5 steps for moving in and getting settled in your new home

Step 1: Secure

There are a number of things you should do, first thing, to make your new home as secure as possible.
 

• Make sure your insurance coverages and information are up to date. If you need new home, property or flood insurance, now’s the time to find out.
  
  
• Create a new, easily accessible emergency contact list, especially if you’ve moved some distance from your old home.
  
  
• Replace the batteries (if applicable) in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and make sure all of these systems are in good working order.
  
  
• Replace fire extinguishers, making sure you have enough strategically placed so you can access them easily from all corners of the house.
  
  
• Activate the home security system if there is one installed or install a new one a home without a security system is more than three-times more likely to be broken into.
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• Change all the locks in your home, as there’s no telling how many sets of old keys are floating around out there. Options range from re-keying current locks to replacing your exterior locks with the latest keyless electronic locks. Some of these can even be controlled from your smartphone from anywhere.

Step 2: Assess

Did everything arrive – and arrive intact? Is your new home clean and ready for you to move in? Is everything working as it should be?
 

• Check all appliances, boxes and furniture for moving damage and don’t hesitate to file a claim with your mover if anything is amiss.
  
  
• Clean before you unpack. This is the perfect time to deep clean, including getting vents and ductwork professionally cleaned.
  
  
• Plan out where you want all your furnishings to go before you start moving things around.
  
  
• Organize drawers, closets and storage now, before you actually start packing them full.
  
  
• Check all home systems – from HVAC to electric service to utilities – to make sure everything has been hooked up, set up and is operating to your liking.

Step 3: Settle In

It’s time to unpack, unwind and start enjoying the fruits of your efforts. The end is in sight. According to our friends at The Spruce, organization is the key.
 

• Determine your color scheme and decorating needs before you settle in and do as much of your painting and staining as possible before moving day.
  
  
• Develop a plan for unpacking and decide where you want things to go before you open that first box.
  
  
• Apply that same thinking to setting your furnishings, populating your shelves and decorating.
  
  
• Unpack one room at a time, starting with the kitchen before moving on to bedrooms, bathrooms and larger, multi-use rooms (in that order).
  
  
• Make sure you’re getting your mail! This isn’t something you want to discover was overlooked a week into your new home.

Step 4: Connect

Do friends and family know where to find you (well, the ones you want to find you, anyway)? Do you know who to call should you need anything? Make a list!
 

• Don’t hesitate to ask your realtor for their list of contacts. He or she is a great resource for everything from plumbers and painters to local take out.
  
  
• Update your own contact lists, from family and friends to those all-important emergency numbers to local services.
  
  
• Get the lay of the land. Where is the nearest good pizza? How about the nearest pharmacy? Your nearest Lowe’s or The Home Depot? Scope it out.
  
  
• Reach out to your immediate neighbors and introduce yourself if they haven’t already taken the initiative.
  

Step 5: Celebrate

It’s time to celebrate by giving yourself a well-deserved house warming party. Here’s how, from Better Homes and Gardens.

Welcome home

For people selling their home, very often the best investment is to just switch out their entryway door hardware incorporating the convenience, security and curb appeal it affords. For new home owners, however, an investment in all new door hardware, indoors and out, will continue to pay returns right up to and including when you’re in the market for your next new home.

From all of us at Schlage, congratulations. We’re here to help you make your new home as secure as can be with our innovative, high performance and stylish mechanical and electronic door hardware.

The Schlage Encode™ Smart Deadbolt and the Schlage Sense™ Smart Deadbolt are perfect for home automation and making your home smarter. These are but a few of the products Schlage offers to open possibilities for you and your new home. Share with friends and family who are looking to make a move and help open possibilities for them, too.