1) Arrange
for your insurance cover over the property.
Most
contracts for the sale of residential property include terms that the Buyer is
responsible for taking out sufficient insurance cover over the property, with
the insurance policy to commence from the Contract Date. Although this step may seem like common
sense, occasionally this will be forgotten about or delayed. If you are a buyer reading this and have not
yet taken out sufficient building insurance cover over the property then
do so immediately. You should add contents insurance cover from the date you take possession of the property.
do so immediately. You should add contents insurance cover from the date you take possession of the property.
2) When
buying your new property remember to book your pre-settlement inspection in
with the real estate agent.
This
step can easily be forgotten leading up to settlement and we recommend that a
pre-settlement inspection of the property is always conducted, even if you have
inspected the property at the start of the matter and were satisfied with the
condition of the property at that time. Common things to keep an eye out for:
large unwanted items of furniture from the previous owner being left behind or
abandoned when not agreed or expected, severe furniture removal damage may be
evident, severe property damage due to bad weather, general vandalism, or any
other form of damage as inspected.
3) Contact
all important people relevant to you who will need your new home address
details.
An example of important people to consider giving your
new home address details to includes (but is not limited to): family and friends, your employer, the electoral roll and tax office, your
bank(s), your GP and all medical/insurance covers, your children’s school/day
care etc, the details listed on your pets micro-chipping, your drivers and work
licenses, and of course all companies where you receive regular or periodic bills
and tax invoices from. Finally, don’t
forget to disconnect and reconnect all your utilities such as electric, gas,
home phone and internet etc.
4) Don’t
forget to contact your post office and organise for mail
forwarding/redirecting.
When you start to arrange for all your contact details
to be updated, there will usually be that one company where you can’t update
your home address on the database until AFTER settlement due to expecting
upcoming or regular bills etc. Once
settlement time approaches, and once you start moving into your new home, life
suddenly gets very busy and it is easy to forget to arrange for those final
companies to be updated with your new home address details. Mail redirection will prompt a self-reminder
to make these final changes and also
saves running the risk of losing important mail due to the new owners or tenants
accidentally throwing out your mail or not
being thoughtful to alert the sender and mark your mail as ‘no longer at
address - return to sender’.
5) Strategic
packing - Start to pack in advance
When packing, begin
with room culling to dispose of all items you no longer need or use to minimise
what will eventually be packed and unpacked by you. Pack by importance and level of use, and label
all boxes – the more detail the better.
Book removalists in advance and consider reserving time off work if your
settlement falls on a weekday to ensure you transfer the bulk of your
belongings into your new home where it will be most importantly locked up and
safe.
