First Things To Do When Moving Into A New House

Are you moving into a new house? Moving to a new house or apartment is always a difficult and responsible step. There are a lot of nuances to consider and a lot of things to do correctly. A new home is like a new world with rules, habits, and customs. New people with whom you need to establish communication and relationships live in the new area. And to do it right, you must consider many important things when you first move in, whether it’s your first home or just a change of scenery.

That is why I’ve prepared tips for moving into a new house special for you, describing all the actions you should do on the first day.

Do A Complete Walkthrough When Moving Into A New House

Inspect every nook and cranny of your new home, from the attic to the basement. This will help you understand what needs to be done regarding repairs or renovations. 

Walk around the house, and scrutinize it. Maybe you’ll find things the previous owners may have forgotten. Or perhaps you will stumble upon a hole in the wall, which no one has closed for some reason.

Make a list of things that need to be fixed, replaced, or updated, and then tackle them one by one. This will help you get your new home up to your standards as quickly as possible.

You should also walk around your area and look around. Maybe there is an exciting and valuable store nearby where you will buy your food. Or maybe there will be a car repair next to the dilapidated building, where you can turn for help in an unforeseen situation.

These are just a few things you should do when moving into a new house. By taking care of these things right away, you’ll be able to settle into your new home quickly.

1. Take Care Of Child/Pet Safety

One of the first things you need to do when moving into a new house is to ensure this place is safe for your children or pets. This may mean childproofing if you have young children or pet-proofing if you have animals. This will help to prevent accidents and keep everyone in your family safe.

Here is a short list of things to do when you move into a new house in with kids:

• Arrangement of an area that will be completely free from children or animals, in which discarded materials will be placed;
• Isolation of the unprotected regions;
• Buy special shields for outlets and cover them with them;
• Make sure the child cannot open the window on their own;
• Do not place boxes on top. They are best placed at the bottom;
• Find a safe and child-friendly place for alcohol, utensils, and other things that can break easily;
• Install locks on your oven door;
• Ensure that all household chemicals, detergents, and other substances hazardous to the child are in places remote from them and children cannot reach them;
• Install softeners on the corners of furniture and rooms to prevent your child from hurting their head.

2. Check The Fuse Box And Water Valve

The fuse box and water valve are two things you don’t want to look for when you need them. It’s much better to locate them now so you can get there directly if you have a power outage or need to turn off the water for some reason. 

Generally, your fuse box is most likely located in the basement, garage, or storage room. You can usually find your home’s water valve along your home’s perimeter.

And now, in case of an unforeseen situation in your house, there will be no flood or something like an electricity leak. If you have children older than 10 living in your home, you can also teach them how to use these precautions in case you are not at home.

It will be a great option to create a note with instructions for unforeseen situations. It should be attached to the most visible place in your home.

3. Be Sure Your Utilities Are Working After House Move-in

This includes things like water, electricity, gas, and trash removal. If you’re not sure who to contact, your real estate agent or the previous owner of the house should be able to help you out. 

Once you have carefully inspected your home, ensuring everything is in order, and you can live in it, you can proceed to the next step. Scrutinize the pipes and make sure that there are no places with smudges. Also, check the wiring where it is possible to check, and then you can turn on your utilities. Turn on the electricity with the switch in your home and open the water with the riser. Now you can enjoy modern TV, microwave and other electrical appliances. And in the evening you can take a hot bath.

4. Perform Cleaning Session

It would be best to start by deep cleaning your new home. This will ensure that any dirt, dust, or grime from the previous residents is removed and that you can start fresh in your new space. 

Be sure to clean all surfaces, including:

• Floors;
• Carpets;
• Walls;
• Windows;
• Ceilings.

You may even want to hire a professional cleaning service to help you get the job done quickly and efficiently.

However, cleaning the whole house yourself will be more economical, although more time-consuming.

Clean High And Then Clean Low

To make your home cleaning as efficient as possible, you’d better start at the top first and remove all the dust. Only then should it be removed from below. Why in that order? It’s all about physics. If you clean the bottom and then the top, all the dust from the top will fall again. And that means you have to clean the area again.

Clean The Kitchen

Remove the sink and water trap underneath. Once the dirtiest areas of your kitchen have been cleaned, you can clean up all the other kitchen surfaces. Then take care of the fridge. Get all the trash out, wipe off the dust, wash off all the dirt, and put in all the compartments and other fridge components.

Clean The Bathroom

Cleaning the bathroom should also be done in the proper order. Clean out the dirtiest places first.

Put on your gloves and get started:

• Cleaning the toilet. Detach the toilet seat and wipe it down. Then clean the bathroom itself. After that, add the cleanser to the flush part of the toilet bowl and leave it for about 15 minutes. After that, flush the water;
• Cleaning the bathroom. Thoroughly wipe the surface of the tub and wash the drain. It will be unpleasant, but it should be removed if the hair is in the drain;
• Cleaning sinks. You should also rinse the sink’s surface and clean the drain.

Clean The Rest Of The House

After thoroughly cleaning your kitchen and bathroom, you can start cleaning the inside of other rooms following the same principles during cleaning. At the very end, you can mop all the floors so that all the debris and dust can finally be removed, and your feet will be pleasant to walk around the house.

5. Execute Initial Repairs When Moving Into A New House

Once you’ve moved all of your things into the new house, it can be tempting to sit back and relax. But some things need to be taken care of as soon as possible, especially if they’re safety hazards. If there are any loose handrails, cracked steps, or other potential dangers, take care of them right away.

If you don’t know what to use to remove a screw, you’d be better off using the services of a handyman. Let it be a little costly in terms of money, but you can be sure that the master will do everything correctly and efficiently.

Here’s a hint for you! If you want to learn how to use tools, you can talk to a specialist and watch how he does the job. Thus, you will see how to do repairs in practice without watching incomprehensible tutorials on YouTube.

If you want to do everything yourself, you risk making poor-quality repairs if you do not know how to perform certain tasks properly.

6. Change Your Locks

Change the locks. You never know who might have a key to your new home, so it’s always best to change the locks as soon as you move into a new house. It would be great for your peace of mind, and you won’t be thinking of someone who can enter your house. 

Although this step is simple and obvious, it doesn’t come to many new tenants’ minds. Before changing the lock, make sure that your home does not contain any of your personal and expensive items. Go to the store, purchase the necessary lock and replace it yourself or with the help of a master.

If you have already moved your things into the house, ask someone you trust to stay in the house while you buy a new lock.

7. Change Your Address

This should be one of your first things when moving into a new house. 

To stay in touch with your loved ones and the company you work for and receive all the most important letters, you should take care of changing your home address.

If you haven’t already arranged for a change of address with the post office before moving day, now is the high time to do it. Notify others of your move, including friends and family, subscriber services, your bank, any lending institutions you have, and anyone who regularly sends you correspondence or bills. 

If you’ve relocated to a new state, you’ll also need to contact your state’s motor vehicle department to obtain a new driver’s license and update your vehicle registration.

Thus, you can always stay in touch with those who cannot use modern messengers on phones or email. None of your relatives or friends will lose you, even in unpleasant moments.

8. Meet Your Neighbors

Get to know your new neighborhood. Take some time to explore your surroundings and get familiar with the area. This is a crucial tip for moving into a new house.

No one says you must carry a cake to every house and solemnly hand it over with the words: “Hi, I’m your new neighbor!”. However, it will be enough to say hello and have a chat with every new neighbor you meet on the street. 

This will help you know what’s happening in your area, gain necessary knowledge about locksmiths and other valuable things for the home, and keep up to date with all the latest events with whom Angela argued on the phone this time.

Here is a short guide on how you can best fit in and build friendships with your neighbors:

• Make an effort to greet everyone you meet. A warm, genuine greeting at the first meeting is an excellent way to lay the groundwork for a positive relationship;
• Participate in the community. Attend a neighborhood council, food cooperative, or housing association meeting and express your desire to be involved;
• Small talk. Regarding best practices for getting to know your new neighbors, asking about the area can start more conversations and build friendships;
• Spend some time outside. You won’t meet anyone if you’re always inside. Place yourself in areas where you are likely to meet new people, such as your porch or yard;
• Help. If you notice that one of your neighbors may require assistance, take the initiative and offer assistance;
• Welcome reception. We don’t recommend throwing a full-fledged housewarming party immediately, but if possible, host a casual event at your home and drop invitations in your neighbors’ mailboxes, inviting them to stop by.

With such a short checklist, you can quickly join the community and establish good relations with all the neighbors. Of course, each person is individual and needs their approach. However, you should not pretend, manipulate, or try to please everyone. Better be yourself and be sincere.

9. Set Up Security And Internet

Also, on the list of things to do when you move: check the smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors and change the batteries if necessary. This is a quick and easy way to ensure your family is safe in an emergency.

Wi-Fi may be necessary for your security system, computers, phones, and tablets. Wi-Fi is also used by digital doorbells, as well as home apps that turn lights on and off, open garage doors, and water the lawn. Given how long technicians can take, it’s best to plan your Wi-Fi installation ahead of time.

Once everything is up and running, you can start unpacking and making yourself at home. 

10. Figure Out Sleeping Arrangements

When you move into a new house, you must first figure out where everyone will sleep. If you have kids, this may be easy. But if you have adults moving in with you, things can get a little trickier. It would be best if you made sure that everyone has a comfortable place to sleep and that there is enough space for everyone.

Another thing to consider is whether or not everyone will have a bedroom. You need to discuss this with your family or roommates before moving in. Giving each person their room may be worth it if you have the space. But if space is limited, you may need to get creative with your sleeping arrangements.

11. Order Food And Drink

After completing your tasks in your new home, you can order your food and spend a full and pleasant night in your new home.

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