After you’ve completed buying and building your brand-new SEDA home, it’s time to think about closing and moving. Your SEDA team is here to make your experience as enjoyable as possible, and we welcome your questions anytime.

To help make your closing and moving tasks easier, please see:

Start your plan!

The checklist links above will give you a good idea of what to expect from the next steps in the process. Here are a few more things to consider as you start planning your move.

Pare down and clean out

There’s no better time than now to go through all of the items in your home and decide what to take with you and what to purge. Separate your “purge” items by what you want to give away to friends or family, what you’d like to donate to a charitable organization, what should be thrown away, and what you may be able to sell.

For items you will be keeping, make notes of any that may require unusual packing, special handling, or additional insurance coverage.

For possessions you’d like to try to sell, consider having a garage sale. Although it will add to your workload as you prepare to move, it’s a great way to get rid of unwanted items without having to take them anywhere, and make some money you can use on your new home. If timing allows, consider having your sale right after the first of the month (when many shoppers have just gotten paid). For any highly collectible items, look into listing them on eBay or other online auction sites.

For items you’d like to donate, many organizations will offer to come to you to pick them up. Call around to several to see if they have this service, and be sure to ask for receipts.

If there are some items that you’re not ready to give away or sell, but that you don’t want to bring to your new home, look into storage facilities near your new home to compare prices and locations.

Research moving companies

Moving is a competitive marketplace, so you’ll probably have plenty of options from which to choose. Before making your decision—and trusting others to handle your possessions—take the time to ensure that the companies you’re considering are bonded and licensed by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Also, check out online customer reviews to help minimize problems.

Move your accounts and records

Even if you’re just moving from one part of town to another, you’ll probably be making some changes to your doctors, your children’s schools and more. Talk to your physicians’ offices about transferring medical records and ask schools at each end of your move about their processes for transferring records. Also, remember to arrange for the transfer of prescriptions to stores near your new home.

Make a notification list

Who might need to know about your new address? Make a list of family members, friends, co-workers and colleagues that should be notified, then send emails (or notes for those who may not use email) to everyone. You can even get fun announcement notes or cards printed that you can drop in the mail.