Things to Do When You Move Into a New Neighborhood

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Moving, in general, can be stressful. However, the work doesn’t end once you get everything unpacked into your new home. Once you’re settled in, there are a few more things that you’ll want to do to truly become settled into your new neighborhood.

Here are a few of the things you’ll want to do when you move into a new neighborhood to help you feel at home in no time at all. 

See Also: How to Move in Less Than a Week Without Losing Your Mind

Make sure you know where your local resources are

One of the first things to do after moving into your new home is to find out where all of your local resources are. 

If you have kids it can be a good idea to locate the closest emergency room or urgent care in case they get sick or have an accident. 

Other resources you’ll want to be able to navigate to easily include a gas station, hair salon/barber, nail salon, grocery store, and hardware store.

Meet some of your neighbors

Pre covid days it wouldn’t be uncommon for some of the neighbors to come over and introduce themselves on the day that you’re actually moving in. 

However, thanks to the pandemic, you’ll most likely have to meet the majority of your neighbors virtually. Thankfully, Nextdoor is the perfect app for meeting your immediate neighbors and there are city-specific subReddits that allow you to connect with others in your city. 

The best part of using Nextdoor to meet your neighbors is you can feel safe in the app environment that they have created. They have rules to keep the atmosphere safe and the Nextdoor racial profiling prevention features make it so everyone can feel as though they belong in the community. 

Learn the community rules 

If you’ve ever watched the show ‘Fear They Neighbor’ you know one of the quickest ways to piss off neighbors is for a newcomer to move in and not follow the community rules. 

Regardless of whether you’re a renter or a homeowner, you should have been provided with a copy of the neighborhood rules before moving in if the community you’re moving into is part of a Home Owners Association (HOA). 

If you’re not moving into a community that is part of an HOA, keep in mind that the community may still have certain rules that everyone is expected to follow. You can find this out by asking a neighborhood of any unspoken expectations or wait until someone approaches you about something that the neighborhood typically frowns upon.

Find out the neighborhood trash and recycling pickup dates

Finding out the neighborhood trash and recycling pickup dates is one of the more important things that we all know we need to do, but it usually slides under the radar on our to-do list as we start settling into our new homes. 

You’re going to have a lot of trash after moving in from packing supplies, and the last thing you want to do is miss the first trash and recycling pickup date.

Finding out the neighborhood trash and recycling pickup dates can be as simple as searching for it online (usually listed on the city’s government website) or asking a question on the NextDoor app. 

Explore the neighborhood on foot

After you’re settled into your new home, make time to plan a family walk throughout the neighborhood. 

This will let you get a better vibe of the community and you’ll be able to uncover any hidden gems such as a playground for the kids or a walking/running trail. 

Plus, who knows, this may be the perfect time to run into a few of your new neighbors.

Make sure your new home secure

Last, but certainly not least, you want to make your new home secure.

This can be done by setting up cameras, changing your door lock (especially if you’re renting), or setting up alarm system Home security, that can raise the alarm when anything out of the ordinary is happening on your property. 

While no one wants to think about their home being broken into, the reality is that in today’s time it’s very likely for it to happen.

Therefore, before you start doing any updates or decorating you want to take time to make sure that your new home is secure.

These are the things to do when moving into a new neighborhood

Moving is stressful – I get it. However, before you go into hibernation to try to recoup your energy make sure you do these things to settle into your new neighborhood. 

Did I miss anything? Tell me what’s on your ‘must do’ list when you move into a new neighborhood.