Before you get settled into your new home, make sure to make these changes immediately.
Change the locks
Before moving any furniture into your new home, change the locks – or at least have them rekeyed. It’s not that you don’t trust the sellers, it’s that you shouldn’t trust everyone who’s had contact with those keys over the years.
Change the alarm batteries
Making sure your fire and carbon monoxide detectors have fresh batteries may not seem like a pressing issue while you’re in the middle of a stressful move but it’s the kind of thing that gets ignored and then forgotten. Better to deal with it now, when the home is empty and you can make a quick sweep of the house – without lugging a ladder around furniture.
Review your home inspector’s report
Can’t find your home inspector’s report? They are often filed with the escrow papers – but don’t wait until something goes wrong to pull them out. A good home inspector will outline the most important issues of the report, so use their expertise as a guide for your first few days of ownership. If they’ve marked anything as particularly pressing, make sure to handle it before moving in.
Find the circuit breaker
If you were there during inspection, you should know where the junction box is, but if you don’t finding it should be the first and foremost thing that should be attended to. During a move, when you’re plugging all sorts of electrical doodads into the wall, you don’t want to be lost in the dark hunting for that elusive metal box. Then, get familiar : If it’s not already well marked, have your spouse or another family member stand in different parts of the house while you flip different switches, and make a note of which ones handle different rooms.
Deal with any water problems
Looking at that inspector report? Deal with water related issues immediately. These tend to be troublesome because they’re so easily ignored. A leaky toilet might seem minor, but the steady drip can damage internal structural components. Check your roof, too : If the rubber vent boots on your roof are leaking, you might not know it for a while. By the time they see it in a ceiling, there’s been a fair amount of water.
Caulk everything
This one isn’t mandatory, but caulking is a whole lot easier if you do it when the house is empty, letting you see all the nooks and crannies that might need a little sealing – and don’t forget the exterior. While caulking issues may seem minor, it doesn’t take long before cracking gives away to leaks and even more water issues.
Plan your emergency exits
Before you begin bringing in furniture, walk through every room and decide how you would escape in an emergency. This can help you spot problem areas or rooms that need some adjustments like removing bars or adding egress windows to a basement.
Clean your gutters
You can put this off until Day 2 of your big move, but don’t let the dullness of the task push you to procrastination. If the previous homeowners didn’t clean the gutters, you need to do it ASAP.
