Moving to Saraland: What I Learned When I Moved Back Home

These are the things I learned moving back to Saraland that I wish someone had told me before move-in day. Literally.

You have to go in person to get your power and water turned on in Saraland, and you can't do it early. You leave the closing table and go straight to the power and water offices. And if you're closing on a Friday, ask the seller not to have the water turned off until Monday, or you'll spend your whole first weekend without water while you're trying to move in.

I grew up in Saraland, so moving back home felt familiar in a lot of ways. I knew the roads, the schools, the community and the places that make Saraland feel like Saraland. But buying a house here as an adult still came with a few surprises, and some of them are exactly the kind of practical information nobody thinks to mention until you're standing in a house trying to move in.

So if you're moving to Saraland, here's what I'd want someone to tell me before closing day.

Alabama Power

If you're buying a home in Saraland, plan to set up your power service in person after closing.

Bring your ID along with your deed or closing documents showing you now own the property.

The important part is that this isn't something you handle a week before closing and have waiting for you when you arrive. You close on the house, get your paperwork, and then go set up service.

My recommendation? Leave the closing table and go straight to Alabama Power. Once you get to the house, there will be movers, furniture deliveries, boxes, cleaners, contractors, family members and about 400 other things competing for your attention. Get the power handled first.

Saraland Water & Sewer

This is the one you really need to know about ahead of time.

And yes, that Friday part matters.

You need to set up your water account in person and bring the documents showing you now own or lease the property. If you're closing Monday through Thursday, make Saraland Water one of your stops after closing.

But if you're closing on a Friday, talk about the water before closing day. Ask the seller not to have the water disconnected until Monday. If their service ends Friday and you can't set up your account until the office reopens Monday, you may spend your entire first weekend in the house without water. No showers, no washing dishes, no cleaning while you unpack, and most importantly, no toilets. That's a rough way to start life in a new house.

It sounds like a tiny closing detail until you're the one living through it. If I were buying another house in Saraland and closing on a Friday, this would absolutely be part of the conversation with the seller before closing.

Spire Natural Gas

If your new home has natural gas, your service will be through Spire, and this part was much easier. I handled the entire setup with Spire over the phone. You call, set up the account, and schedule a technician to come to the house and connect the gas.

The thing to know is that an adult has to be home when the technician comes to hook up the gas. So schedule this one around your move, and don't assume they can turn it on while nobody's there.

Not every home in Saraland has natural gas, so ask during the buying process whether the house has:

If it does, call Spire ahead of time and get the technician appointment on the calendar.

Trash Service in Saraland

Residential garbage service in Saraland is provided by Waste Pro. Garbage is generally picked up twice a week, with collection days based on your address. Once you move in, confirm which pickup schedule applies to your house and make sure everything is set up.

I'd do this pretty quickly, because moving creates an unbelievable amount of trash. Boxes, packing material, takeout containers, more boxes, and then the boxes from everything you ordered because you suddenly decided the new house needed six things you never needed in the old one. You're going to want to know exactly when trash day is.

The Move-In Order I'd Recommend

If you're getting ready to buy a home in Saraland, here's how I'd handle the utility side of your move.

Before closing

If you're closing on a Friday

Right after closing

Monday through Thursday

After you move in

Then you can finally start working on the boxes.

Moving Back Home Taught Me Something

One of the funny things about moving back to the town where you grew up is that you assume you already know it. And in a lot of ways, you do. But there's a difference between growing up somewhere and being the adult responsible for buying the house, turning on the utilities, figuring out trash day and making everything work.

Those little details matter, and they're rarely in the traditional relocation guides. That's exactly why I want to share them.

Me and my team want to help people understand what it's actually like to buy a home and live in Saraland, not just show them houses. As we keep building our Moving to Saraland guides, expect a lot more of this: the useful stuff, the local stuff, and especially the things somebody really should have told you before move-in day.