First Home Buyer's Moving Guide - What Nobody Tells You.

Moving into your first home is a different experience from every move you have done before. For the first time, it is your place - not a rental, not a share house - and everything about it is a decision you own. That is exciting and slightly terrifying in equal measure. This guide covers the practical realities that most first home buyer advice skips past: what happens on settlement day, what you need to have ready before the truck arrives, and what no one told you until it was too late.

Settlement day and the keys - what actually happens

Settlement happens when your lender transfers funds to the vendor's lender and the legal ownership passes to you. This is usually done electronically and confirmed by your solicitor or conveyancer. The keys are released once settlement is confirmed - in most cases via the real estate agent's office. Settlement is typically scheduled for a specific date but not always a specific time, and it can be delayed by paperwork, lender processing, or minor issues that your conveyancer needs to resolve.

This matters for your removalists because: do not book the truck for the same day as settlement unless your conveyancer has confirmed the settlement is very likely to proceed on time and keys will be available by mid-morning. Delays happen. If the truck arrives and keys are not available, everyone waits - and you pay for the time. The safer approach is to settle on day one and move on day two, staying one more night at the old place. If your lease end date makes that impossible, talk to your removalist about a flexible start time rather than a fixed arrival.

The property may not be as clean as you expect

Vendors are legally required to leave the property in a reasonably clean condition, but "reasonably clean" covers a wide range of actual outcomes. Some first home buyers walk in on settlement day to find the previous owners left the property spotless. Others find it needs a full clean before furniture goes in. Do not arrange to have furniture delivered the morning after settlement without having someone inspect the property first. If cleaning is needed, book a professional cleaner for the morning of settlement day and schedule the furniture move for the afternoon or the following day.

Utilities - connect before you move in, not after

Electricity and gas need to be connected to your name before you arrive. In New South Wales, you can contact an energy retailer directly and arrange a connection - most can connect the same day for electricity, gas takes slightly longer. Internet is the one that catches most first home buyers - NBN connections for new customers can take one to two weeks from application. Apply as soon as your settlement date is confirmed. Do not assume the previous occupant's service transfers.

Water is handled differently - Sydney Water connects accounts automatically on title transfer for most properties. Your solicitor will advise you on the specific details for your property. Council rates connect to you as the new owner automatically from the settlement date.

What to do if the property is not what was agreed

If you inspect the property on settlement day and find items that were included in the sale have been removed (fixtures, appliances, window furnishings that were listed), or damage that was not present at your final inspection, contact your solicitor or conveyancer immediately - do not let settlement proceed without flagging it. Most of these issues are resolved through a price adjustment or a vendor undertaking to reinstate the item. Once you accept the keys and settlement is complete, your leverage for negotiating these issues reduces significantly.

Planning the move itself

First home moves are often smaller than the moves that come later in life - most first home buyers are moving out of a rental or a share house, not a fully furnished family home. But they are often more complicated than they look, because first home buyers frequently acquire new furniture at the same time they move - a new bed, a new couch, a new dining table - and coordinating delivery of new furniture with the move of existing belongings requires some planning.

The simplest approach is to move your existing belongings first, then have new furniture delivered to the new address in the days following. Do not attempt to coordinate your removalists and a furniture delivery company arriving at the same property at the same time on the same day. It creates a competition for access and parking that reliably goes wrong.

For more on what to expect from the move itself, read our guide on what to expect on moving day. When you are ready to book, get in touch on 0466 705 078.