After building or purchasing a new home, you must be looking forward to moving in and starting your new life. Before and as soon as you move in, however, there are a few immediate actions that you will have to take to make your home bearable and more comfortable to live. Some of these actions are explained below.
Get the House Cleaned
Before a man and van services like Shift brings your items over, you need to have the house cleaned thoroughly. Although some people will leave your home clean, you must get the job redone to be sure that you are coming into a clean house. Ideally, you may hire professional cleaners or do the job yourself. If you opt for the latter option, you need to get cleaning supplies like bleach, brooms, buckets, mops, hose, vacuum cleaners, and latex gloves.
Some of the places you need to clean include cabinets, fridge, bathrooms, and counters. Also, you need to ensure that any carpets or area rugs are deep cleaned. You may also seek professional plumbers and HVAC maintenance crews to have the plumbing and heating system cleaned. If your home has a fireplace, you need to make sure you clean the ash so when you come to use it, it’s safe and works as it should. While at it, it would be in your best interest to get rid of any unwanted clutter that the previous owners may have left.
Secure your House
The first action you need to take after closing is changing the locks and codes to the existing home security system. The truth is realtors, maintenance crew, previous owners, or their friends may have spare keys that could grant them access to your house. As such, you need to call a locksmith to change your locks and ask for instruction manuals for the electronic security system and make new configurations.
Ensure that Smoke and Carbon Detectors are in Proper Working Condition
To ensure that your family is safe in the new home, ensure that carbon and smoke detectors are working. You may have them checked by professionals or install fresh batteries, so to be sure. You also need to install new units if your new house doesn’t have any or if you don’t trust the current ones. Ideally, install smoke detectors in the hallway leading to the bedrooms.
Fires are also likely to start in the kitchen or laundry rooms, which means that you need to install smoke detectors in this area. Also, ensure to install carbon detectors near your sleeping area and ensure that the alarm is loud enough to wake you. Additionally, ensure that there are at least one smoke and carbon detector on every floor.
Connect the Utilities
Before moving into your new house, ensure that utilities like water, gas, and electricity are connected. In doing so, you will ensure that you have all the necessities required to get your life running smoothly. This process involves some level of research on your side, as the neighbouring service providers may have hoops and jumps that you need to go through before having your utilities connected. Ask your new neighbours for any recommendations and check in with the providers to determine how far in advance you need to schedule for utility connection. While at it, remember to connect TV and internet services.
Make necessary Maintenance Tasks
When buying a new home, it’s most likely that you had an inspection job performed. The results may have flagged some issues that need fixing. Some of these issues may include the HVAC system and plumbing system. Using the inspection as a guide, you need to create a list of repair jobs, ranking them from the most urgent to the least. This list should also include items or appliances that need replacement. Some of the things that may need repair or replacement may include boilers, faucets, lighting fixtures as well as doors and window seals. These tasks will keep your home running in tip-top shape and help prevent costly repairs in the future. Ideally, ensure that professionals in their specific industry perform the maintenance tasks on all electrical appliances.
This checklist will help you stay organised and ensure that you have a smooth transition into your new home. Some of these activities are free or cheap, while others can be quite expensive but will ensure that your house is habitable and comfortable to live in.