6 Tips for a Seamless Transition Into a New Home
Moving into a new home is hard work. But it’s equally rewarding when the last box has been unpacked and you can finally enjoy the fruits of your labor. The fact is, there’s a lot to think about when you’re making a big move. There’s furniture everywhere, you have a to-do list the size of your house, and staying organized (especially if you have children) can feel like an impossible endeavor. However, moving is only as difficult as you make it. With the right preparation, you can ensure you have a seamless transition into your new home. Here are six tips for achieving this:
1) Hire a Professional Cleaner
When you’re on your way to a new home, you don’t want to have to worry about your previous home. If you’re moving into a new home and selling your old one, you should hire a professional cleaner to scrape up the leftovers of your previous home and put it in tip-top shape for the next owners.
On the same token, once you’ve moved into a new home, you should hire a maid service like Mountain Meadow Maids in Littleton CO (search locally for a professional cleaner near you). After all, you’re likely to be exhausted from all the moving, and the last thing you want to have to deal with is scrubbing down the entire house and cleaning up the remaining bits from moving. A professional service will take a load off your shoulders, and allow you to focus on adjusting properly, rather than cleaning tirelessly.
2) Plan Your Layout
Before you more into your house, you should plan your layout. You can do this using home decoration apps or by sketching out your home’s layout and creating a rough plan for all your items. You can take your layout efforts a step further by using expansive technology to really give yourself an accurate picture of what your home will look like.
Homestyler, a free tool created by the company behind AutoCAD (a program for architectural designers) is a great place to start. The tool is easy to learn and allows you to scale your layout accurately, add virtual furniture, create 3D mockups of your rooms, and much more. One of its best features is its ability to determine where furniture and objects fit before you actually move them into your home. Print your plan and use it as a reference point for yourself and any movers helping you.
3) Paint Ahead of Time
Although you might be eager to move into your new home, you should think about painting before you make any movements. Painting an empty house is much easier than dealing with furniture and boxes and laying around. Since you’ve already planned your layout, it’s easier to determine which rooms will be painted which colors, and how it will look once your furniture is moved in. Keep in mind that painting a home always takes longer than you might think, and you should consider hiring some help or gathering some friends to get the job done quicker.
4) Clear Your Utilities
If you wait too long to transfer utilities, you could be left without them for a few days. Several weeks before your move, you should contact your utility providers to make sure everything you need is properly scheduled to be disconnected at your current home, and re-connected at your new address.
5) Label All Boxes
“Labeling boxes” might seem like a futile tip, but it’s often forgotten in the mayhem and rush of packing items. Always keep a marker nearby so that you won’t forget to label properly. If you’re using trash bags for items like clothing, purchase a roll of clear tape, wrap it around the top of the bag to secure it, and use a black marker to label the tap. Here are some other labeling tips for moving:
- Pack and label one room at a time
- Color code your labeling and give each room a color OR designate a number for each room and use the number for labeling
- Opt for packing labels (check out these free printable packing labels) if you want to stay ultra-organized
- Label which boxes are priority to open first
6) Pack an Essentials Bag
Moving into a new home can wreak havoc on your day to day life, and this is where an essentials box comes into play. Your essentials bag will have everything you need for the few days leading up to your move. It should contain items like your toothbrush, toiletries, a change of clothings, any necessary medication, and other items that are useful to you on a daily basis.