Making Your New House a Home

The process of looking for a new home for yourself and/or your family is sometimes excruciatingly emotional – and always tiring. After you sign on the dotted line and the house is yours, it’s time to be happy and feel settled, even if there are still boxes stacked to the ceiling. Even though you’re excited about the move to your new home, the first days and weeks may feel overwhelming and you may be a little disoriented. A few things that will make your house a home are planning a birthday party or decorating for and celebrating holidays. The memories you’ll create will make a difference.

Most home experts agree that the closets are where you should begin to make your house feel like a home. Kids may have school and you and your spouse may have to get up and go to work the day after you move in. If your closets are organised the future days will go much easier if you don’t have to rummage through boxes to get to your clothing and other necessities. Be sure to prioritise the kids’ rooms and make them their own as soon as possible. If old enough, let them unpack and organise things as they see fit.

One word of advice – wait to hang your artwork. Give yourself a chance to get to know the house before you decide where each piece belongs. Meanwhile, you can lean them against walls or other areas so you can see them while thinking about what you’re going to do.

Make yourself comfortable. Put clean bedding on the bed and be sure you include throws, pillows, and anything else that will help you sleep soundly that first night in your new home.

Arrange the bathroom items. No one is comfortable in a shower without a curtain or a bath mat to step on when you emerge from the shower. Be sure there’s plenty of toilet paper and soap – and don’t forget the towels.

There’s nothing like the familiarity of sounds and surroundings to make a house feel like a home. Clocks, chimes, favourite music, and whatever else you can think of can take the newness off the home and promote feelings of comfort.

Pets are often ignored during a moving process, but they’ll feel and behave much better if you walk them around the neighborhood, set up their water and food bowls in a place they can easily access, and set up the beds for them. Be sure to include their favorite blankets and toys too.

The stress of moving can be somewhat eliminated by sticking to your usual routine. If you have kids that come in from school and are used to hanging their coats on a rack as they enter the room, try to accommodate them with a coat rack in the new home. The routine doesn’t have to change along with the move.