Even if you’re the most organized person in the world, moving out of your home is incredibly stressful. And, if you’re in the process of buying a new home simultaneously, the stress is doubled.
Because moving out of your current home and into a new one comes with a lot of excitement, it’s easy to overlook things when moving day arrives. Even if you’ve researched the best moving companies and already packed all your belongings, there are a few things you can do to streamline the process.
To make sure your move is as efficient and stress-free as possible, here are four things you should do before the big day.
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1. Forward Your Mail
Before you move out of your home, remember to request that all mail is forwarded to your new address. You can set up mail-forwarding via the UPS website and visit the post office to fill out the required change-of-address paperwork.
Don’t forget to let any subscription services know your new address – this is important because the post office will only forward your mail for 60 days. Some people leave their mail carrier a small goodbye gift – which also serves as a reminder that their address has changed.
You can also leave your forwarding address with the new occupants of the home – this way, if any packages or mail have been sent to your old address by mistake, they can send them to you. If you live in a complex, you should also leave your mailbox key, location, and number for the new occupants.
2. Don’t Forget to Disconnect Your Utilities
Don’t forget to let all your utility companies know that you’ll no longer live at your old address – this includes water, trash, garbage, gas, electric, and cable companies. Provide all your service providers with a date to discontinue the services and leave your new address so they can forward the final bill to you. Usually, the discontinue date will be the date when the sale of your home closes.
You should also cancel your local printed newspaper subscription and disconnect your security service. By setting up all these disconnections well ahead of time, you’ll avoid any billing problems with the home’s new occupants.
3. Cancel Your Homeowners Insurance
If you’ve bought a new home, chances are you’ve already purchased a new homeowners insurance policy. However, buying a new policy doesn’t mean your old one will be canceled automatically. If you have more than one insurance provider, don’t forget to cancel the other policies.
Let your insurance agent know about the cancellation ahead of time to avoid any headaches, and be sure to confirm the discontinuation on the day the sale of your home closes.
4. Organize Your Moving Boxes
Before the professional movers arrive, you should organize your moving glossary. Remember, the boxes that get loaded first will be unloaded off the moving truck last.
Arrange your boxes by rooms, and add corresponding colored labels to boxes and doors in your new home to make determining what goes where easier for the movers.
Consider counting and numbering your boxes – for example, ‘1 of 10 – master bedroom.’ The second box for the master bedroom would be ‘2 of 10 – master bedroom.’ Numbering your boxes will make it easier to see if any boxes are missing.
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