Your Moving Checklist: 15 Things to Do Before

Your Moving Checklist: 15 Things to Do Before Moving Into Your New Home – I discovered a very nice moving checklist from Daniel Bortz over at Realtor.Com –

Welcome to the ultimate moving checklist—a list of all the things you should do before moving into your new home.

Let’s face it: With all the excitement of new digs, it’s easy to forget some important tasks. Plus, certain things are best done while the house is still vacant, long before your boxes and furniture are parked in the place. Put these things off, and it becomes all the harder to tackle them later.

1. Turn on utilities

Electric, gas, water—don’t assume they’ll be on and operational when you arrive. Instead, get all your utilities set up ahead of time.

“Chances are the seller will be turning them off as of the closing date,” says Greg Beckman, an Annapolis, MD, real estate agent.

2. Set up internet and cable service

Plan on having a “Property Brothers” marathon while you’re unpacking? Have your home wired for service before you arrive, advises Julie McDonough, a real estate agent in Southern California.

3. Order an energy audit

One of the best ways to cut your energy bill is to order a home energy audit, says Rachel Foy, a real estate agent in Newton, MA.

An energy audit is a professional assessment of your new home’s overall energy performance. This will show you how to make your house more energy-efficient (think insulating the attic, weatherstripping windows, sealing air leaks in crawl spaces), so it’s best to have one done and make related repairs before moving in.

A home energy audit costs, on average, about $215 to $600, but some utility companies will do them for free.

To see the rest of Daniel’s article, please click here.