21 Things to Do When Moving into a New Home

Moving into a new house is indeed a wonderful feeling and there is no doubt about it. To reside in your recently shifted home comfortably, you need to arrange that in the proper and expected way.

Before moving, make sure that you hire only the best packers and movers near you to relocate to your new home with peace of mind. Having said that, you also need to do certain things and set up your new home the right way. Imagine a situation when there is a power cut, and you have no idea about where are the main switch or the meter box. Well, that can be terrible and inconvenient for you.

List of first things to do after moving to a new home

It is important to know your new home and set it up the right way. Here is the list of things to do after moving to a new home that would allow you to make your home up and proper, ready to be used by you and your family members.

Make a checklist of things to do

Before moving into your new home, you must prioritize the tasks that need to be completed right away. 

The first thing to do is to write down your agendas in a small notebook and keep it handy with you all the time. While doing so, pay heed to the assignments that your family members think are of utmost importance.

Once done, divide each of these chores according to their order of importance. Tasks like unpacking the necessities, cleaning and other safety-related measures must come in the first place.

Try and complete them within the first one month of your move. Subsequently, finish off things like unpacking the remaining items, maintenance and organization by the next two months.

Thirdly and finally, consider revamping and repairing all the major parts of your house aside discarding those things that you think are totally redundant.

Create a house maintenance journal

Purchase a spiral bound file and maintain all your repair bills, insurance credentials and any other essential papers there concerning your house. Always remember, when you store every bit of information pertaining to your home in one particular place, life becomes way easier than before. Besides, such a file at your disposal also makes it hassle-free for you to sell your house systematically in the future in case you want to do so.

Go for inexpensive window and door alarms

Keeping the windows and doors of your home under lock and key is of tantamount importance. Secondly, install wireless alarms that burglars are generally scared of. You will get these kinds of stuff at any of the home centres nearby your area.

Place these window and door alarms somewhere away from the eyes of others, especially hooligans like thieves and burglars etc. Furthermore, use double-sided tape or screws to fix the alarms attached to your doors and windows.

So, in case such troublemakers try to break in, the alarms give off a piercing sound, letting you know of their presence. Conversely, you can set a time in your door alarm and leave it just like that.

Once you come back home, you can deactivate the device without even turning it off. Hence, use these components to ensure the utmost safety and security of your home.

Hide the keys if you don’t have access to a keyless entry

Some homeowners don’t have keyless locks. If that sounds like you then hide your house key without a failure to avoid getting locked up. Rather than hiding it beneath the rug, it’s always better to find a different place to do that.

Like, you can hide it under a flower pot or garden hose or any other area that you consider convenient. Doing so will make you feel protected aside giving you peace of mind that your house is totally safeguarded from the infliction of burglars and thieves.

Examine your sump pump before the rainy season begins

Initially, pour water into your sump pump to ensure that it works properly. In case it has not been used for a long time, while heavy rain has set in, there are big chances that your sump pump will cease to operate well.

What’s more, the partly or fully submerged areas of these cast iron pumps tend to become rusty and ineffective over time. So, don’t feel daunted if you see a surge in the water level after your pump has become totally dodgy.

Instead, pour a bucket of water or two into it. This way, you can get your pump up and properly just like before. Besides, if you have a sump pump backup, then it’s even better as it will prevent any unwanted power outages or breakdowns. Make sure that your sump pump is integrated with this support system right at the time of its installation.

Verify your CO Detector and Smoke Dates and Replace them accordingly

Locating the placement of your CO Detectors and Smoke is of tantamount importance. Alongside, you must also check that they are in proper working condition. In fact, smoke alarms are the most useful, inexpensive and effortless way to protect your house from a sudden fire.

Also, look for guides that provide you with information on how to place smoke detectors correctly followed by their maintenance and replacement tips. Aside from that, you can also search for the various feasible products in the market that are perfect according to the overall structure and size of your home.

Meet people in your neighbourhood

Immediately after you move into your new house, it’s good to make a nice circle of neighbours. So, make sure that you meet the people in your neighbourhood from time to time.

Create that bond of camaraderie with them so that you can reach out to them in case of any unwanted mishaps or unfortunate incidents in your family.

That apart, maintaining a sugar-coated demeanour with them comes with its fair share of benefits. In fact, identifying the hidden foe in any of these individuals gets easy when you know them well.

What’s more, you will get a lot of confidential information from your neighbours that will allow you to get a clear idea of the place wherein you are staying. Furthermore, you can know which interior design company is the best or which plumber is the most efficient out here.

Suppose, you abruptly feel like replacing some of the furnishings in your home. In that case, you can seek the assistance of your neighbouring residents and some of them may connect you with a reputable furniture company in your area.

Convert one of the rooms into a Sanctuary

Thinking of taking up the major patch-up and repairing assignments for your new home might not be a feasible idea as of now. Hence, it’s better that you reside there at least for a couple of months before implementing these projects consecutively.

This is because you never know that the task which you were considering indispensable till now may become the least important after you’ve identified some unexpected loopholes in your residence.

Well, don’t get disappointed as there is an alternative plan of action you can execute. Like, you can decorate at least one room of your house according to your own tastes and preferences if not all of them.

There, you can experiment with the style and colours of your choice and embellish the entire space the way you please. Indulge in a warm chit-chat with your friends or family members while envisaging that someday in the future each of the rooms of your abode will exactly look like this one.

Investigate the attic and crawl spaces thoroughly

Which are the faraway corners in your home? If you don’t know that, then, get yourself acquainted with spots like these. Also, take a look into any leakage, mould or bug infestations in case you find a few of them.

Subsequently, investigate the crawlspace of your residence thoroughly and make sure that a vapour barrier is installed there. If not, then consider installing one as you will get many online guides on how to do that effectively.

Find out the electrical panel

Locate the placement of the electrical panel in your house to shut off the power in case any short circuit or unwanted fault occurs within your living space abruptly.

For that, go to the basement, garage or utility room in your home first. There, you will find a grey-coloured metal box and a breaker panel as you open the latter’s door subsequently.

In that room, you will get one more steel cover that hides the most hazardous components in it. Besides, the chief breaker remains over the top of the panel and is mainly situated behind the door.

Alongside, remains two other rows of the remaining breakers beneath it. Each of these circuits controls the associated circuits in the proper and expected way. You might also find a manual there indicating the receptacles and outlets each of these circuits is served by.

Implement the instructions in that guide and save your home from the infliction of any sort of electrical mishap that too smartly and efficiently.

Locate the primary water shutoff valve of your home

At times, there arises a situation in our house when we need to shut off the entire water system there. If the same is the case with you then, locate the position of the primary water shutoff valve in your dwelling.

In fact, every home has it situated right before and after the water meter. Again, where the meter is placed depends a lot on the climatic condition of your area. Suppose, a clement climate remains in your vicinity all through the year.

In that case, the meter along with its two primary shutoff valves will be attached to an external wall. Alternatively, it can be positioned in the basement ground as well that too with a removable cover.

Meanwhile, you will come across a corporation stop and curb stop valve that connects your house water system with the main water line. However, these two components can only be accessed by specially made city workers’ wrenches having elongated handles.

So, make sure that you don’t mess up with these valves or else your local municipal corporation will be compelled to take much-needed legal actions against you.

The best way to avoid such a plight is by turning the water of your house off or on by using the chief valve on the meter located in the farthest corner of your residence.

In fact, it’s more of a gate-type valve having a knurled and round handle. Besides, to turn it off, you need to rotate it clockwise quite a number of times and you are done. On the flip side, you can expect to see a ball valve in case you have shifted to a new home.

Simultaneously, you will find plenty of posts online on how to locate the main water shutoff valves effectively.

Clean Evaporators and Conditioner Condensers thoroughly

Getting a couple of things properly right on time can save you a great deal of money and time aside protecting you from the immense heat of summer. So, make sure that you examine your cooling system and air conditioner in advance and fix any unwanted faults there before the sweltering weather makes living intolerable for you.

Although most of these issues are resolvable without the assistance of a technician, you can reach out to a professional if need be. So, to begin with, you can cut off the main electricity unit and vacuum the exterior fins of your outdoor condenser using a soft-bristled brush.

While doing so, make sure that you eliminate all the weeds, bushes and jungly grass out there at least up to two feet within the unit. Conversely, when it comes to the indoors of your house, consider replacing the furnace filter there located over the evaporator unit.

Aside from that, cleanse the condensation drain well and also don’t miss out on vacuuming the blower compartment. In return, you can expect your air conditioner and other cooling components to appear immaculate and spanking impressive.

Change the furnace filter of your home

The condition of a partially dodgy cooling or air-heating system gets even worse when you forget to change the filter over there. To do that, you need to locate the position of your furnace filter first.

Subsequently, purchase a good-quality filter from the market and replace the previous one accordingly. Doing it at least once a month would be great as it will keep your cooling and heating system absolutely prim and proper.

Use Mineral Spirits to refinish the wood

Do you find the finish on your wooden floor and wooden furniture quite bland and unimpressive? Then, consider refinishing it as soon as possible. Before that make sure you clean the finish well using mineral spirits and you are done with your first step.

Alternatively known as paint thinner, the mineral spirit is a mild solvent that eliminates all the stubborn dust and grime that have accumulated on your furnishings over the years. It does so too without hampering the quality of the wood finishes at all.

To use it properly, you simply need to soak a tender cloth in it and continue rubbing until all the grime and dirt have dissolved into it. While performing this task, avoid the flammable fumes and ensure that the area where you are doing it is well-ventilated.

Lastly, dispose of the cloth in the trash only after drying it outside properly.

Get familiar with your house

Before implementing any significant renovation projects, make sure you have resided in your new home at least for the next twelve to eighteen months.

Once you are certain that this place is feasible enough to live in, consider repairing any cracks, fixing any faults or revamping the locations of your choice such as your bedrooms, kitchen or maybe your favourite bathroom.

Install a retractable Toilet Seat

Keeping the hinges on your toilet seat clean is quite a tricky task to perform. In fact, despite striving several times you will always find the cleaning solution seeping underneath somewhat and bothering you later on.

The best way to get rid of this issue is by installing a retractable toilet seat with the assistance of an ingenious professional. Often, this component is easily removable and for that, you simply have to twitch the two hinged caps. Just make sure that everything takes place within a quarter of a turn and you are done.

In return, cleaning each of the hinges will become super-easy for you. Besides, installing it is also not a hassle at all and you will find this product online or offline at affordable price options.

Clean out the dryer duct

A dryer duct or lint screen that is clogged can notably diminish the efficacy of your dryer, no matter whether it’s gas-enabled or electrical.

To avoid such a mess, you need to cleanse the exhaust duct at least once a year. Apart from that, consider cleaning out the lint screen of your dryer every time there is a load.

We all know that electric dryers consume quite a bit of our power bills. Moreover, if the duct of that dryer is unclean, it can add up to that bill like anything.

On the contrary, a gas dryer is more energy-efficient and can save your electricity bills up to a reasonable extent. So, make sure that you purchase a high-quality dryer from the market and connect it to the gas line of your house.

Meanwhile, dry loads of your laundry consecutively. Doing so will not let the dryer cool down amidst the loads. To get the best results, stop applying the dryer as soon as your clothes are dry and you can avoid overuse this way.

Clean the coils of your refrigerator

You will find the condenser coils of your refrigerator at the back of your fridge or maybe at the bottom. These coils cease releasing the much-needed heat the moment they get clogged with cobwebs, pet hair and dust.

As a result, the functionality of your compressor becomes unreasonably longer and harder. A compressor of this sort often consumes more energy which results in reducing the lifespan of your refrigerator.

To get over this problem, use a coil-cleaning vacuum and brush to clean out the coils of your fridge thoroughly. This way, not only you can increase the longevity of your freezer but can also make it more utilitarian down the road.

Seek tips from pros

So, you’ve finally embarked on the journey to your new home. Why not make it a little more exhilarating and gratifying?

To do that, you must seek savvy tips from various specialists out there who know every nitty-gritty and nuances pertaining to residing in a brand-new apartment.

Over time, you will learn that how as a homeowner you can manage every task and responsibility of your unit in the smartest and most efficient way.

Refinish the hardwood on your own

If you have the time of a day or two on your hands, you can refinish the hardwood floors in the most salient areas of your house.

In case, the flooring has been damaged severely, you must reach out to your nearest hardware store to rent out the imperative instruments there for the next few hours.

Otherwise, sanding the floors a bit would be sufficient.

Move to your new house like a pro!

We all want to reside in our dream home once and for all. However, arranging your living space well while getting everything up and proper is a major part of setting up your new abode.

To attain this objective with flying colours, you need to read the post above mindfully while implementing each of the tips and tricks given there back-to-back.

Should you need assistance from experienced home-relocation professionals, reach out to a reputable company like Service Sutra and they’ll ensure you move to your permanent residence effortlessly and in the most worry-free manner.