Buying a new home is like a dream come true. Yet, people often forget to prioritize the updates needed after getting settled into their new house. Below are some essential updates you should consider after purchasing properties.
Top 8 Updates Every New Homeowner Should Consider
1. Make Sure Your House Is Secure
The first thing you’ll want to do is ensure your new home is safe, including changing the locks on all the doors so that previous owners or friends don’t have access to your property.
If you’re putting off replacing your locks, search your property to see if there are any concealed extra keys lying around under rocks, doormats, garden decor, or around the door frame.
Request instruction manuals and codes for any electronic systems, such as house alarms and garage codes, and make it a point to change the codes and only share them with family members or people you trust.
If your house has an alarm system, you’ll need to reconnect the service or find a new provider and pay monthly alarm monitoring costs. The cost of changing locks might vary depending on the amount of protection and the style of the devices.
2. Hook Up The Utilities
To ensure everything is good to go, it’s a good idea to contact all the necessary utility companies, such as water, gas, cable, phone, internet, and electricity, before your move-in date.
Doing this upfront will assist with a smooth move-in process, and many of these companies have a waitlist— so the sooner you call, the better the odds you’ll have everything you need by the time you close.
Depending on your local service providers and neighborhood, you may have to jump through some hurdles to connect utilities. Therefore, check with your local providers to identify the process.
You may need to provide proof of ownership or resident documentation to arrange to have everything turned on in your new home.
3. Check The Water Quality
Water quality is something that many homeowners overlook or are unaware of when purchasing a new home. Of course, everyone attempts to take care of their pipes, but not everyone is aware that their septic system should be cleaned regularly.
The quality of your water is a vital aspect of your house. Water that has been incorrectly handled, or not treated at all, or water with an inappropriate chemical balance might be hazardous to your health.
That’s why it’s critical to test your water quality and consider investing in a home water purification system once you know your pipes are clean.
4. Schedule Routine Maintenance Checks
After purchasing a new home, you should do the repairs highlighted on your home inspection report that the seller didn’t address. It’s also handy to make a list of items to fix, update, or maintain in the future.
Using the house inspection report as a reference, you can rank them from most important to least urgent. Items that might be a bigger issue and cost you money later, such as unclean gutters, leaking pipes, windows, and doors that need to be re-sealed, should be addressed.
5. Apply a New Coat of Paint
Giving the interior of a house a fresh coat of paint is one of the simplest and most cost-effective ways to make it your own. The most excellent feature is that no one can impose a color scheme or a timeframe on you; everything can be done on your terms.
You won’t have to shift items around again and worry about splatter getting on your possessions if you plan to paint (either DIY or with the aid of a professional) before moving in.
If you hire a professional painter, inquire whether they can give you a discount for having vacant rooms with no furniture to move or cover. Many painters will offer reduced prices since the liability and process are more straightforward.
6. Get Familiar With the Circuit Box
Make sure you locate the circuit box and go over the emergency shut-offs and appliance instructions. Anything that can cause damage to your house because of a lack of information or misinformation should be avoided.
The first step is to locate the emergency shut-offs and the circuit breaker box. If the box isn’t labeled, name the various circuits. Ensure that you have copies of all appliance manuals to understand how everything works.
Take time to create a file system to save manuals and documentation for your appliances for easier reference whenever there is a need for an update in the future. If the previous owners did not leave manuals for some of your new home’s equipment, conduct a fast web search.
Most appliance manufacturers make their manuals available on their websites for convenient access, or you can browse through Youtube channels for guidance on how to use specific models of appliances.
7. Create a Maintenance Plan
Maintaining your new house should be viewed as a marathon rather than a sprint. Instead of completing all maintenance work at once, think about what needs to be done over time. This includes updating air filters, cleaning gutters, cleaning the carpet, and pressure washing the outside.
Make a home maintenance checklist that is appropriate for your family and your budget for these jobs, as well as any unforeseen repairs each year. The general practice is to set aside at least 1% of the home’s purchase price for yearly maintenance.
8. Update Your Landscaping
Updating your landscaping can be a rewarding experience when you move into your new home. It also adds more curb appeal and boosts your home’s value by adding trees, fences, bushes, decks, etc.
Whether your home is new construction or a bit older, landscaping is essential for making it your own. Your landscape reflects your personality, imagination, and love for nature and serves as your ‘welcome home’ at the end of the day.
Moreover, well-designed landscaping may instantly increase the perceived value of your house and may motivate your neighbors to do their own landscaping projects.
Conclusion
There are many things to take care of and update when purchasing a new house. Still, the most critical items should be security, safety, and uninterrupted use of essential utilities. Once that aspect is covered, you should always try to add the element of sustainability to the beautification of your new home over time.
