You’ve been daydreaming about your new house for months, and it’s finally finished. But the days and weeks leading up to the move are also likely to be stressful. However, if you prepare carefully and deliberately, you can avoid much of the stress of moving day. Here are some important steps to follow before moving into your new custom home.
Plan Your Move in Advance
One of the best things you can do before moving into your new custom home is to plan your move in advance. Ideally, you should start planning your move six months ahead of time. The schedule you will receive for the completion of your home should make planning easy. Some action items you should do when planning your move include: saving money for movers and moving-related expenses, investigate movers, change your address, and start packing. To streamline the moving process, you should declutter your current home. As you declutter, you’ll be able to make sure you only bring the essentials with you to your new home.
Make Sure Your Home is Ready
Make sure your home is ready and has passed an inspection before you move in. About a week before closing on your new home, you will do a pre-occupancy orientation with your builder. It is often a good idea to get an inspection with a third-party before your home is finished. This can help you get another set of eyes on your home and make sure everything is up to your standards. During this final walk-through, make sure to take notes and ask any questions you might have so that your home is ready to move in.
Make an Unpacking Plan
After you’ve planned your move and are ready to move in, you should make a plan for unpacking. As you bring your boxes into your new home, you can save yourself time and energy by moving each box to the correct room. Take some time to organize your belongings as you move them in. Prioritizing which items need to be unpacked first can help you structure your unpacking and relieve stress. For example, unpack your toiletries and food items so you can live a little bit more normally as you unpack the rest of your belongings.
Moving into a new home, especially one you’ve had custom built, can be an exciting time. Planning your move in advance, taking notes during a final inspection, and making a plan for unpacking will help make the process go much more smoothly.