3 Steps to Take After Moving to a New Place

Moving can be incredibly stressful, with all the packing, hauling, and cleaning. Yet there is that one sweet moment, that first night in your new place when you look around and bask in your accomplishments. Once you’ve had a chance to exhale and enjoy your moment, it’s time to tackle a few remaining things. Your work is not quite done yet, and there are three critical steps you need to take once you’re in your new home. Today, we’ll share what those three things are so you can get settled into your new oasis.

1. Start with Safety

In your new home, you’ll want to make sure you feel safe and know that everything is secure. With all the excitement and stress that comes with moving, you don’t want to overlook some of these basic safety measures.

Check All the Mechanisms

You’ll want to double-check a list of things before settling into your new home. Start with the locking mechanisms, including all doors and windows, to make sure they’re secure. You’ll also want to verify the battery life and working order of the smoke detectors. And if you’ve moved into a new house, you’ll want to know where the fuse panel and water main shut off are located. So, as you make those phone calls to set up utilities in your name, be sure to inspect and know where your critical panels and mains are located.

Create Emergency Plans

It’s essential that you have new emergency plans in place for you and your family in your new space. This includes having conversations about what to do should someone lose their key or become locked out of the home. Family members should also know and discuss strategies for what to do in the event of a fire, including how to get out and where to meet. Make sure every member knows what to do in the event of an emergency, including where to find emergency medical supplies and first aid kits, too.

Install Security

You might be safer in your new environment and home with a security system. And there are a host of home security products available, depending on your budget and needs. So, whether you’re planning to install a whole-house system or a simple door camera platform, the first week after you move in is the perfect time to do so.

2. Unpacking Strategically

When it comes to unpacking your things and household items, you might find yourself to be just as stressed as you were during the move. The best way to stay organized after you’ve moved in is to create a strategic unpacking plan. Tackle one box at a time and set goals for getting through each room.

Start with Securing Important Docs

It can help to start unpacking and organizing the importing things first, and this includes documents. Birth certificates, vehicle titles for registration changes, and identification will all need to be stored in a known and safe place. And you’ll likely need access to this paperwork to handle some of the other tasks, so it’s important that you don’t lose anything.

Storing Seasonal Things for Now

Don’t create the added stress of unpacking boxes that may not need your attention right now. Consider storing packed boxes of seasonal items that may not be relevant right now, like holiday decors or sentimental items. You can always tackle those boxes later and not necessarily worry about trying to organize things you won’t need access to every day.

Move Room by Room

Most moving experts will suggest not unpacking all the boxes all at once. Instead, consider moving room by room and finishing one area at a time. Start with the kitchen, where you’ll obviously need access to food prep and accessories. Once you feel your kitchen is easy to navigate and pots and pans are handy, you can then move on to a den area or bedroom for unpacking.

3. Take Care of New Venue Details

Once you move into your new residence, you’ll likely have a list of new address details to take care of within your first week. Whether you’ve moved across town or across state lines, it’s time to take care of a little business.

Change of Address

You’ll need to be sure your mail arrives at your new address. Start with a visit to the post office to put a forward on your past residence, and ensure your new mail gets to you promptly. You’ll also want to contact all of your other services, including any credit cards, banking, and subscription accounts, to update them with your new address.

Finding New Providers

Depending on where you’ve moved, you may need to find new providers and places for things, too. You might need to find a new banking institution, for example, with ATM and branch locations in your new zip code. It can be helpful, too, to explore your new city to find a new gym, a new favorite coffee spot, and any new daycare programs you might need for the little ones.

Health Providers and Insurance

Probably one of the most mission-critical things to do after you move into a new residence, and one of the steps most procrastinated, is finding new health care providers and securing health insurance. Depending on how far away from your old address you are now, you may need to find new doctors, dentists, chiropractors, and specialists. Your former providers may be able to offer referrals. But you may have to call around and find those who are accepting new patients. And when it comes to health insurance, a change of address qualifies you for a Special Enrollment Period, meaning you can hop online and browse for a new plan. And to make this step a whole lot easier, you can shop, price compare, and enroll entirely free with W3LL.

Moving can be stressful and tedious. But the process for finding and enrolling in quality ACA health insurance plans doesn’t have to be. Let W3LL help cross this critical step off of your post-move-in to-do list.