If you catch yourself staring quizzically at the endless piles of freshly delivered cardboard boxes, then you must be fully aware that you’re already in your new home and the most difficult part of your cross country move is now over. The excitement that you have finally crossed the finish line with flying colors and the unmistakably proud feeling that you have contributed greatly to the success of your own move may, in fact, tempt you to mark the relocation milestone with a
suitable celebration.
It would be wiser under the circumstances, however, to postpone the popping sound of that special bottle of champagne for later and focus now on the many urgent post-relocation tasks that require your
utmost attention.
Here’s a closer look at the six most important things to do right after the move:
1. Inspect your delivered possessions
One of the most pressing tasks you should do without delay right after the move is to check your delivered goods against the detailed household inventory you received from your moving company or that you compiled during the moving preparations. Do a careful visual inspection of every single item and if you do happen to find noticeable signs of damage or mistreatment—not to mention missing items—contact your movers immediately and notify them of the problem. If you had been careful when choosing your professional relocation partner, then you should expect your dispute to be resolved in a quick and satisfactory manner.
2. Have your utilities re-connected
Do you have any previous experience unpacking in the dark? If you haven’t arranged for the essential utilities to be connected in your new home prior to the move, this is the time to do so. The very first utility companies you should contact are the local power and water providers as you will find it rather challenging to spend even a single day without these two life-saving services. Only after you have enough illumination to see where you’re going and water to take a shower should you think about setting up the rest of the important bundle of services, such as phone, Internet, cable TV, and so on.
3. Unpack your absolute essentials
Regardless of how strong your desire is to complete the unpacking job in one fell swoop, it almost certainly won’t work out that way. Instead, focus your attention on unpacking the absolute essentials to get you through your first days in your new residence. First, take the contents out of your essentials boxes and place them in their rightful places. Secondly, set up the bedroom, including putting back together your disassembled bed, as you will need a good rest soon enough. And finally, arrange your bathroom so that you can bid farewell to the most stressful and exhausting day of your move in style with a refreshing shower.
4. Inspect your new home
You used to know your old home like the back of your own hand, right? For better or worse, though, that is not the case anymore. Another important thing to do right after the move is to go on an exploratory trip around your new house or apartment. The new house inspection will not only enable you to get to know your own residence better, but it will help you locate troublesome signs of pre-existing damage if any. Find the fuse box and identify the individual fuses. Discover the main water valve and any possible water leaks throughout your new home. Don’t forget to check carefully the outside perimeter as well.
5. Change your address
Similar to the connection of the new home utilities, changing your postal address is another pre-move task that you might have forgotten to complete for various reasons. And even though lack of enough time and elevated stress are believed to be the two main culprits for any pre-relocation lapses, now you don’t have any excuses not to change your address. If the local post office is not far from where you live, you can go there in person and fill out a change-of-address form. Alternatively, you may choose the more convenient option and complete your change of address online through the official website of the United States Postal Service (USPS).
6. Register your vehicle
If you just relocated to a new state, then one of the most important things to do after the move is to register your vehicle in the new state, as well as to transfer your driver’s license. Don’t wait too long to check off this post-move task, since some states like Florida only give a 10-day window for car registrations. Therefore, make sure you take a trip down to the local DMV office before the deadline. Before you head to the nearest authorized office of the Department of Motor Vehicles, however, make sure you give them a call or visit their website and request more information about the specific documents you are expected to bring with you, such as the required proof of car insurance purchased from the state you now call home.
