Moving into a brand new house is not like moving into an established one

The new estates around Cranbourne and Clyde are going up faster than the maps can keep track of. Here’s what catches people out.

Your street might not exist yet

Not to the GPS, anyway. We’ve had jobs where the navigation confidently sent a twelve-tonne truck into a court that was still a construction site. Send your removalist the lot number and the estate name as well as the street address, and if you’ve been out there recently, tell them which entrance actually works. It saves half an hour of everyone driving in circles.

The ground is soft

New estates mean new nature strips, unset topsoil and sometimes no kerb at all. A loaded truck parked on a soft verge can sink, and then you’ve got a much bigger problem than a delayed move. Somewhere firm to park is worth thinking about in advance.

Construction traffic is real

Concrete trucks, scaffolding, tradies parked on both sides of a narrow road. If your neighbours are still building, the street might be half its usable width on the day. Moving mid-morning is often easier than at 7am when every trade in the estate is arriving.

Protect the floors before anything comes in

This is the one people regret. New timber, new tiles and new carpet mark easily, and marks made on day one are your problem, not the builder’s. A good crew will lay protection down before the first item comes through the door. Ask whether yours does.

Handover doesn’t always happen on time

Builders push handover dates, sometimes by days. Same principle as settlement: know what your plan is if the keys aren’t ready, and tell your removalist it’s a new build handover when you book so they schedule around it.

You might not have fences, blinds or a letterbox

Worth knowing before you unload the whole house in view of the street. Some people move the valuables and the electronics last and lock them straight into a room.

Check what the builder still needs access to

If trades are coming back to finish landscaping, install a driveway or fix defects, don’t stack the garage to the roof on day one. Leave them a path.

Measure the doorways and the staircase

New townhouses in particular can have narrow internal stairs with tight landings. A three-seater that fitted fine in your old place might not go up. Tell your removalist about anything big and let them work out the angle before the day rather than on it.

We’re in the Cranbourne and Clyde estates constantly, so our crews know the roads, the mud and the courts you can’t turn a truck around in. If you’ve got a handover date coming up, ring Giordan on 0439 989 480.