Congratulations! You made it to your new home with the help of the right movers (ahem…Aaron Bros. of course! Click here for your free estimate) and your own mixture of hard-work and patience. But before you get ready to pop open a bottle of celebratory champagne, here are a few tasks we recommend you do right after your move:
Inspect your belongings
You might be tired from the activities of the day, but one of the first things we recommend you do is inspect your delivered belongings for any possible damage. If you utilized Aaron Bros. movers, this is the final step you will do with your Crew Leader before finalizing your bill. We can not speak for other moving professionals but within the industry it is highly recommended to take a close look at all items for any possible signs of damage. Hopefully everything checks out in one piece, but if damage or missing items are perceived, document your findings with photographs and notify your moving company immediately. Any reputable moving company should have a damage claim procedure in place and be willing to rectify the situation in a timely fashion.
Access information about Aaron Bros. Damage Claim procedure.
Get to know your new house
We are sure that you spent careful time choosing your new home, whether it is an apartment or a house. Even with your keen intuition that this is the right place to put down roots, it will still take some time for you to know the place like the back of your hand. Upon moving in, we recommend exploring all areas of your new home including some hidden areas such as the location of the main circuit breaker and the main water shut-off value. Trust us, you do not want to get into a situation where you are trying to find those two things during an emergency. This may also be an opportunity to look for any existing signs of structural damage or cosmetic damage that may have occurred during the move.
Utilities
If you haven’t done so before your moving day, we suggest you waste no time in setting up your new utility accounts such as gas, electric, cable and water services. It will be hard to do much of anything without power, a comfortable interior temperature, and running water.
Unpack essentials
You may be “gung ho” to get all your unpacking done on the first day or night in the new home. Instead of putting that pressure on yourself, we suggest unpacking your essentials first, those items needed to get you and your family through the first few nights in your new home. For many people, this usually includes setting up the beds of each member of the household and unpacking bathroom items and toiletries. Some moving companies, like Aaron Bros., provide assembling services and can be enlisted to rebuild bedframes and such before leaving the job site.
Register your vehicle/voter registration
By now, we are assuming that you had the chance to change your address at the United States Postal Service and online with any other places that would need your updated address. Two things that may get overlooked but are just as important as your mailing address are your vehicle registration and your voter registration. Both of these changes can be made at your local Department of Motor Vehicles, but do not wait too long since most states have a short-length grace period. We also recommend calling your local DMV branch to see which supportive documents are needed as proof of address.
For more information on who Aaron Bros.’ recommends to notify before your moving day, click here to access a previous blog.
