Congratulations, you have secured a Contract on your property; now its time to organise the big move! Knowing you need to have packed, cleaned and have the property ready to hand over to the purchaser on settlement day can be a daunting task, but being organised takes away much of the stress. There is a lot you can do prior to the day, so we have put together some handy hints to help you get your plans underway:
What you can start on now:
- Begin notifying key contacts such as utility companies about your move; arranging for any final readings – remember to keep your electricity connected until after your house has been cleaned.
- As you receive mail, begin updating your address with banks, insurance providers, drivers’ licence, subscription services, friends, family etc.
- Start to use up all existing household items such as food, bathroom toiletries, and cleaning and gardening products; this will prevent unnecessary wastage and reduce the handling of these items when moving.
- Start decluttering and sorting through your belongings and decide what to keep, donate, or discard; consider holding a garage sale.
- Book in a cleaner to conduct your final clean and a gardener to do the final mow, edging and weed pulling. You might have plans to do it yourself, but it is a huge job to do on a stressful day and remember; the property must be handed over in the same condition as the purchaser viewed the property.
- Begin making any general repairs and remove excess rubbish from the property – unless agreed otherwise, items such as spare paint, old pavers etc. must be removed from the property prior to settlement.
- Arrange packing materials such as boxes, tape, and bubble wrap.
(Visit Adcock Real Estate in Balhannah for all your packing supplies!)
1 – 2 weeks away from the day of the big move:
- Confirm removalist booking.
- Confirm cleaner and gardener – remember the oven and the windows!
- Confirm disconnection and final readings for utilities.
- Arrange the redirection of mail through Australia Post.
- Gather instruction manuals and warranties for stove, dishwasher etc for the new owner along with retrieving all the keys for the property including the garage, gates, and any padlocks.
- Inform us of your forwarding address, along with advising us of when you plan to drop the balance of keys into our office.
- Start using the last of the perishable and freezer food.
- As you begin packing, label boxes clearly with their contents and the room they belong to – start packing anything you won’t be using between now and the day of the move – create a box for the items you need for the last few days, and this will be ready to go with what you need for the first days in your new home!
The day before and on the day:
- Have your bag for moving day ready – include any valuables, medication, toiletries, change of clothes, snacks, pet food or documentation.
- Disconnect your fridge, washing machine and freezer (unplug and tie up cords) and dismantle furniture where possible in readiness for your removalist to arrive and then your cleaner to do the final exit clean.
- Do a final walk through the property to ensure you’ve left nothing behind – check all the cupboards, and shedding.
- Once the cleaning and any gardening is complete and the property is completely vacant and ready to be handed to the Purchaser; lock all the doors and windows, leaving the property secure.
- Drop all the keys into Adcock Real Estate at 92 Onkaparinga Valley Road, Balhannah; we will hold the keys until settlement has occurred, then hand them over to the Purchaser.
*Should you require assistance to find recommendations for people such as removalists, cleaners, gardeners, or a handyman; please don’t hesitate to contact out friendly staff – we have a list of helpful businesses that we can put you in touch with!