January 4, 2021
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Moving is no small feat. There are boxes to pack, paperwork to review and sign…and let’s not forget all the stuff that’s waiting to be sorted into “keep” and “donate” piles.
There are a lot of things to check off when you’re moving, for sure – and the better prepared you are for each step of the process, the easier it could be to settle in and feel at home in your new place.
To help kick things off, we’ve put together a list of things to do that’ll help you get ready for moving day as well as the days and months ahead.
New homes come with a sea of paperwork that you’ll need to hang onto even after the sale goes through. These are a few of the items you’ll want to organize – and store in a location that you’ll remember:
After you move in, begin tracking maintenance expenses so you can nail down this yearly budget more closely.
You probably already started making mental notes about projects you’d want to in your new house.
Listing them in order of importance before you move can help you come up with an action plan about what you’ll tackle when (and maybe help you avoid feeling like you need to do everything at once).
These are two lists you may want to consider making:
Plan to revisit your budget and savings within three to six months after you move in.
A popular rule of thumb says to save at least 1% of your home’s value each year for typical home maintenance. If your home was built 25+ years ago, it might be better to save closer to 4%. Of course, these are just estimates. After you move in, begin tracking maintenance expenses so you can nail down this yearly budget more closely.
Even if you handle just about everything on your phone or online, it’s important to update your mailing information. These are some services, organizations and people you should keep in the loop:
Now that you have a pretty good idea of what your monthly mortgage, property taxes, insurance and other homeownership costs will be, it’s time to see if you need to adjust your finances and savings goals.
Plan to revisit your budget and savings again within three to six months after you move in, when you’ll have a better idea of other bills, like utilities and maintenance.
This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for individualized professional advice. Articles on this site were commissioned and approved by Marcus by Goldman Sachs®, but may not reflect the institutional opinions of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., Goldman Sachs Bank USA or any of their affiliates, subsidiaries or divisions.
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