Welcome!
Some of the stuff below assumes you are buying an existing house rather than a newly built one. If it's new, then some may take a slightly different twist but I think you'll get the drift.
One hint, if you have not come across it yet, is to get a mailshed box number now if you are in the gate 2 or gate 3 / 4 areas. There is no reason to wait until closing or anything, since the boxes are free and not currently assigned by street or current owner of the house. This way you can start giving it to people like credit card companies and magazines, etc, now rather than waiting so not as much has to be delayed and forwarded from your old address. If you are in the Gate 1 area, I believe you can set up your own also, as long as the current resident is still using their RR # and box # rather than one of the handful of people using street addresses.
As you may have noticed, trash service is Waste management.
I have heard for preschool, that Grammy's Place on Mission road (725-1993) across from Gate 2 (Lower Clubhouse intersection) is good in terms of taking care of the kids and very friendly. I guess I'm not sure how people compare these things, like what and how much "education" people look for (like second language exposure).
One other general hint to pass on to both new and as a reminder to current people. Since many people like to move in the summer, there are a lot of cars with inspections that expire in July and August. With people also taking vacations, there tends to be a last minute rush, so some places run out of stickers on the last few days. So, when you transfer your drivers license and get your plates (don't forget DMV wants their 5% tax, ouch!), you have 10 days to get an in state inspection. Don't leave it to the last Saturday of the month.
Speaking of which, DMV needs 2 things like utility bills or something for proof of address, so another reason to try to start some mail earlier rather than later.
Odds are good that your sales contract calls for the septic tank to be pumped. Ask the current owner both who they use, and where is the clean out if it was done earlier in the year. (Otherwise, remember to mark where the dug up grass is when you move in.)
Newspapers: Washington Post is usually home delivered on Sundays to most houses and some people pick it up at Webers or 7-11, etc on weekdays Excellent journalistic quality but don't expect any local news in it. Daily delivery is available for the Martinsburg Journal or a Hagerstown paper which will do a better job of some local discussions and issues, but can be spotty both on what is covered and the quality of the end product. The weekly Spirit is the only county paper, very skinny, which might be more interesting for legal notices, and a few headlines, but the columns seem to have a pretty limited audience, unless you are looking for new menu items to try cooking at home.
Good Luck!
(Don't be afraid to ask questions. Some of us like to hear ourselves ramble on more than we should...)
Tony Rosati
Driving effective electronic communication evolution
