What Should You Do When You First Move Into a Single-Family Home?
What Should You Do When You First Move Into a Single-Family Home?
Moving into a new single-family home is a big endeavour. From dealing with the moving company to making sure that your new address is updated in all the important places, it can be a lot to deal with. So let's break down some things you may forget as you're busy embarking on that new life.
During the moving process.
Even before moving day, it's a good idea to start a new house checklist. This will be a living list that will eventually morph into your maintenance checklist.
First things first, pack the essentials into a bag that will come with you. If you're wondering what the essentials are, here's a quick list: trash bags, toilet paper, a clean change of clothes, a flashlight and bottled water. A million different things can go wrong on the way to your new house and though it might have those wonderful hardwood floors you paid the big bucks for, a power or water issue can easily just stop working properly when you get there.
The toilet paper and trash bags are there just in case you don't have the time or energy to get to a nearby store before turning in for the night. Don't underestimate how exhausting moving in is.
The entire process is stressful some but just knowing this is half the battle. If you're using a moving truck that's carrying some heavy furniture pieces, it might be a good idea to plan to leave and arrive as early in the day as possible. Moving services are not cheap and you don't have your new house's floor scratched by some hasty maneuvers.
When you first walk into the home, make sure you quickly check and double-check the power and water supply. This means flicking a few switches, turning on a few faucets, and flushing a couple of times. This way you can quickly tell if there is a pressing issue with the main water valve, fuse box, circuit breakers, or something else.
Depending on the conditions in which you bought the home, the previous owner might not have been required to do some repairs before the purchase was finalized. If the house was sold 'as is' for example. If on moving day, some things in the house make it impossible to stay in then you should be ready to spend some extra cash on a cheap hotel room until the critical issue is resolved. It's very rare but just keep your fingers crossed that it'll work out.
If you can afford it and feel it's necessary, you can arrange for a deep clean of the house before moving in. A deep clean is sometimes included as part of the closing process but it can sometimes be a sloppy job as the sellers focus on just providing the service instead of providing a good one.
The first few days.
After moving day, it's time to explore the house more. If you have little kids, the first night was probably a little rough so spending time with them to explore their new home will do wonders for them. You can check out all the 'scary' spaces like the garage, the spare bedroom, and the attic - that the previous owners might have forgotten to clear out.
Once each family member feels a bit more at ease, then it's time to get a few things settled.
In your first week or so, it's a good idea to look at the following, and more. If you have smoke alarms or smoke detectors, make sure that the batteries are not dead - you don't want to take a chance with those. The next thing on your list of to-dos should be the circuit breaker or fuse box, turn on all the lights and see if the circuit breaker holds.
If it doesn't, try different combinations to locate the problem area. While it might be only you working on that, having the help of some friends can make things a lot easier - single-family homes tend to be big enough that running to and from the fuse box or circuit breaker takes more energy than you first expected.
You should also look at local insurance policies available to you as well as add in a new home security system. As much as you want your front door to e welcoming, don't let it be too welcoming.
As you review the critical systems, like smoke detectors, air filters, and the water meter, make sure you stock up on cleaning supplies because things can get messy quickly.
During those first few days of getting used to your new address, creating a little map of local services can help you get situated more easily. Note a few key things like your local corner store, where you'll get your groceries, the post office, and most importantly the best pizza places around.
The first month
Now that you've made the moves to change the address on your driver's license (you've done that, right?) you can return to your new house checklist and find out what other things you need to check out.
Hopefully by this point will have met the neighbours next door and gotten familiar with the neighbourhood in general. Moving into a new house also means moving into a new neighbourhood complete with new friends, locales, and quirks.
Since you will likely still be moving furniture around the living room, the first month is the time to create a sense of homeliness. The new house can't keep feeling alien to you when the moving truck and the previous owner are far gone. This means adding the little touches to the house that make it squarely a space for your family, adding the kids' artwork to the walls, making space in the middle of the living room for 'indoor camping', or changing the focal point of a room's decoration with a big family portrait or something similar.
The first year
Now that your new house checklist is wearing out its name, it's time to think about the future. Whether you intend to keep the house forever or have a moving company swing on by in a few years to take you to a new 'new house', it's time to look at home improvements.
Home improvements can be things that the previous owner neglected like improving the water pressure on the second floor or adding something new like a pool or a whole new bathroom. It's time to think of the property as a great piece of real estate. It doesn't mean that the goal is to sell it in the long term but if you increase the home's value then it also allows you to take out more money in terms of a home equity line of credit.
Since it's based on the current market value of your home, it makes sense to invest in your home so that you can then use its value to invest in other things. Being proactive with your property is what will help you make the most of it in all possible ways.
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