I am ready to close on my home and need to get the utilities turn on, now what?

I get calls time to time from clients about how to get their utilities turned on.  Even though this is basic for me, this is a challenge for a lot of us if we do not know the steps to make this happen.

Let me share some tips when having your utilities turn on:

1.  Make sure you know a precise date of move in so you have service ready on the day of move in.  I cannot tell you how many clients forget to coordinate this and do not have utilites on move in day.

2.  Call the utility company at least 2 weeks prior to move in and find out how you will be approved for service.  Some companies require deposits for the services, or pull your credit for approval (this is a soft pull).

3.  Some utility companys require the escrow number of your file before they will switch service.  You will need to talk with the escrow/settlement company and get this information upfront.

4.  Make sure the boxes are unlocked if they have to go out to the property and turn it on.  This is a rare case, but I have seen utilities not turned on due to this reason.

These are just a few tips that will help with your frustrations of having your power turned on.