After stepping into your new home, you may be feeling both excited and anxious. This is completely normal as moving often brings a mixture of emotions, both positive and negative. There are several ways that you and your family can complete your new home to help you feel comfortable and ready to start this new adventure.
Help Your Kids Unpack First
No matter how exciting it is to get a new home and start out fresh, moving can be stressful on a family, especially for the kids. Kids often lack experience in dealing with newness, which can be overwhelming. To help them feel comfortable in their new home, help your kids unpack their belongings so that they feel relaxed and safe before you attend to the rest of the day’s unpacking.
Give it a New Paint Job
Painting the walls is one of the best ways to personalize your new home. To determine what the best colors or style you want to go for, it may be a good idea to evaluate your furniture to come up with some inspiration for room designs. After determining the look and style you want to go for, buy a couple of test colors in a variety of shades. If you want a serene and mature effect, stick to more neutral tones. If you want something more exciting, choose vibrant shades for a pop of boldness. There are endless possibilities when it comes to painting your home.
Meet Your Neighbors
Moving has many benefits, however, it can be tough to leave your beloved friends and neighbors behind. That is why you should make it a priority to meet your new neighbors as soon as possible. Doing so will help you make friends and better help you adapt and feel like you belong in your new neighborhood. It’s also a great way for your children to get to know the other kids, especially before school starts.
Get a Dog
Your kids have probably asked for a dog before. With all the newness that comes with a move, is now the right time to adopt a puppy? Getting a puppy is actually a great way to complete the feeling of your new home and soothe any homesickness you or your family may be feeling. With a new move comes new beginnings, so why not get a fluffy, fun-loving addition to your family at the start of this new page? However, you need to prepare your family for a new puppy before bringing one home.
Get Back on Your Routine
It’s very true that moving can be stressful—even anxiety inducing. Getting you and your family back on your normal schedule will help mitigate this stress. While you may feel tempted to stay up late unpacking, try to go to bed at your normal time—especially if you are experiencing any jet lag. Make sure you eat around the same time you’re used to and try to keep everyone busy with either unpacking, playing outside, or meeting the new neighbors. This will make the new place feel more like home.
Plant a Tree
Fixing up the landscape is one way that you can make your new house feel like home. You can start with the garden or do something as simple as planting a tree. As your family adjusts to the new area, your little tree continues to grow and thrive along with you, symbolizing your family’s new growth. Before picking out a tree, research the best trees for the climate zone you live in. Measure how much space you have in your yard to plant the tree. Take note of the properties of your yard’s soil.Several years down the road, it will be fun to look at the tree to see how much it has grown since you planted it. It will also spice up your yard with its beauty.
Deep Clean
Even if the house was well kept by its previous owners, it is normal that during the selling and moving process, the house has gotten a bit grimy or the yard has become less tamed. Your home will feel much more like home after it looks and smells nice and fresh. Set up a day when the whole family can clean it up a bit. Everyone can participate, whether it’s scrubbing the walls, cleaning the floors, or mowing the lawn. By all working together, you can create a clean place to call your home.
Attend a Community Event
Unless you’ve moved within your same community, you may be feeling a little unsure in this new neighborhood, city, or even state. It can feel lonely to be a foreigner. That is why, as soon as possible, you should get your family out of the house to attend a community event. Stop by the public library, tour downtown, attend a concert, or explore a nearby museum. That way your home won’t just become your house itself, but the whole community as well. Plus, it might be nice to get a change of scenery from the unpacking process.
Commemorate the Move
After moving, there are most likely several different emotions going on within your family. Ranging from sadness, excitement, eagerness, curiosity, homesickness, stress, and/or peace. Whatever everyone’s feelings, now is a good time to find a fun way to commemorate your new home. Order some of your family’s favorite food and throw a housewarming party for just you and your family. Or you may even want to make it a bigger celebration by inviting new neighbors, family, or old friends nearby.
Moving is a fun adventure and a great way to start a new chapter in life. However, it is normal for your family to also experience feelings of anxiety or homesickness. Putting forth the effort to make the adjustment will help your family feel at home in your new house and community. Before you know it, you and your family will fit right in and never want to leave.
Need help with the moving process? Contact us today and we can help you sell your current home as well as find the home of your dreams!
