Moving Advice: Be prepared to Move

• Notify post office of new address and when change goes into effect. Give several weeks notice to ensure the Forwarding order is in place.
• Make up postcards that advise others that you are moving. Give your name, new address, and new phone number, as wet as your Former address. Give the date the new address will be effective. Race a card in every payment you mail and send one to every person you correspond with for the month prior to the move. Order plenty of cards; you'll be surprised how many you will go through! This will help ensure you don't lose any mail or delay any important correspondence after you've moved.
• Notify schools (it you have children) of when you anticipate the move will take place. Also of importance: meet with administrators at the new school to arrange for an orientation and a tour for you and your children. Try to arrange for your child to meet new teachers and classmates prior to their first day. This will help lessen some of their anxiety on the first day at their new school.
• Arrange For disconnection/transfer of services from present address to new address for:
  • Television
  • Cable
  • Utilities
• Be sure to give ample time for the transition, Often a week or more wait can be expected before the changeover takes effect.
• Arrange with a locksmith to have the locks changed at your new home prior to moving in, You can schedule to meet the locksmith after the closing. The replacement usually doesn't take more than an hour or so, and is a good security measure.
• Donate any unwanted clothing or nonperishable Food items and toiletries to your local charitable organization. Often these items are hastily thrown out, and would be gladly used by someone less fortunate. Many of your local Realtors® participate in drives for the needy. You may also be entitled to a receipt which may offer a tax deduction. Ask for details.
• Order new nametags for your pets prior to the move. Be sure to include the animal's name, your address, and your business as well as residence phone numbers. Moving can frighten and disorient pets. Be sure they have complete identification before they make the move. In the event they become lost, you will have a better chance of recovering them.
• Just prior to closing:
  Be sure to do a complete "walk through" of the home you are selling as well as the one you're purchasing. Make sure all utilities are properly functioning including:
  
  • Inside:

    _ heat
    _ dryer
    _ baths
    _ stove: including burners
    _ electric
    _ refrigerator
    _ plumbing
    _ lighting fixtures/fans
    _ thermostats
    _ oven
    _ dishwasher
    _ free-flowing drains
    _ clothes washer
    _ intercom
    _ alarm systems
    _ septic systems
    _ microwave

  • Outside:

    _ garage door
    _ sprinklers
    _ lighting fixtures
    _ water spigots
    _ outlets
    _ switches

Carefully check to make sure that the roof is free of leaks, and there has been no change 'in the condition or appearance than was legally represented Be sure to report any findings to your attorney prior to closing