Home Buyer's Guide to Moving In
To help make your move as easy and stress-free as possible, we share some valuable tips on how you can prepare for a seamless changeover.
Planning Your Move
With so many moving parts, it pays to draw up a checklist of all the arrangements you will need to make to ensure you don’t leave out any of the essentials come moving day. Here are some common preparations that you should tick off prior to your move:
- Hiring a Removalist: Save yourself a load of heavy lifting by hiring a reputable removalist company. Reading online reviews and comparing quotes should give you a good sense of which business is right for the job.If you’re not keen on hiring a professional removalist, make sure you’re strategic with the way you pack things. Remember that the difference between a good move and a bad move lies in how safely you pack and transport your items (see packing tips later).
- Internet: More often than not you can expect your estate to already have a working NBN connection. From here it’s up to you to engage a service provider who will install an NBN internet connection and/or NBN home landline at your residence. It’s best to arrange this well in advance since it will usually take providers a few weeks to set up your new connection.
- Home Insurance: Taking out home and contents insurance is the best way to ensure that you are financially protected if the unfortunate ever does happen, whether that’s a case of damage, loss or theft.
- Mail Redirection: Getting your mail forwarded from your old address to your new address is a must. Luckily it’s a fairly easy process. Simply visit the Australia Post website for instructions on how to redirect your mail. But make sure you allow at least 3 business days for your application to be processed and for your redirection to start. On that note, make sure that you have a letterbox ready to go. At times, new homeowners can be caught out because their builder did not include a letterbox in the house package, so it’s best to check this with your builder early on in the process.
- Utilities: It’s important that you get in touch with electricity and gas providers that service your new estate early on in the process, letting them know that you will need new connections as soon as you confirm your moving date. In the case of water, however, your settlement agent will generally contact your new provider to let them know about your land purchase. This just leaves you to let them know of your new postal address once your build is complete. Come move-in day, it’s best to check that all the utilities are working and your hot water is on early in the day to avoid any last minute troubleshooting.
- Changing Address: You’ll need to put aside a bit of time to update all of your documents that are tied to your old address. These generally include thing like your driver’s licence, car registration, bank details and your contact details at your GP practice, as well as any subscriptions you might have. Letting your family and friends know about your new move and notifying them of your new address is something you may want to do before moving day. You might even want to tick this off in the form of a housewarming party?
- Children and Pets: Moving day itself will generally require all hands on deck. Because of this, it’s a wise idea to make plans for your children and pets in advance. Organising sitters or reaching out to friends and family to take care of your two and four-legged loved ones is a small but important part of making sure that your move goes as smoothly as possible.
- Your Refrigerator: Easy to overlook but necessary nonetheless – if you’re taking your current fridge with you, turn it off and empty it at least 24 hours prior to moving.
- Pack a First Night Bag: Your first night in your new home may be a little disorganised with all the unpacking yet to take place. This is why it’s smart to pack a handy bag or suitcase of essentials in advance that contains things like toiletries, snacks, pyjamas, a change of clothes, and water. Putting some time aside to bag the important things will mean that you won’t have to go searching when you’re about ready for bed.
Packing Tips
A big part of ensuring that you enjoy an efficient and effortless move has to do with how well you pack everything in advance. Rather than just throwing things in boxes willy-nilly, it’s better to take a methodical approach if you want to make unpacking a little easier. Here are some helpful considerations when packing:
Packing isn’t something you’ll want to leave to the last minute. Ideally, you should begin loading things into boxes weeks in advance, starting with all the stuff you don’t typically use day-to-day.
Often it’s not until we prepare to move homes that we realise just how much stuff we don’t use or need. At the same time, this is a golden opportunity to refine your belongings so you’re not cluttering up your new home. And you don’t just have to throw things away. Selling and donating the items you no longer have use for is a great way to help yourself and others during the process.
For your more delicate items it’s important that you take care to cushion them with some extra padding to prevent them from cracking, snapping or breaking along the way. Clothes, towels, blankets, pillows and stuffed animals are all effective options for protecting glassware, ceramic plates and mugs, musical instruments, fragile electronics and the like.
The last thing you want is the bottom of one of your boxes to give way during the move. Use quality boxes and packing tape and be mindful about how much stuff you’re packing into each one. You don’t want your boxes to be too heavy.
To make the unboxing process easier, it’s wise to load the heaviest items first and settle them at the bottom, followed by lighter items.
To save yourself a lot of unnecessary rummaging, make sure you write down the contents of each box, as well as what room it belongs in. You’ll also want to make these labels visible on both the top and sides so you can easily identify the contents when the boxes are stacked.
Be it a beautifully curated display cabinet or a complex spaghetti of electronic wiring, when it comes to intricate arrangements it can be easy to forget how to reassemble them. That’s why you should take some helpful photos of all the setups you want to replicate in your new home.
To make things even easier (especially for your removalists), you can colour code your moving boxes to designate which room they belong in. Wrapping a thick strip of coloured tape around each box (even writing the correct room atop the strip) and cluing your removalists into your colour system is one more way to streamline the moving process.
Moving can be tiring and can take a lot of time. If you have to, request a leave of absence from your job, so you can focus on the task at hand. It may also be a good idea to request an extra day off after the move, so you have time to rest and get organised in your new home.
Moving Day
The big day is finally here! You’ve put in the prep work and everything looks ready to be kicked into gear as you begin the move into your new life. There are just a few more things you’ll need to do on the day-of to ensure that it’s all plain-sailing. Here’s a few final tips to see you through the finish line.
- Be well rested and rise early: With all the to and fro that happens on moving day, you’re going to need a solid amount of energy to get you through the hours ahead. So treat yourself to an early bed time and a good night’s sleep the day before. You should also set an alarm so you can get an early start to the day, giving yourself ample time to wake up, eat breakfast, drink your coffee and fit in a few last minute things before the removalists arrive.
- Pack the last of your belongings: Even with the bulk of your household items bundled into boxes, you’ll likely still have a few things that will need to be packed away on the morning-of. The last of your bathroom toiletries, the kitchenware you used to make breakfast, the blankets and pillows you slept on the night before – they’ll all need to find their way into a moving box.
- Stay well nourished: No matter which way you cut it, moving day is an involved, hands-on process. So it’s vital that you keep your stamina high by drinking plenty of water and taking adequate breaks to eat and re-fuel throughout the day.
- Take some photos: As unlikely as it is that anything will be damaged along the way, you should still snap plenty of pictures of your furniture, whitegoods and other fragile items that will be handled by your removalists. Just so you can have some proof of the condition of your belongings before they hit the road. Final metre readings and room-by-room photos of your home are also a wise move to document the condition you’re leaving your old digs in.
- Set aside your valuables: Give yourself peace of mind by packing all of your most valuable items into your own car and transporting them yourself. Things like laptops, tablets, jewellery, passports and other important documents should be kept by your side during the move.
- Greet your removalist:
- When your movers arrive you’ll of course need to run through all the necessary details such as:
- Identifying which (coloured) boxes should be placed in which room
- Identifying which boxes and items are fragile and should be handled with extra care
- Identifying which boxes should be unloaded first
- Identifying any items that should not be loaded onto the moving truck
- Identifying any furniture that requires disassembly
- Showing them where the bathroom is
- Exchanging contact information and ensuring that they have the correct address of your new place
- You should also stick around during this stage, monitoring that everything is being carried out as you’d like and being there to answer any questions your removalists might have.
- One final sweep: Once all your boxes and belongings have been loaded onto the moving truck take a few minutes to conduct one final walkthrough of your home to make sure that you haven’t left anything behind. Do a sweep of every room, checking wardrobes, cabinets, shelves and odd spaces. Though be sure to do this before your removalists take off to your new home.
- Provide some direction for your movers: With everything and everyone now at your new address, it’s time to acquaint your removalists with the layout of your home, showing them which room is which and reiterating which boxes belong where. Much the same as when they were loading your belongings at your old place, it’s best that you stick around to make sure that everything is being offloaded as you’d like and all items are accounted for.
- Settle in: Give yourself a pat on the back! You’ve made it through moving day without a hitch! Now you can finally relax, leave the unboxing until tomorrow, and head to bed with a well-deserved feeling of accomplishment. Welcome to your new community!
Getting Involved in Your New Community
Now that you’ve officially moved into your new residential estate it’s time to make the most of it! At Satterley we know that it can be a bit challenging to meet new people and get acquainted with the ‘ins and outs’ of a new neighbourhood. But rest assured, there are many ways you can connect with your local community in your new Satterley estate. Let us clue you in!
- Greet your neighbours: Old fashioned though it may be, knocking on your neighbour’s door and introducing yourself is still a fantastic way to strike up a friendship early on and ease you into your new surroundings. You may even like to go the extra mile with a small gift like a bottle of wine, a plant or something sweet. What better way to make a good first impression? Meeting your neighbours early is also a great way to get the scoop on what’s happening in the community and local hotspots.
- Take to the local parks: Beautifully landscaped parks and playgrounds are a hallmark of Satterley estates. Taking a stroll through your local green space with the family is just as much an opportunity to meet your neighbours as it is a brilliant way to spend a sunny afternoon.
- Pay a visit to your local eateries: Popping into your local café or restaurant on the weekends is an easy way to get amongst members of your community. Soon enough you’ll start to see familiar faces who you can easily strike up a friendly conversation with.
- Shop local: Support local businesses, sample fresh local produce and meet other members of your community all in one go when you visit the regular farmers markets in and around your new estate.
- Attend community events: With a dedicated in-house Community Development team operational in a number of our estates, Satterley residents often have something on the local calendar to look forward to. From open-air movie nights and weekend markets to seasonal festivities, you’ll have every opportunity to mingle with your fellow community members. By keeping an eye on your estate’s community website, social media page, or signing up to your estate’s email database, you can make sure you’re always kept up-to-date on upcoming community events and activities.
- Get acquainted with your local council: With many local councils offering a wide range of facilities, programs, events and attractions to local residents, it’s simply a matter of hopping onto your local city’s Facebook page or visiting their official website to see what’s on. A casual trip to your local community centre, heritage site or public library can be a great way to meet other residents in a fun, family-friendly environment.
- Join online resident groups: While attending in-person events is always a good way to meet your fellow neighbours and build friendly relationships, you can also take the digital route by joining your local community group on Facebook. Here you can engage with fellow community members, share information and ask any questions you might have about your estate.
- Volunteer: Have some spare time on your hands? Why not help improve the vitality of your new neighbourhood by volunteering for charities, sporting clubs or schools? It’s one more way to meet people who share similar interests and values to you while also giving back to the community and helping others.
- Get active: One of the best perks of living in a Satterley community is having easy access to a whole host of beautiful walking trails, reserves, parks and expansive green spaces. Getting out and about for a healthy dose of exercise is an excellent way to rub shoulders with your community’s fellow fitness enthusiasts.
All the best to your new life! From securing your finance and finding your ideal community to making it through moving day, you’ve just crossed the finish line of your property journey. Now you can begin to create your own special slice of life in your new thriving community.
