Top Things to Do Before You Move Into Your New Home
Moving into a new house is an exciting adventure! After you’ve perfected your signature on stacks and stacks of paper and the keys are handed over to you, it’s time to get busy. Here’s our top list of to do’s before settling in your new digs.
Change the Locks: You never know how many copies of your new keys are floating around the neighborhood from the previous owners’ friends, neighbors or vendors. Provide yourself with peace of mind and protection.
Painting: It is much easier to paint the interior of a house sans furniture. A house that you have not yet moved into provides a rare opportunity for the easiest painting you’ll ever have. Even if you’re okay with wall colors, this can be a great time to repaint the ceilings & closets (which likely have not been touched since the house was built).
Swap Outlet Covers: Most homes have their original outlet covers which are oftentimes either stained or mismatched. Swap these out to give rooms a clean, uniform look. If you seek a higher end look, go with metal outlet covers.
New Toilet Seat: No explanation needed. Just do it.
Insulation: Brand new homes today are extremely energy efficient. If the home you are purchasing is not up to date on insulation, utility bills may come in significantly higher than they need to.
Change HVAC Filters: It’s very unlikely this has been done any time in recent history, so go ahead and replace them so that your furnace and AC have less strain on them.
Flooring: Such as is the case with painting, new floor installation is much less of a hassle in an empty home than shuffling furniture in between rooms.
Gutters: In most cases, especially here in the Midwest, where precipitation is frequent and generous, not having gutters can damage your home’s siding, landscaping, and cause water to drain directly into your basement. Prevent this by installing them if they do not currently exist.
Verify Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Detectors Work: Just because smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors are present, doesn’t mean they actually work. Take the two seconds to test them so they’re in working order, should they ever be needed.
Bring in Lighting: It’s extremely frustrating to come to your new home at night to work on some projects prior to moving in and realize that some rooms cannot be worked on because they were only lit up with lamps in the past. Save yourself this frustration by having portable work lights available for such occasions.
