It’s exciting times after you purchase a new house. We purchased our house at auction which totally made our hearts race, and we were on cloud nine.  We were on a high, finally, after looking for over 18 months we purchased a house, but then on that same day, we realised there was still so much more to do.  Putting the packing and selling of the old house aside, there are a few things that need to be done before moving into the new home.

If you are thinking of buying a new home you can read more from my moving series:

• Part 1 – what to ask the agent about the house you are considering to buy
• Part 2 – what to check in the home before making an offer
• Part 3 – things to considering when offering a price to buy

Things to do before moving into your new home

The finance institution/broker and lawyers will be working to ensure that the property settles on the contracted date. Once the contract goes unconditional it’s time to organise the following:

HOME INSURANCE  – once you have paid a deposit you have a financial interest in the property so building insurance is necessary. Consumer Affairs Victoria explains it well “Even though the seller’s insurance may cover the property up to the date of settlement, your lender will recommend you take out building and contents insurance effective from the date the seller signs the contract. This is to safeguard their interest in the property, as well as your own.”

CONNECTIONS – contact utility providers, such as phone, power and/or gas to arrange connection of services for the day of settlement or when you plan to move in.

FURNITURE REMOVAL – I will go into more detail about moving in another post, however, book your removalist in as soon as you know the date you want to move into the house.

MAIL REDIRECTION – it’s a good idea to do this a week or two before you move, as it takes Australia Post some time to put the redirection in place.  It said 3 days on their website, but it took up to 2 weeks for ours to start working. View prices and redirection details at Australia Post.

PEST CONTROL – it may be hard to gauge when the last pest control was done on the house.  You may find a sticker on the kitchen cupboard with most recent information.  If possible, it would be so much easier to get the house pest controlled before you moved in. Our house had a big ant problem, so I organised for pest control to come the day before we moved into the house.

RENOVATIONS – politely ask the agent if it’s possible to have a few trades visit the house before settlement so you can make a start on getting quotes for the renovations you would like to make to the house.

Our agent was so very kind and allowed us access a few times to the house, and thankfully it was vacant during the sale process.  We got in several painters, carpet consultants and our mate the electrician in to quote us on some of the work we wanted to be done to the house.  We were very grateful to the agent as this allowed us to book in the painter to start two days after settlement, to get the carpet ordered and installed the day after painters had finished and electrician on standby once the carpet was laid.

PRE-SETTLEMENT PROPERTY INSPECTION – again Consumer Affairs Victoria explain it well “Buyers are entitled to inspect at any reasonable time during the week before settlement. You can contact the agent to arrange this inspection. The contract of sale requires the seller to hand over the property in the same condition as when it was sold. If during the final pre-settlement inspection, you find that something is damaged or not working as it was on the day the property was sold, you can request a repair. Make a list of the things you need to check from the notes you made about the property during your pre-purchase inspections. Check all the items listed in the contract are there and in the right condition.”

Do you have any advice to share about moving into a new home?

Be kind to yourself during this time, it can be stressful, but only if you let it.  Have your checklists of what you need to do on hand, plan ahead, keep your diary/calendar on your at all times so you can easily book in appointments, sit back and vision yourself with a coffee on a beautiful Sunday morning as you lounge on the back patio! Enjoy the journey.