Toronto is truly a beautiful place to move to, a city of many cultures and economic opportunities that is consistently ranked as one of the most livable cities in the world. Investing in real estate in Toronto is a smart move if you’re looking to change your locale.

One thing to remember, however, is that Toronto can get cold. Winters are freezing, snowy, and windy, and if you aren’t used to frigid temps it can be a bit of a shock to move there.

Here are some tips to make moving to Toronto in the winter go as painlessly as possible.

Prep Your New Home

You’ll want to be sure that the utilities in your new property are turned on and fully functioning ahead of your move-in date. Can you imagine showing up with a truck full of your belongings only to find the house is below freezing because the heat isn’t working, or lights won’t turn on during the days when light is scarce?

Shoot for a two-day lead time to get these utilities up and running.

Clear Any Safety Hazards

The area you’re moving to may have experienced bad weather recently, resulting in blocked or slippery driveways and sidewalks. Since these are the pathways you’ll be most utilizing while moving in, you want to make sure they are cleared of any hazards.

Ice or sand pavement and concrete. Make sure there’s parking room that is not in the path of a plow route.

Cover the Floors

If there is snow or ice on the ground, things will get messy. Constant moving from outside to indoors ensures dirty boots will be dragging debris into the home.

Cover your floors ahead of time to catch the mess and ensure no long-term damage can be done to your flooring.

Put down tarps on hardwood floors and cardboard on carpets. Placemats at every entryway so folks can wipe their feet.

Bundle Up

Even if you’ve hired a moving company you may find yourself outside directing movers about the property. Be sure you have proper snow gear for yourself ready for the day. Hats, gloves, scarf, boots, and a nice thick pair of socks should help get you through.

Protect Your Belongings

You probably know enough to carefully wrap any breakables, but you may want to be extra diligent during cold months. Dishware and glasses are more susceptible to temperature changes and can shatter if the temps change quickly.

Double wrap everything, and consider moving these items into your moving truck last and into your home first.

Electronics are also easily affected by the cold, so consider putting those in a car rather than a moving truck.

Stock Up

When people move they often think to raid their pantries or fridge to get rid of expired or no longer wanted food. This is great, but if it’s wintertime be aware that you could run into a snowstorm right after moving in, making travel difficult or even causing things like power outages.

Be sure you have food supplies for such an event, as well as things like water, batteries, and candles.