To Do List After Real Estate Purchase

jane-field-vernon-realtor So, you've found your new home, obtained your financing, completed the Home Inspection and firmed up your purchase contract. Now what? Because of this ongoing busy market, book your moving company or rental truck immediately. Hopefully you have remembered my advice from an earlier column and not chosen to move at month end, when movers and trucks are most heavily booked.

Next prepare a list of everyone who will need to know of your address change. These would include your gas, cable, phone, credit card companies, insurance companies & brokers (e.g. auto, life) hydro, investment advisors, banks, doctor, dentist and your travel agent. Remember also magazine subscriptions. Of course your family and friends need to be on your list too!

To notify each of the people on your list, the easiest way I know of is by phone. For the remainder, the post office carries change-of-address post cards which are available at no cost to you. Regardless of how thoroughly you have prepared your list, it is highly recommended for your peace of mind and your security that you also put in an address change at the Post Office. For a within Canada move the cost is minimal at $33.00 and it is good for six months. Doing this you have minimized the chance that you've forgotten to include someone on your list or that your mail will fall into the hands of the new occupant of your current home and have them fail to forward it to you.

Consider booking a professional cleaning service to clean your home when your movers are finished moving you out. It's not all that expensive and a great stress reducer on moving day.

Most of us like to have our carpets cleaned for the new people. This does take some time synchronization though. The carpet cleaners have to be able to complete their work in time for the carpets to dry prior to the arrival of the new peoples' movers.

Next, arrange for a locksmith to re-key your locks on the new place as soon after you receive the keys as possible. You have no worries that way about the key security habits of the previous owner. They may have given keys to friends, family, housesitters etc. Usual costs range from $40 to $50 and its worth it.

Finally arrange your homeowner insurance for the new place and cancel it for the old place. I recommend putting it on the new place a day early and canceling the old place a few days after that sale closes.

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