Moving into a new home is never easy. It can be made easier with all the right preparations, but never truly easy. It doesn’t just stop when you get everything in, either. There are things you should take the time to check about your new home that you might not have when buying it. These are the changes you should be prepared to make when moving into any new home.
The garden
Not everyone is necessarily put off the sale of a home by a garden that has seen better days. You can be sure that, in the time before you moving, little care has been taken of it, since, too. Most gardens come overgrown as part of the package. At worst, they may need some parts completely replaced, too. So expect to have to give your garden some love before it fits your wants.
The roof
The roof isn’t something that’s necessarily easy to notice before you move it. A home inspection might give you more of an idea, but not everyone can afford them. It can be cheaper, instead, to simply inspect if yourself when you move in. If you find tiles missing, cracked or chipped, you may have need of a roofing specialist. Sometimes only a tile may need replaced, but sometimes you may need to get a new roof on entirely.
The plumbing
If a home has been unlived in for a long time, the plumbing has a tendency to start degrading. Plumbing truly is one of those things you should know how to check on before you move into a home. However, if it’s too late for that, just make the same checks as you would then.
The HVAC systems
If the heating and air conditioning are older models, you might need to look at them, too. Air conditioning can build with dust from disuse. This makes them become more inefficient or uncooperative entirely. For these systems, technology has increased recently as to make them much more efficient and all the better for your energy bills. If you find particularly old models in your home, you may want to pay a visit to your nearby HVAC specialist to see what kind of improvements you can make.
The locks
Not to assume the worst of people, but you should always change your locks when you move into a new home. Even if your seller or landlord is entirely trustworthy. You can never be too sure who might have access to keys you don’t know about, so it’s standard procedure to get locks replaced. If you want a little extra know-how and to spend less money, you can do it yourself, too.
The alarms
It’s a standard safety procedure everyone should be doing every month or so. However, when you move into a new home, it’s doubly important you check your alarms. We’re talking about smoke, carbon monoxide and natural gas. This is a quick check and most problems with these detectors are as simple as a new battery.
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