7 Things To Check Before Moving To Your New Home

Congratulations on owning a new home. Now that you’ve secured a new place, it’s understandable that you’re looking forward to moving in. But is your new home ready for you to move in? Most people consider moving to a new home as packing their belongings and arranging them in their new home. But this isn’t the case. Before moving into a new place, you have to make sure that everything, including lighting, air conditioning, address, and other things, is in order. You also need to make sure that your home is neat and is free from odor and animal hair that could have been left behind.

Continue reading to know more about things to check before moving to your new home.

1. Clean The Entire Home

No matter how tidy your new home looks, there must be some dirt left by the previous owner. Even if you’re moving into a brand-new home, the to be some dirt. Ensure to clean your entire home from bottom to up to ensure it’s clean before moving in. Since every individual defines cleanliness differently, it’s essential to clean the house and wipe appliances to your satisfaction. While deep cleaning your new place, don’t forget the following spots:

• Floors: Ensure to shampoo all carpets, mop hardwood floors to eliminate any available allergen, and bleach tiles.
• Cabinets: Wipe the inside and consider laying new shelf sheets for a great new look.
• Baseboards and walls: Dust the walls before wiping them using a mild cleaner.
• Stove: Clean the stove and oven to prevent smoke surprises.
• Refrigerator: Wipe refrigerator’s drawers and shelves using vinegar.
• Washing machine: Run the washing machine using vinegar and baking soda to remove any smell or hair stuck inside.
• Ceiling: Using a damp rag, wipe the ceiling to get rid of dust.
• Light fixtures: It’s essential to remove and scrub glass globes to eliminate grime
• Toilet seats: If you’re not replacing toilet seats, ensure to disinfect them.

2. Schedule Some Home Improvements

Home improvements and repairs are inevitable when moving into a new home. Also, some repairs such as windows that don’t lock and leaky pumps require more urgent attention than others. Though the previous owner should take care of these repairs, you can have them done if you have to move in fast, depending on your agreement.

It’s important to understand that while you can do some repairs yourself, some require a professional touch. Ensure to make an appointment with a reputable contractor to discuss more on the repairs.

As far as moving into a new home is concerned, it’s notable that you might be in a hurry and would want everyone involved in making your home habitable and safe, including general contractors, to jump in as soon as possible and do their job. Nevertheless, it’s essential to know that there are probably lots of customers ahead of you requiring the same services. It’s, therefore, crucial to understand how to deal with general contractors to avoid getting into confrontations once you think they’re taking forever to get the job done. You may want to visit BoutiqueHomePlans for more information on building the owner-contractor relationship.

3. Do A Walkthrough

Before moving into your new home, it’s essential to walk through the entire house. It’s most likely that your new place was staged at the time of purchasing, and therefore seeing it once more while blank will help you plan how you’ll plan your belongings. Bring a tape measure along for accurate measurement of where and what will go. By this, you’ll be saving yourself a hassle upon the arrival of your furniture.

Additionally, a walkthrough will enable you to determine if all terms agreed upon at the time of the sale were completed. Check whether the agreed-upon repairs and to-be-left appliances were adhered to. Also, ensure that switches and fixtures are working before moving. If there’s an issue, address it with the concerned party as soon as possible.

4. Change Locks

How sure are you that the previous owner turned in all the keys? To ensure your security and that of your precious belongings, make sure to change all external locks. It’s also essential to update any password and security codes on the security system of your entire home, including the garage, for safety reasons.

5. Replace Air Filters

It’s almost impossible to tell how old the air filters in the HVAC of your new home are. Therefore, it’s important to change them, especially if someone in your family is allergic to dust and animal hair. After changing them, remember to mark the date as a reminder on when to replace them again.

6. Set Up Your Utilities And Connectivity

No one would want to spend their first day in their new home in darkness. Therefore, ensure that your utilities such as gas, electricity, heat, and water are working before moving in. Also, it’d be best to plan for Wi-Fi, cables, and phone connection before shifting.

While some companies allow you to move services from one location to another depending on how far you’re moving, sometimes you’re required to cancel the current location before signing to another. So, it’d help to know if you’ll continue with the existing connections or you’ll be needing new ones.

Since these set-ups require appointments, it’s always right to plan to avoid delays.

7. Update Your Address

Your address is linked to many aspects of your life that you might not even realize. From maintaining subscriptions and loyalty to forwarding your mail to checkbooks and insurance, the list is endless. It’s therefore important to update your address since it’s the same as updating your life. Ensure to do some research to know how to update your address in your area before relocating.

Conclusion

It has never been easy to move from one home to another: the process is tiring and overwhelming. Nevertheless, by following the steps listed above, the transition to your new home will be effortless. If you find the moving process a lot of work, it’s always right to ask for help. You can have professional movers chip in or ask friends or family to help. Remember, the tips mentioned above are a few; you need to do a thorough check-up on your new home to ensure it looks just like you want.