Once you’ve got the keys, feel free to give yourself a break from moving. You deserve it! But don’t rest on your laurels too long – and make sure to do these eight things right away.
Change the locks – Before even moving one piece of 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 been in contact with those keys over the years (any whom could have copied the keys for some unsavory purpose).
Change the alarm batteries – Making sure 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 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 – Reports are usually 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 in their 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 your 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 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 – Deal with water related issues immediately. These tend to be troublesome because they’re so easily ignored. Check your roof, too : If the rubber vent boots on your roof are leaking, you might not know it for a while.
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 this may seem minor, it doesn’t take long before cracking gives way 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 adjustment, such as removing bars or adding windows to a basement.
Clean your gutters – You can put this off for day 2 of your big move, but don’t let the dullness of this task push you to procrastination. If the previous home owners didn’t clean the gutters, you need to do so ASAP.
