There’s a lot to do when moving to a new home. Our minds immediately go to changing change your address, setting up new utilities, and registering the kids for school – but have you considered how you’ll settle into your new home?
This is an important step that needs to happen before you can fully feel at home in your new home. Here are our top tips to help your family quickly and easily settle in your new SummerHill home.
Make a list
One of the reasons why it takes us so long to settle into a new home is because there’s actually a lot of things to do that we don’t realize! Create a checklist to keep track of all the tasks you’ll need to take care of as you’re getting settled.
Start with the kids
Most people have trouble adjusting to big changes, like moving, especially kids. Help ease the transition to an unfamiliar place by setting up your kids’ rooms first. This will give them something familiar and get them well on the way of getting comfortable in a new home.
Tackle priority rooms
Moving day is exhausting so don’t try to completely set up your home in one day. Instead, choose a few priority rooms to unpack immediately. Bedrooms and bathrooms are good places to start (you’ll appreciate sleeping in your own bed). Another good room to unpack is the kitchen, that way you don’t have to keep getting takeout, and it gives your family a place to gather.
Organize your unpacking
Once you’ve set up your priority rooms, start unpacking the remaining rooms one at a time. This will help you stay focused and quickly finish. When you try to unpack several rooms at once, you’ll quickly get overwhelmed by the amount of stuff just sitting around. Doing that will also cause the unpacking part to drag over several days and weeks. Don’t forget to break down the boxes as you finish to keep your home from being overrun with cardboard!
Recreate your regular routine
Just because you changed homes doesn’t mean your routine needs to change! Identify the routines you had in your old home you can do in the new one: designate the new drop zone for keys, wallet, and other small personal items. Walk your pets as usual and reinstate bedtime for the kids. The sooner you can get back to regular life, the sooner your family will feel at home in your new space.
Decorate small
Start placing smaller decorative pieces like vases, books, and framed photos around your home but wait to hang art. Wait until you’ve decided on where you will place your furniture and then begin to hang art. As you wait, place each art piece in the area you’d like to eventually hang them so you still enjoy them as you continue to set your home up.
Explore your new neighborhood
As you get the inside of your home set up, take some time to explore your new neighborhood. Start to familiarize yourself with your new community by taking a walk. This will allow you to find out where the community amenities, like parks and playgrounds are, meet your new neighbors, and help your family begin to bond with their new environment.
Celebrate your new home
Buying a new home is a significant milestone and is worth celebrating! Invite your friends and family over for a housewarming party. A bonus of scheduling a gathering is you’ll have extra incentive to finish unpacking those last few boxes to make sure your home is fully set up before the big day.
Is buying a new home part of your plans this year? SummerHill Homes can help. We have several new home communities throughout the Bay Area area. Visit us online at SummerHillHomes.com to view available homes, virtual tours, schedule a private tour, and begin your journey to your new home.