Buyer Guide
Closing week is when the small stuff can quietly pile up: utilities, movers, address changes and a dozen little errands that are easy to forget mid-move. This checklist pulls the week before closing into one place for buyers in Illinois and Indiana, with the exact providers and steps for Chicago's South Suburbs and Northwest Indiana. Work through it at your own pace, and know I am with you every step of the way.
Utilities & Services
The week before closing is the time to call every provider, because most utilities need a few days’ notice to schedule a start date. Aim to have service begin the day before move-in or the morning of move-in, so the lights, heat, water and internet are ready when the boxes arrive.
The Illinois South Suburbs share the same big-name electric and gas utilities, yet water is a local matter: each town runs its own water department, so call your new village or city directly.
Electricity
Sets up electric service for your new address. Schedule the start for the day before move-in or the morning of move-in.
Visit WebsiteXfinity and AT&T
Check which internet and TV providers serve your new address, then book the install window around moving day.
Contact Your Town to Set UpNatural Gas
Handles natural gas service across the Illinois South Suburbs. Have your account number and new address ready.
Visit WebsiteLocal Village or City
Each South Suburb town runs water locally, so contact your new town’s water department directly to set up service.
Contact Your Town to Set UpNorthwest Indiana towns each handle water and sewer locally, so Crown Point, Munster, Highland and Schererville all have their own water billing. NIPSCO covers electricity and natural gas for most of the region.
Xfinity and AT&T
Check which internet and TV providers serve your new address, then book the install window around moving day.
Contact Your Town to Set UpElectricity & Natural Gas
Provides both electricity and natural gas across most of Northwest Indiana. Set the start date for before you move in.
Visit WebsiteLocal Town or Utility
Northwest Indiana towns handle water locally: Crown Point, Munster, Highland and Schererville each have their own water billing. Contact your new town or utility directly.
Contact Your Town to Set UpTiming tip: schedule every utility start date for the day before move-in or the morning of move-in. A one-day overlap costs almost nothing and means lights, heat and internet are already on when the first box comes through the door.
Trusted Local Movers
These are the two companies I recommend to my clients around here. Both are established, local businesses that handle local and long-distance moves, and both have moved my clients across Illinois and Indiana with care.
10330 Indianapolis Blvd, Highland, IN 46322
Local and long-distance. Family-owned since 1958, serving Northwest Indiana with local and long-distance moves.
15331 S 70th Ct, Orland Park, IL 60462
Local and long-distance. Moving since 1947, licensed in 48 states, with local and long-distance moves.
Book early. Movers fill up fast for end-of-month closings, so lock in your date as soon as you have the closing date confirmed, and confirm your walkthrough date with me first so moving day lines up with the calendar.
Address Changes
Give yourself an afternoon to start this list, because a few of these take a week or more to process. Work down it in order and cross each one off as it is done.
File your change of address online or at the post office so mail follows you from day one.
Every account, bill and card statement should list your new address before closing.
Make sure your W-2 and pay stubs land at the right place before tax season.
Car and homeowners insurance both need the new address, and rates can shift by ZIP code.
Illinois Secretary of State on the IL side, Indiana BMV on the IN side. Both have a window after you move.
Register at your new address before the next election so you are on the rolls where you vote.
Cancel what you will not use and update the delivery address for anything that stays.
Records and prescriptions follow you best when the new address reaches them early.
Give the association your new contact info so dues, notices and rules reach you directly.
For providers you are leaving, close old accounts; set the new ones to start around move-in day.
Update your license and registration through the Illinois Secretary of State after you move.
Indiana requires new residents to register vehicles and get an Indiana license through the Bureau of Motor Vehicles within a set window after moving.
Final To-Dos
These are the finishing touches that make closing day feel smooth instead of rushed. Most take ten minutes; together they make all the difference.
Walk the home with your agent in the days before closing so you see it empty and ready.
Ask the title company for the exact total and method, wire transfer or cashier’s check, ahead of time.
At the walkthrough, test the furnace, water heater, appliances and any included fixtures yourself.
Read the electric, gas and water meters the morning you take possession for a clean baseline.
The seller may have handed out keys over the years; rekey or swap the locks right after closing.
Confirm your pickup day and get bins ordered with the town or hauler before the first curbside morning.
Arrange parking, elevator or stair time, and pet care so the crew can work without interruptions.
Keep your phone charged and your ID, closing documents and payment in one bag you carry yourself.
Walk every room, open every door, and run the faucets, the furnace and the appliances. Confirm that the repairs agreed to after the inspection are actually done, and ask your agent anything that looks off. This is your chance to catch it before you sign, and I will be right there with you.
One wiring caution: for your closing payment, only use the wiring instructions you confirm directly with the title company by phone. Never trust an email that changes payment details at the last minute.
New to the process? The buying guide walks through every step to this point, and the relocation guide covers what changes when your move crosses the Illinois-Indiana line.
If anything on this list raises a question, call, text or book a call. I have helped buyers on both sides of the state line close with confidence, and I am with you until the keys are in your hand. You Can With Joanne!
Every step from pre-approval to closing day, explained in plain language.
First-Time Buyer FAQsNew to buying? Start with answers to the questions buyers ask first.
Call or text (708) 252-1490 · Licenses RB18001751 (IN) · 475.183533 (IL)