8 Tips For Moving To a New Home

Moving to a new home is rarely anyone’s idea of a good time. While a new home and a new city is certainly exciting, the act of packing up and moving is often filled with stress. If you’re planning on relocating to one of our service locations in or around the DMV area, rest assured that you’ll enjoy the wide variety of homes and the seemingly endless opportunities for work, school, and leisure. Here are 8 tips to help make your actual  moving day go as smoothly as your newest adventure:

Research Your New Hometown

If you’re just moving a town over, you may not need to prepare yourself too much for your new city, but if you’re coming from several states away, then you’ll want to take some time to get to know your new town before the move. Use the web or go old school and request a relocation guide. Learn about important local services for electricity and water, for instance, as well as the local hospitals, grocery stores, and schools for children. With a fresh, new house, you may be on the market for new art, furniture, and upgrades to match. Get an idea of which shops to visit or services to use ahead of time by browsing online. 

Shenandoah Shutters is locally owned and operated out of Richmond, Virginia. We serve D.C, Maryland, and Virginia cities. We’ll outfit your home with authentically wooden, custom made plantation shutters that will let you control the sunlight entering your home, as well as add beauty, privacy, and value to your new home. 

Start a Checklist

Having a checklist of things to accomplish before, during, and even after moving day is one way to cut down on mental stress and be sure that everything is in order for the big move. Make a list of anyone who you need to call or contact before the move. Go from room to room and make notes of anything that might need to be remembered, like defrosting the refrigerator, for example. Don’t forget to include things like giving your home a good scrub down and any necessary conversations to have with the movers regarding fragile items or your moving paperwork. 

Organize Your Boxes

Make your unpacking job a whole lot easier by using separate boxes for each room. For example, pack all of your living room belongings together, all of your kitchen items together, and so on. Label each box. Take it even further by separating your fragile belongings from your more durable ones. This way, you can let the movers know which boxes need extra attention when transporting. You’ll definitely want to invest in plenty of quality markers and boxing tape. You’ll likely also want to pack the things that you’ll need first upon arrival in your new house in their own separate box, as well. It sounds like a lot of separation, but you’ll thank yourself come move in day. 

Take Inventory

Your moving company should give you an inventory sheet, but if they don’t, be sure to ask for one. If you aren’t tired of labeling yet, take a moment to number each of your boxes. When you arrive at your new house, it’ll be much easier to make sure that you have all of your items. If there’s a problem, you can quickly communicate this to the movers and consult your inventory sheet.

Ask Yourself If It’s Time to Downsize or Update

Going through the kids’ closets and realize they can’t actually wear half of the clothes? Come across old utensils in the kitchen that you’ve never used? Instead of seeing packing as a chore, use it as an opportunity to think about what you really want and need in your home. You might even find that some of your heftier items, like couches and sofas, don’t fit into the style that you imagine for your new home. In that case, would it be better to donate or sell them and buy fresh furniture in your new hometown?

Remember Your Mail

It seems like nearly everything is done online these days, but you likely still receive packages and mail from stores, subscriptions, and credit cards. Make a list of the services that will need you to change your address, so that you don’t lose out on that monthly package from Amazon Prime, for instance. You might want to stop by the post office to fill out a change of address form or set up a P.O Box. It can also be fun to send out classic moving announcement cards to family and friends. 

Unpack One Room at a Time

When you get to your new house, unpack each room at a time. This will keep you from rushing all around in search of that one specific box. Have children or pets? Their boxes may be the first ones that you want to open, so that they’ll be entertained while you work on the bedrooms or the bath.

Make It Fun 

Don’t feel like you have to unpack everything immediately after a long day (or couple of days) of moving. Settle in and enjoy your new home. For example, instead of ordering pizza and staying inside to unpack on your first night, consider going out to eat at one of the restaurants in your new hometown. You’ll come back refreshed and you’ll have had a chance to explore your new surroundings. 

Ready to Work on the Windows?

Plantation shutters are extremely popular in the DMV area for the timeless grace, style, and functionality that they provide. If you’ve just purchased a new home, or if you just feel like it’s time for a change with your existing window treatment, contact Shenandoah Shutters today. We can construct a variety of types of plantation shutters to suit your needs. Live in or close to Richmond? Stop into our woodshop and showroom for a tour of our products. We’ll have you feeling like a local in no time!