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A Handy Checklist For An Easy Home Move
Taking possession of your new home is exciting, but having to move all your stuff? Not so much. Don’t fret! There are plenty of things you can do to make your move easy and even enjoyable. Here is a simple checklist to follow that will help take the stress out of your move and get you into your new home that much faster.
Related article: Moving to Alberta: The Checklist to Buying a Home in Alberta
Plan Ahead
Decide If You’re Hiring A Mover
If you’re trying to decide between hiring movers or asking a few close friends, start by taking stock of your current situation. Are you moving to a new city? Do you currently have a lot of stuff in your home? Do you have a lot of large furniture? Depending on what you’re having to move, it might be easier to opt for professional help. If you do decide to hire a moving company, here’s an idea of the size of truck you’ll need (length), depending on how many bedrooms you have:
- 26 feet = 4+ bedrooms
- 24 feet = 3-4 bedrooms
- 17 feet = 2-3 bedrooms
- 14 feet = 1-2 bedrooms
- 10 feet = A single bedroom apartment
Create a Budget
If you’d prefer professional help, make sure you’ve budgeted for it in your total closing costs. Do some research by getting a variety of quotes and use the highest one as your bench mark for moving costs. You will also want to consider insuring any items that are especially important to you should they get damaged during the move.
Get Packing
Make sure you have a complete moving checklist so you can stay on track all the way to moving day and after!
Get Rid of Anything You Don’t Need
Moving is a great reason to purge items you no longer need. Ask yourself, “Have I used this in the last three months? Do I see myself using it in the next three months?”, if the answer is no, then it’s the perfect opportunity to get rid of excess stuff that you’d otherwise have to pack up and transport.
Start Packing
Start by making an “open first” box that includes all the things you’ll need immediately on arrival (toiletries, towels, a few dishes etc).
As far as boxes go, grocery and liquor stores are generally more than happy to rid themselves of extra boxes and moving companies will often supply them for a moderate charge. If you need something sturdier, we recommend purchasing totes or borrowing them from friends and family. Don’t forget to label!
Moving Day
Supervise The Move
It’s perfectly acceptable to keep an eye on things as your belongings are being moved. This will prevent you from losing anything over the course of the day and you can make sure everything is taken care of properly.
Provide Snacks and Water
This is a really nice way to be hospitable to those helping you out on the day of your big move. It also ensures you’re not working hard all day and forgetting to eat!
Do a Final Walk Through
Did you forget something? Go through your home top to bottom to make sure you haven’t missed anything. Be sure to check any closets and storage areas as well as cupboards in the kitchen and bathrooms.
When You Arrive
Make Sure All Your Utilities Are Working
Now that all your stuff is in your new place, it’s understandable that you might want to post a few pictures online of your new home or set up your TV and watch a movie. That’s why you’ll want to be sure everything is working as soon as possible – plug a few things in when you get there to make sure.
Put Each Labelled Box In Its Room
Because you labelled your boxes, you know exactly where everything belongs. Now is the time to start making sure everything is in the correct room so it’s much easier to unpack as you go.
Again, we understand that moving is one of the less enjoyable tasks involved with purchasing a new home. By keeping the above pointers in mind, however, you’ll be able to ensure a stress-free transition from your old home to your new one. Congrats on your new home!
Related article: A Checklist For Moving Into Your Newly Built Home
About the Author:
At Sterling Homes, our mission is to provide the opportunity for affordable homeownership without compromise. Over the last 70 years, Sterling Edmonton has quickly become one of Edmonton’s most popular builders. We bring more than seven decades worth of exceptional customer service, superior design and unparalleled craftsmanship to the greater Edmonton area. As a member of the Qualico Group, Sterling Homes focuses on greater Edmonton’s finest family communities, while being able to offer some of the region’s most family friendly prices thanks to volume purchasing power for materials, trades and land. This has not only made Sterling one of Edmonton’s bestselling, move-up builders, but also one of the industry’s most respected home providers. It is through our uncompromising commitment to our customers that we proudly deliver the Sterling Advantage – that’s why each and every home we build includes a 10-year home warranty, a completion guarantee and new home warranty excellence rating. Our Advantage is our pledge that, when you build your dream home with Sterling, we will deliver a timely, well-built home you’re sure to enjoy for years to come.
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