Your first day & week in your new home

Here is a list of suggestions of things you should do your first week.

1. Set up your bed – After you get the boxes into your new home, the first thing you should do is set up your bed. At the end of a long day of hauling boxes and unpacking, the last thing you want to do is set up the bed so you can go to sleep.

2. Unpack cleaning supplies – You new home has probably been given at least a once over by the former tenants, but you might want to give the bathroom, kitchen and other often touched areas like door handles and light switches a once over with a disinfectant.

3. Sweep, vacuum & mop. This is a good opportunity to vacuum and mop while all the floors are exposed.

4. Schedule utility service. If you haven’t transferred the utilities from the previous tenant or homeowner, you want to do that as soon as possible. Find your utility provider here.

5. Find the back road to your new home. Anything can happen like car crashes, fallen trees and power lines. It is good to drive around and try to find at least one alternate route to you home.

6. Find your nearest grocery store, gas station and post office.

7. Find the DMV and make time to get your license changed over if you are from out of state. You have 45 days to get a new license.

8. Sign up for garbage and recycling service if you town does not provide it.

9. Find a landscaper if you don’t plan on moving your own grass.

10. Find a doctor and dentist in the area. It may take days or weeks before you can get an appointment as a new patient so start early.

11. Create an emergency list of businesses in the area so you don’t have to search for a provider if something goes wrong. This would include the power company to report an outage, the water company and a plumber.

12. Consider a home warranty if you are a homeowner. You are moving into a new home and something could go wrong. Home warranties can save you money in the long run and some services such as septic systems have a limited time in which you can choose that coverage.

13. Renter’s Insurance. If you are renting, most places will require you to have renter’s insurance. It is cheap and can cover you belongings in case they are destroyed.