The Lawhead Team would like to share the latest “One Cool Thing” from California Association of Realtors® about going from renting a home to buying a home:

The majority of renters who plan to purchase a home soon don’t expect to move far when they do. More than half will stay in the same county, if not the same neighborhood.

So, where will they live?

• 41% of new home buyers will live in the same county they currently reside.
• 23% don’t know where their home they buy will be.
• 14% will buy a home in the same neighborhood as their current rental residence.
• 11% will live in another county in California.
• 10% will move to another state to buy their home.
• 1% will buy a home in another country.

Do renters plan to use a REALTOR® when they buy a home?

• 56% said YES
• 36% said they don’t know
• 8% said NO

The Lawhead Team would like to share some helpful moving tips we suggest everyone follows when moving into their new home.

• Make A Checklist – For boxes that is! Label each box with a number and the name of the room they belong. On a piece of paper, list them on a checklist. Keep a copy when moving and give another copy to the movers. This will be extremely helpful if the movers are loading another house into the same truck and a box or two turns up missing.
• Neighbors – Make sure your neighbor you trust has a spare key to your old house. Chances are something will need to be checked after you leave or you may leave something behind when moving.
• Hire A House Cleaner – Moving your stuff and redecorating your new home is time consuming. Why not hire a professional home cleaner to get your home all cleaned and ready for you to move on in and start decorating!
• Tape Cords To Electronics – Keep all your electronics together with their correct cords and remotes to make sure you don’t lose anything and everything ends up together where it is supposed to. You’d hate to get your TV all hooked up only to find out your remote is missing!
• Eliminate Packing Paper – Go green and use towels and scarves to wrap your breakables. This also makes for less to move since your towels won’t need their own box!
• Moving Pets – Make sure you consult with your veterinarian before making the drive with your pets to their new home. Cats do not usually like the car so make moving as calm as possible. Even fish can sometimes get carsick and even die when the fishbowl is slopping all over. Keep their bowl as still as possible.
• Utilities – Lastly, make sure to cancel all your utilities before you leave and have all your home’s new utilities turned on before you move in. No one likes trying to unpack boxes in candlelight!

The Lawhead Team knows the excitement of buying a new house however there is often a lot of stress that comes along with moving.

Follow our 11 moving tips for a successful and stress-free move:

1. Pack a small overnight bag. You should include all your essentials including a change of clothes for the next day, toothbrush and anything you’ll need before you get your boxes unpacked.
2. Items that you will need first, such as phone chargers, paper supplies, and trash bags should be packed in a clear plastic bin. A clear bin will allow you to see inside and also separates it from the sea of cardboard boxes with less important items.
3. Save on bubble wrap and wrap your breakables in clothing. This saves room and money when moving! Use your socks to pack your glasses and stemware.
4. Pack by room, labeling your boxes by room. This is especially helpful if you have a two story so you will know what boxes to bring upstairs.
5. Pre-clean your home before the moving company shows up with boxes. Line your cabinets, put up shower curtains and stock the toilet paper.
6. Pack your plates like you would records. They will be less likely to break than if they were stacked on top of each other.
7. Keep your clothing in your dresser drawers and simply put Press’n Seal on them. This will make moving your actual dresser easier and will avoid packing and unpacking.
8. Use sandwich bags to keep various small parts together such as curtain rod hooks and screws for your mounted flat screen.
9. Take photos of how your electronics were connected so you can remember where everything goes after moving.
10. Save on using too many boxes by using your laundry baskets, hampers and suitcases to pack your stuff. Rolling suitcases make for a great way to transport heavy things like books when moving.
11. If you have friends helping you move make sure to get everything packed up before they arrive. The worst is still having everything laying out when your friends show up to help load things up!

Are you planning on moving in the near future?  The Lawhead Team would like to share some helpful moving tips we received from Bernardo Moving and Storage.

Countdown to a successful move – the moving checklist

We suggest that you start the moving process at least four weeks before your scheduled move date. This will provide you with plenty of time to complete all of the details that accompany moving.

4 weeks

• File a change of address form with the Post Office.
• Notify creditors, magazines and book/music clubs of your new moving address.
• Retrieve your family’s medical records and ask doctors and dentists to recommend a colleague in your new city.
• Decide which items can be sold, discarded or donated to charity.
• Complete your own inventory of each possession, including date purchased and estimated value.
• Notify the local utilities at your origin/destination to have service turned off/on as needed.
• Notify your children’s schools, your church and other organizations of your impending move.

3 weeks

• Decide which items you will be packing yourself.
• Sketch out a general floor plan of your new home to determine the placement of furnishings.
• Make a list of important names, addresses and phone numbers, and be sure to take your phone book with you on moving day.
• Notify your Wheaton agent if anything about your relocation has changed (dates, etc.).
• Make arrangements for moving your plants and pets.
• Contact your bank and transfer the contents of your safety deposit box.
• Check your homeowner’s policy to see if moving is covered by your insurer.
• Transfer insurance to cover fire, theft and personal property at your new home.

2 weeks

• If shipping an automobile, top off fluids like oil and antifreeze, but make plans to have the gas tank less than half full.
• Plan your own trip to your new home and make the necessary travel arrangements for your family.
• Arrange for the proper servicing of all appliances at your origin and destination.
• Dispose of flammable items such as gasoline, matches, bleach, cleaning fluids and aerosol cans. Read about what other items not to pack.
• Discontinue regular services like newspaper delivery, trash pick-up and lawn service.
• Finalize your plans for larger items (TV antenna, swing set, trampoline, etc.).

1 week

• Arrange for the payment of your Wheaton driver at destination. Unless your relocation is being billed to your employer or previous credit approval has been secured, payment by cash, certified check or money order is required before unloading.
• Transfer bank accounts so you don’t lose any interest.
• Make arrangements to disconnect/connect local phone service at your origin/destination.
• Determine which items you will be taking with you (jewelry, etc.). Pack and set them aside in a designated area.
• Use up all frozen foods or give them away.
• Drain the fuel from lawnmowers and other gas-powered equipment.

1 day before

Pack a box of things you’ll need as soon as you arrive at your new home. Take this box with you, or have your Wheaton driver load it last and unload it first.

• This is usually the day packing is done; verify all packing services have been performed before signing for them.
• Defrost, clean and dry your refrigerator.

Moving day

• Plan to be at your current home when our movers arrive and throughout the loading of your shipment. If you’re not able to be there, make sure the driver has the name and number of the person you’ve designated to oversee the process.
• Check the condition of your goods as they are inventoried and loaded.
• Make a final tour of your home/property and verify that nothing has been overlooked.
• Sign the Bill of Lading, double-checking that your new address and phone number are correct.
• Lock all doors and windows and turn off all switches.

Moving in…

• If possible, arrive at your new home a day early to make sure utilities are connected.
• Plan the placement of major items in/around your home.
• Be on hand to pay the driver prior to the unloading of your goods.

While purchasing your new home can be a fun and exciting time, moving all your goods from one house to another can big a huge pain.

It is, however, something that needs to be done so The Lawhead Team would like to share some helpful moving tips:

• Account for everyone in your family – Including pets!  Make sure to include your pet in your move – many dogs and cats get lost or run away when people relocate.  Make sure you consider their concern and include them in the move.
• Tell people you are moving – Notify your family, friends and professional associates you are moving and give them your new address.  You can either email them or give them a phone call.  Of course there may be some you’d like to keep in the dark – and that is quite fine!
• Pack important documents in one place – Collect your passports, children’s medical and shot records, address books and so forth into one box.  This way you aren’t searching through multiple boxes to find the key information you may need.
• Leave your old house clean – If you are leaving a rental home or apartment, make sure to clean it thoroughly and patch holes in the wall.  This way you will get your full deposit back.
• Change of address – Notify the post office of your address change.  This way mail will be forwarded to your new address temporarily while you have a chance to notify your bills and so forth that are sent to your home.
• Contact Utilities – Letting the utility companies that service your home know you are moving will make it simple and easy for you to have your utilities shut off right when you move out.  Contacting you utility providers in your new home’s town will make for a smooth transition from one place to another, ensuring your electricity and so forth are on when you are moving.
• Sort through what you don’t need – Moving is a great opportunity to  throw out or sell what you haven’t used in a long time and do not need anymore.  You can either have a garage sale or take your unwanted items to Goodwill.
• Unplug the fridge – A day before you make your move, unplug the fridge and clean it out.  This gives the freezer an opportunity to thaw out so you can wipe down and dry all the surfaces, avoiding mold.
• Label boxes with detail – Pack up one room at a time.  It will be much easier to unpack your boxes if you know what room you are going to be bringing each box into.  If you are moving into a two story house and the kitchen is on the first floor, you’d want to make sure your “kitchen” boxes remain downstairs where they belong.
• Lastly, line up movers – You may be hiring a moving company or simply have very nice friends that volunteered to help you move.  If you hire a company, make sure to find out upfront what they charge and find out exactly what they will and will not move.