Once your offer has been accepted by the seller, things move really fast when you are buying a home. While your moving date may be two months away, you are going to need all that time to ensure a smooth and, hopefully, not too stressful move. Here’s an easy checklist to follow if you are moving to DeLand soon.
Get a Mover Scheduled
As soon as you know your moving date, get quotes from at least three companies. If you would rather do a container move instead, call around to get quotes from those companies. Perform your due diligence in checking the companies’ BBB history and insurance coverage for your belongings. Once you have chosen your moving or container company, secure your spot on their schedule ASAP.
Research Your New Community
Whether you are moving to DeLand from a nearby town, next county, across the state, or across the country, you are going to need to know things like:
- What schools will your children be going to?
- What activities are available to your children?
- What is the nearest hospital to your home?
- Where are doctors and dentists located?
- Where are the grocery stores located?
- Where is there a church nearby for your denomination?
- Where is there a local veterinarian and how to transfer your pet’s medical records?
You can look up most of this information on the internet. However, if you’ve hired a Palmetto Realty agent, they can be a valuable resource for answering many of your questions about your new community. Our agents know so much about this community because they live in it just like you, so they have valuable insights for you about your inquiries.
Get the Legal Stuff Covered
Outside of dealing with home inspections, mortgage lenders, getting homeowners’ insurance, and all the other stuff that goes with buying a home, you also need to take care of things like:
- Securing new health insurance if you are moving out of your coverage area and are not covered under an employer’s group plan
- If moving from another state, getting your Florida driver’s license, registration, and title squared away
- Securing new car insurance if your current policy doesn’t include Florida residents
- Finding out how to get your pets licensed in Florida and what vaccinations are required
- Changing your address with the post office and IRS
- Finding a new bank if your current bank does not have branches in or near DeLand
Setting Up Utility Service in DeLand
About a month before your move to DeLand, start setting up your utility services. You want everything set for your move so that you are not rushing around last minute in the days before your move. The local utilities may request a letter of credit from your current utility companies, run a soft pull on your credit, or simply request that you pay a security deposit which will be applied to your bill after you have proven yourself to be a dependable payer.
In DeLand:
- Your electric supplier will be Duke Energy DeLand Ops Center – (800) 700-8744.
- Your city services for water, sewer, stormwater, and garbage collection is the City of DeLand Utility Billing – (386) 626-7051.
- Your natural gas and propane supplier is Florida Public Utilities – (800) 427-7712
- There are multiple providers of internet and cable services to choose from. It is best to compare prices and the features each offer.
Don’t forget that you are going to need to notify your current utilities that you will be moving and give them the expected move-out date and if that date changes, be sure to notify them ASAP.
Get Organized
The least stress you need during the move, the better. Being organized will help reduce stress and prevent mistakes from happening. Here’s a list of things you should be working on to make your move to DeLand a success:
- Take the time to get rid of or donate items that you know you won’t use in your new DeLand home (e.g., snow shovels, sleds, etc.).
- Plan out where your furniture will go in your new home and if it will all fit.
- Pack, pack, pack but in an organized way. which includes labeling what’s in each box and what will go in the moving truck or container, your vehicle, or in a travel trailer if you will be towing one with your vehicle.
- Keep valuable items separate from the rest of your packed belongings to avoid losing them.
- Organize all your important documents to take with you that you might need or would be difficult to replace if lost, including:
- Passports
- Birth certificates
- Deeds
- Wills
- Financial documents
- Set up quotes from contractors for any work you may need to have done on your new home.
- Arrange for transfer of security system monitoring if available or get quotes for security systems.
- Arrange for landscaping and pool services if needed.
- Arrange for a housecleaner if you want your DeLand home cleaned before moving in.
Upon Arriving at Your New Home in DeLand
When you have arrived at your home in DeLand and the “buying a home” journey has reached its end, you can breathe a little easier, but your job is not quite done yet. You will have plenty of unpacking to do, but don’t forget to do the following:
- Change the locks on your entry doors
- Check your smoke/CO detectors and fire extinguishers
- Check your yard for any hazards that could injure your children or pets
Our team at Palmetto Realty is always ready to help you along the home buying process here in DeLand. Feel free to ask questions along the way, as our realtors are very knowledgeable about the area since we’re locals too!