Brought to you by our friends at Bellhops.

Congratulations! You’ve finally found the home of your dreams, and you’re ready to start signing the paperwork. While the excitement of transforming your life and enjoying a new home can get the better of you for a while, you’ll soon find that little issues start to creep into your mind.

From packing boxes quickly and making sure that you have everything ready for when your professional moving team arrives, to switching your utilities to your new home, there’s a lot to do. Here are just a few crucial things to deal with before you officially move home.

1. Get on Top of your Packing
When you’re living a busy life, it can be tempting to leave your packing to the last moment, then attempt to pour everything into boxes in one day. Unfortunately, this can cause some serious stress, and even increase your chances of leaving must-have items behind. To reduce your risk of a packing disaster, manage your move carefully. Give yourself a daily quota of boxes that you need to deal with and stick to that number. You should be ready by the time the movers arrive.

2. Deal with the Details
Though it’s easy to get caught up thinking about moving and boxes, there are little details that you’ll need to consider before you move too. For instance, you’ll need to ensure that you switch your utilities over to your new home, like gas, electric and broadband. It’s also worth making sure that you’ve got your mail forwarded to your new address, and your insurance set up too.

3. Get the Basics Moved First
If your new property is within driving distance of your old home, and you want to make sure that you’re comfortable when you arrive at your destination, it’s worth taking some supplies over the day before. Extra clothes, some drinks and snacks, and even a microwave so you can heat up some food can help to make unpacking the next day a lot easier.

4. Discover your Local Resources
When you’re ready to start settling in, and you’ve got everything else set-up, you’ll be able to start getting to know the neighbors and exploring your new home. Take a walk around the neighbourhood you’ll be living in and introduce yourself to people when you get the chance. This is a great way to get recommendations of everything from places to eat, to local handymen. You might also find additional resources like parks for the kids to play in, or a nearby store to pick up your groceries at.

5. Visualize Your New Life
Finally, you’ll be ready to start thinking about life in your new home, and what your property is going to look like by the time you’re finished with it. For instance, you can start imagining the paint colors that you’re going to use on the walls, and where you might place your furniture when everything is unpacked. Visualizing your new home not only makes unpacking easier, but it can also help you to feel more at home in your new property when you’re feeling strange and uncomfortable in an unfamiliar space.