5 Tips for When you Move Into a New Home

Congratulations on your new home; it's time to move in. All the planning and stress is almost at an end, and you can soon start the process of decorating the new place and meeting the neighbors. Before you do, make sure you have the basics planned and under control. 

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Carry out a walkthrough 

A walkthrough is when you go through the new property and examine it closely. Carry out checks to make sure all the sockets and fixings are working correctly, and everything you agreed upon in the contract is accounted for. A walkthrough is often done within a week before closing. This will usually be set up by your realtor.

During the walkthrough, if anything is not what you expected, you can raise the issue with the realtor, and they can sort it out.  An example of this is if the previous owner said they would leave the swing-set on the property and you notice it is not there. You can have the realtor check the contract. If it was truly written in the contract, you may be able to get money taken off at closing to amend the situation.  

 

Check the utilities work 

The home's utilities are very important, so don't wait until you're moved in before contacting the suppliers. If you're smart, you will arrange all the utilities ahead of time, so they are available when you move into the new property. All you have to do then is check everything it turned on. 

 

You will have to check your gas, water, and electricity supplies, but you will also have to organize local waste management. On your moving day, take a few minutes to contact the local waste disposal unit and check your property is registered for disposal on the next cycle. 

 

Deep clean the carpets 

If your new property has carpets, it's a good idea to have them deep cleaned. Carpets can be lovely – although you might want to change the decoration somewhat! Even so, have your carpets cleaned by a professional service such as Chem-Dry, to protect your family's health. 

 

Carpets can be breeding grounds for bugs and dust mites that can either cause allergies or aggravate them. Dust mites make droppings that are breathed into the lungs; the body's immune system reacts, creating sniffing that's unpleasant. But regular cleaning helps this.

 

Change the locks 

Even if you know the previous owners and trust them, you still don't know who has a key. Maybe they had a key cut some time ago and gave it to a friend to look after a pet when they were on holiday; maybe that key has been lost, stolen, or misplaced since then – it's still a security risk. 

 

The last thing you want is to have an intruder in your new property, so make a point of changing all of the locks on doors leading from the exterior to the interior. If there are locks on the windows, you may want to change these too. It's best to contact a locksmith to carry out this work.

 

Meet the new neighbors 

Look out for your new neighbors in the local area while you move in and shortly after. It's much less awkward to meet your neighbors soon after you move in and get off on the right foot, rather than meet them months down the road. Meeting your neighbors is not only good for community spirit, but it's also helpful to learn information about the new area.  

 

This is a contributed post.

 

 

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