Make sure you’ve arranged for transfer of your telephone, utilities, water, etc.
Make sure the pilot light is lit in the furnace or water heater.
Make sure all appliances are working properly in their new location, and all fuses are operating.
Check for any damage to your possessions that may have occurred in transit, and note this in writing before signing the movers’ invoice.
Initiate the first meeting with the neighbors. They’ll appreciate the effort, and they can be a wellspring of information concerning the neighborhood, local businesses and schools.
Before you move in, make a diagram of where you want the furniture placed in every room in the house. Moving day is not the time to wonder where to put the oversized couch that your aunt gave you. And you don’t want to move heavy furniture after the movers have left.
Get the moving boxes and packing material out of the house as quickly as possible. This not only gives you a chance to see what you are doing, it also helps to reduce the cluttered, chaotic feeling accompanying a move.