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10 Must-Complete Tasks for Your First 24 Hours in a New Home

10 Must-Complete Tasks for Your First 24 Hours in a New Home

Moving day… don’t you just love it and loathe it all at the same time? On one hand, it’s the start of life in your brand new home. Ah-mazing, right?! On the other hand, it can be a physically-and-mentally exhausting process to pick up and start over somewhere new.

One way to make moving into your new home a whole lot easier and less overwhelming is to go in with a plan. While you were busy packing up for your big move, we compiled a list of ten things you should do during your first 24-hours in your new home.

If you’re preparing for a move, here are 10 things to accomplish on move-in day:

1. Quickly Clean: Your new home may be a new construction or just new to you; and, it is likely that the builder or previous owner has professionally-cleaned the place prior to your arrival. However, you’ll have even more peace of mind if you do a general wipe down of the place from the start. This way, you’ll be sure your new home has been cleaned to your standards before you put your personal belongings in their permanent place.

2. Stock the Fridge: You may think that you have no time to head to the grocery store while you’re in the midst of moving and unpacking; but, all of that work is bound to make you (and any help you’ve got) both thirsty and hungry. Make a quick trip to the store to stock up on drinks, snacks and some disposable plates, napkins and silverware. Unless, of course, you’d like to dig through all those boxes marked “kitchen” to find your eating utensils on move-in day!

3. Put Boxes Where They Belong: No one is expected to completely move into and decorate their new home in a matter of 24 hours. But, you can give yourself a great head start by making sure that your moving boxes are appropriately placed into the correct rooms. Color-code or label boxes, so that movers easily can understand where to drop them off while you’re moving in.

4. Unpack Everyday Essentials: This tip probably takes a little a forward-thinking during the packing process. While you’re stowing things away to be moved, think about the items you use on an everyday basis… you know, your toothbrush, a few towels… and, of course, the coffee! Group these items together in boxes and mark them “open first” or with some other label that will trigger your mind on move-in day. Having easy access to the items you need most will make your new house feel like home a lot sooner.

5. Make the Beds: We’ve already described how mentally and physically exhausting move-in day can be. At the end of the day, you may want nothing more than a comforting collapse into your bed! Don’t let yourself be searching for your sheets and putting your bed frame together just before turning the lights out. In fact, maybe this should be your first priority in your new place! Go room to room and put beds together while there are still a lot of daylight hours left.

6. Keep an Inventory: It may seem like a little bit of extra work on move-in day, but there is no better time to accurately account for everything you own. Take note of what valuables you’ve got as you’re packing and unpacking. This will help you make sure you aren’t missing anything on move-in day and it will allow you to have an accurate record for your homeowners insurance… and for your own mind! 

7. Treat the Windows: If you’re moving into new construction, it may be best to bump this task up to early in the day; but, if you’ve purchased a previously-owned home, this task may already be completed for you! Hang blinds or curtains on windows where you’ll want a little privacy once night falls. Otherwise, you may be giving the entire neighborhood a view into your new home and all of your belongings!

8. Break Out the Circuit Breaker Box: You may have no need to access your new home’s circuit breaker box in the first 24 hours or even the first 24 days of living there. But, you should have a working knowledge of where it is located and what switches corresponded with which breakers. So, before you stack boxes up against it, find out where it is and take a gander inside during the move-in process.

9. Manage Additional Moving Paperwork: If you haven’t done so already, make it a top priority to complete all of your address changes (i.e. driver’s license, credit cards, student loans, magazine subscriptions and more), schedule the internet/cable hook-up and transfer all utilities at the very beginning of your move. Some of these tasks, particularly the cable and internet, can take a few weeks to complete, so it is ideal to get a head start on this before move-in day; but, you can use your first day in your new home as a gentle reminder to complete anything you may have forgotten.

10. Say “Hello” to New Neighbors: While you’re lifting, moving and unpacking, you may not feel like stopping to strike up long conversations with your new neighbors; but, you’ve heard the old “you never get a second chance to make a first impression” saying before. Your new neighbors are likely just as excited and anxious to meet you as you are about moving in to your new home and meeting them. So, if you see a new neighbor on move-in day, put the box down for a moment to introduce yourself!

And, that’s it! 10 tasks to complete in 24 hours… that gives you over two hours to complete each task! All jokes aside, doing these 10 things won’t make your home complete in a day’s time, but they may make for a little less stress on move-in day!