Post-move checklist

A move, particularly an international one, is a confusing and stressful experience. You might have been excited about it. But it is hard not to have at least some doubts and apprehensions about it as well. And in all the excitement, stress, and things to do, it can be easy to forget some things you need to do as soon as your move is over. So, we have put together a post-move checklist to help you tackle such tasks!

Reassure your kids

Moving is a very stressful time for children, especially if you are going through a long-distance or an international move. They will have left everything they’ve known behind. Their friends, their school, their neighborhood. So, it is up to you to reassure them. There are some questions you can answer as a family to help them understand what is going on. But overall, they will need a lot of love, attention, and support. It can be challenging to offer them this with all the activity and chaos going on, but do your best for your family!

Set up your utilities

Before you can go about unpacking your things, there is a more important task to tackle as soon as possible. And that is getting your utilities up and running. When they have decided to sell their property, a lot of homeowners will have the utilities turned off. This is done as a means of saving money and making the property transfer less complicated. However, it does mean you will likely walk into a house with no running water or electricity. TV and the internet you can manage without, but it will only take a few hours tops to realize just how unmanageable life is without being able to freely use water or your appliances.

Unpack the essentials first

There is, in fact, an order to unpack your boxes in, and the right order to follow is prioritizing essentials. You will do just fine without twenty pairs of jeans. You will be a lot more inconvenienced if you have no toiletries, towels, chargers, documents, and similar. So, be wise! Do not just haphazardly unpack. And it might be a smart idea to label all your boxes before your move, so you know what is in which box. Aside from that, it is always clever to have a duffel packed with the barest of essentials. If your boxes are a mess, you will have to root through to get at the important stuff.

Update your ID, driver's license, and other documents

When it comes to out-of-state or international move plans, there are few things as important as updating your documents. The only reason we did not insist on doing this before unpacking is because it is somewhat more involved than making a call or popping over to the local office to have your utilities turned on. You will likely have to visit several government offices to get all of your documents in order. However, do not put it off! No matter how much of a chore it might seem. Until you have completed the procedures, you could get in serious legal trouble if you do not have up-to-date documents.

Register your car if you have moved out of state or abroad

Much less urgent but still important is getting your car registered. Note, however, that you will need to have your driver’s license sorted out before trying this. At least in most countries and states. You also need to ensure your car is in good enough condition to pass all the tests required for registration. Your vehicle could get turned down until you have done the necessary repairs if the inspection finds any issues with it. And the strictness of the inspection may vary from state to state or country to country. So a trip to the nearest mechanic might be in order before you apply for registration.

Change all your locks and install a security system

It is only good sense to ensure you have changed all your locks and installed a security system after moving to a new house. Even if a home is brand new, the real estate agency, at the very least, had copies of the keys before they sold you the house. And if it isn’t new, then the risk is obvious. Any of the previous owners or tenants could potentially have copies of the keys they kept for whatever reasons. Now, the risks are admittedly minimal. But it is pretty much always better to be safe than sorry. Especially when it concerns keeping your family safe!

Find the main and in-house shut-off valves

Knowing where all of your shut-off valves are is essential. The first time you have a burst water pipe, or, god forbid, a gas leak, you will be rushing to find them like a headless fly. So, it is much better to get the matter out of the way at the very start. It also gives you an excellent opportunity to explore your home and even pay attention to areas of the house you might have otherwise ignored. Not a lot of people immediately go peeking into their basement, for example.

Explore your neighborhood

Finally, you want to get acquainted with your neighborhood as soon as possible. Exploring is also an excellent way to meet new people after a move and make friends along the way. This is, after all, an area where you will likely live for quite some time. You want to know where the best bakeries, shops, and restaurants are, where you can relax, what the shortest route to the nearest park you can take your kids to is, and a whole host of other interesting, mundane, and plain necessary daily concerns. Back in your previous home, you likely never gave such things a second thought. You just knew all of it. But now, it is time for you to learn about your new environment.

Final advice

Now that you have gotten to the end of our post-move checklist, you should be well prepared for the tasks ahead of you! Remember that, even though these things are urgent, it is still better to take a breather first if you are suffering from significant stress or exhaustion. Better to set them aside for a little while than run yourself into the ground trying to get everything done immediately!