Are you Planning a Move?

Planning a Move

There’s little doubt that Canadians are on the move. Whether moving from an apartment to a home, apartment to apartment or home to home, moving is no simple matter. With careful planning, however, your transition can be facilitated in an organized and efficient manner, allowing you the peace of mind you need to settle into your home. The following moving tips are provided by the Ontario Real Estate Association.

Advance Planning

Planning should begin at least two months in advance. Confirm your closing date before scheduling your moving date. If you are renting, confirm your move-in date. Make a list of all records that must be transferred to a new location, such as children’s school records, and financial and medical records.

Whether moving two blocks or 2,000 miles, decide what must go with you. This may be a good time for a serious cleaning of the closets or the basement where you’ve been storing your “valuables.” It can be expensive and time consuming to move things you really don’t need, or worse, to find that there’s no place to put them in your new home.

If you are disposing of a large number of items, consider holding a garage or moving sale to offset some of your moving expenses. If you’re donating items to charitable organizations, ask for a receipt for tax purposes.

New Address

Some things you may need to do:

• Send change of address cards to magazine publishers and organizations with whom you are affiliated (Most magazines request 4 to 6 weeks notice)
• Provide change of address notice on credit card bills
• Leave forwarding instructions with the post office
• Let your friends and neighbours know your new address
• Request help you may need with packing and moving
• If you are moving yourself, schedule a moving party providing pizza and beverages for anyone who can help
• Take inventory of borrowed or lent items and return what is not yours and retrieve your items
• Dispose of flammable liquids, such as gasoline or oil. Is there gasoline in your lawn mower?
• Two weeks before you move, contact local utility companies to advise of a date to disconnect service
• Arrange for utility service in your new home
• Clear up outstanding accounts, particularly if you are leaving the area
• Plan carefully for the transfer of checking and savings accounts
• Open an account in advance in your new community so you have access to money, but make sure your old account stays open until all checks have cleared
• If you are driving any distance, service your car before you move. Car problems in an unfamiliar community can be troublesome.
• This is also a good time to make appointments with doctors and dentists arranging for a final check-up and discussion of potential problems of which to advise a new doctor.

If you need help planning your move or anything else real estate related, call us, Semone Duerr and Jojo Plachta, at 416-699-9292 or email us at homes@MyDistilleryDistrict.com.