It's Yours - Time To Move In
By Sara W. Peterson
Sara works exclusively as a buyer's agent in Roseville, California and the surrounding area.

Actually, you've probably been preparing for this moment for several weeks. Your home is probably stacked with boxes ready to move. Let your friends know well in advance when you are planning to move if you want them to help. Don't keep it a secret. You should have also made a reservation for the truck or trailer, furniture pads and hand truck that you plan to use well before the date you plan to move.

If you're planning to hire a moving company, please make sure that you do your homework. Make sure that everything you agree to is in writing! Verbal promises and quotes are useless. Check with the Consumer Protection and Better Business Bureau people for problems others have encountered. And make sure that when you solicit moving company bids that you ask for their Annual Performance Report.

Now you will need to move the core utilities into your name if you haven't already done so. This includes electric, phone, gas or propane, cable TV, water, sewer, and trash removal. Much of this can be scheduled to happen by phone before closing. We'll help to identify who your new providers are and what numbers you need to call.

If you're moving within their territory, the cable company is generally glad to have you move any converters that you may already have. And if your move is from another city, make sure that you bring your old phone books along with you. They can come in very handy if you need to address issues with your old home or locate friends.

If the move changes schools for your children, you'll need to enroll them in the new schools. This is generally done by picking up an application at the new school. Again we'll do everything that we can to make this as smooth and easy as possible for you.

You'll need to get new checks from your bank and change your Driver's License. With your license address matching your checks life is easier that constantly explaining why everything doesn't match.

The Post Office is where much of the rest of the activity takes place. You will need to file a change of address. They can also provide you with a Voter Registration Address Change form which takes care of getting you re-registered. Watch your mail for the yellow labels that indicate who still needs to be notified of your new address and either give them a call or send them a Change of Address Card to correct their records.

Settling In - It's Time To Enjoy Your New Home
I doubt very much whether you need any help here - life always presents us with more things to do than we will ever have time to do, so pick the best and have fun!

The last few details are more in the way of organization. Put all of the documents associated with the purchase of your new home in a secure place. You'll need to refer to them for tax purposes. Yes, they did change the law on taxing the proceeds of the sale of a home, but they can just as easily change it back. The information is also necessary in calculating your net worth and other fun enterprises. Put the deed, insurance policy and your mortgage papers in a Safe Deposit Box, keeping working copies in a easily accessible location.