Moving to a new house or location is easily one of the most stressful experiences of your adulthood. Although it signifies a new beginning, the number of details involved can trigger feelings of anxiety. This is a huge investment, so you’ll want to make sure you’ve gone above and beyond to confirm that it checks all of your boxes before you decide to move in. Furthermore, the condition of the house you’re looking to buy will determine the kind of inspections you have to conduct. Continue reading to learn the 6 most important things you must do before you move into a newly built house.
Prepare an Unpacking Plan
Moving into a new property is exciting, however, it also means that you don’t have any reference on how to utilize the new space in the best and most efficient way. Before moving into your new house, decide where all of your stuff will go. This will make the packing and unpacking process much easier. You should also consider labeling each of your boxes so you know where everything goes once you arrive in your new home. Remember, there’s no right or wrong here, if you prefer to turn the designated family room into your master bedroom then go for it. It’s your home after all and you should furnish it as you see fit.
Finish All of the Necessary Inspections
Just because you’re moving into a newly built house doesn’t mean that it’s a hundred percent safe and ready for tenants. In fact, there are several inspections specifically intended for newly built homes that you have to conduct before moving in. Factors such as geographical location and climate are important to consider to identify the necessary inspections. If you live somewhere hot and humid like Brisbane, Australia, a pre-handover inspection is a must to confirm intricate details, like the use of heat-resistant materials, for example. After conducting Brisbane building inspections, you should receive reports validating the state of all internal and external structures, the quality of the building materials, and the durability of the roof and ceiling. You should keep in mind that such inspections usually take time. Add to that, the time you’ll spend on fixing the issues highlighted by the inspection reports, and your moving-in plans might be pushed back a month or two.
Consider Conducting an Energy Audit
Most of the newly built houses nowadays are made to be energy-efficient. Features like energy-efficient windows and energy-saving light bulbs will guarantee that your utility bills are kept at a minimum. However, this doesn’t mean that this is the optimum situation. Before moving into your new house, consider consulting an energy auditor who has the experience to make further recommendations on how you can optimize your energy consumption and avoid wasting your money on unnecessarily exaggerated monthly bills. This way you’ll be starting on the right foot from a financial standpoint and with a clear conscience towards the environment.
Vacuum Your Vents
After the intense construction work, dust and debris will have accumulated in your new house’s air vents. This can make your settling-in process that much more challenging unless you deal with it beforehand. Make sure you vacuum all of your vents and ducts before you turn on your HVAC system. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself needing to clean and replace your air filters more often than usual.
Do a Final Maintenance Checkup
Things like loose fixtures and wobbly floor planks might seem like minute details and easy to ignore, but before moving in, try to get them all sorted out. The moving-in process will take a toll on you, you’ll be so tired and sleep-deprived that such trivial matters might actually take away from what was supposed to be one of the most exciting moments of your life.
Change Your Address
Before moving into your new house, you have the daunting task of updating your address with all official parties that need to send you correspondence. Starting with the post office, then your bank, and even your kids’ school. This will save you the trouble of going back and forth to your old house to check if you missed any important mail. Of course, the fact that it’s a newly built house might pose some challenges in the beginning, so it’s best to get it out of your way and focus on more pressing move-related issues.
As you can see, having a solid plan will go a long way in making your move go a lot more smoothly. Use the above checklist to make sure you don’t accidentally overlook any important details and ensure that your newly built home is safe and accommodating. As long as you keep reminding yourself that you’ll get to enjoy your new home and create new memories with your family right after these tasks are done, everything will work out fine.