go. You wouldn’t want to get to your brand new home and be stuck with a giant bookcase and nowhere to put it! Be mindful of where all your bigger items need to go, and maybe even measure each piece to make sure they all fit together in the designated room. You could even make use of an app such as Homestyler Interior Design, which is free on the App Store or Google Play and allows you to visualise how furniture and decor will look in your home.
Label and arrange boxes by room
Now that you’ve worked out where your furniture is going, it’s time to pack up the smaller items. It’s a good idea to keep a list of which items are going in each room, and tick them off as you move in. Make sure you label each box with the room it’s intended for. You might want to prepare a ‘first night’ box as well with all the essentials (bed linen, keys, pyjamas and clothing, etc.) so that they’re easier to find without having to unpack everything on your first day.
For more stories on living, creating and exploring the local neighbourhood, read the spring edition of the Watagan Park Wanderer Magazine here.
