After the hustle and bustle of hiring movers, packaging a hundred boxes with tape and visiting your new neighborhood twice over, you and your family are ready to settle down in your new Ryan Home. Here are some of Ryan Homes at Brunswick Crossing’s basic tips on what to do after the move:
Register your name. Call the water and electricity companies, and have the bills switched over to your name before the first one is charged. This process is relatively painless if you remember to ask about avoiding hook-up and transfer fees. In less than 5 minutes, you will save yourself a lot of future stress. While you are calling for those utilities, get your Internet, cable and phone lines hooked up. If you are new to the area, call around to get quotes before striking a deal. Say no to the bells and whistles of television programming, and ask for an easy installation.
Update your address. Most people do not realize how often your address appears on important documents, or how many important documents they actually have. No worries though! Use this handy checklist to inform which companies need your new address:
- Your doctors’ offices, including your dentist, pediatrician, vet, orthodontist, therapist or whoever else needs to know before an appointment.
- Your insurance companies, credit card companies and banks. Any company that handles a part of your finances should know where you have moved.
- The Department of Motor Vehicles to update your driver’s license, car registration and voter registration. It is best to update your ID exactly one month after your move.
- Your local post office. If you have not done it already, fill out a change of address form to help reroute with your monthly magazine subscriptions and newspapers.
- Online services. Aside from spam, any company that sends you regular e-mails with newsletters or offers, such as Netflix, Amazon and E-bay, should be contacted.
Account for all of your boxes. Movers are busy people, even if you “hired” your friends and family. Do not try to unpack everything at once, but check that all of your boxes and furniture made it to the new house, and inspect your belongings for damages. If you hired a company to move your boxes and furniture and anything in your inventory is damaged, submit an insurance claim for reimbursement.
Keep the records. A new move is the perfect opportunity to begin keeping important documents and receipts on file. For example, collect payment receipts and any signed agreements for future reference.
Become familiar with your home. Start calling it “home” instead of your “new house.” This will bring a sense of comfort and reliability to the atmosphere. Aside from changing your expression, you should also become physically familiar with your new home. Recognize where the circuit breaker, water heater, light switches, fire extinguishers and smoke detectors are located in case of emergency. Outside of your home, take your family on a field trip around the area, so everyone knows where the important buildings are. Show them where the hospital, police station, supermarket and school are located in proximity to your home.
After the movers leave, inspect the quantity and quality of your belongings and furniture. After everything looks good, call all of the listed companies (and your friends and family!) to let them know where your new address is. When you have time, take the kids on a family trip around the surrounding area to familiarize them.
