Right after purchasing a new home, chances are you may think the time has come to relax and enjoy your new surroundings, especially after getting through all of the stressful processes that are involved with the home buying process itself. However, this could not be further from the truth, as when it comes to moving into a new home, there are quite a few things that you will need to do in order to ensure that you will be a successful homeowner.
Here are three different things that you will need to do right after purchasing a new home.
Connect Utilities
First and foremost, perhaps one of the things that you should consider doing right after purchasing a new home is taking the time to connect all of the utilities. In fact, connecting utilities such as gas, electricity, and water is something that should be done prior to you actually moving into the home, as this will help ensure that the move-in process itself is as smooth as possible, as well as that you are able to have all of the important necessities while attempting to get fully settled into your new home.
Secure Your Home
Another important thing that you will need to do right after purchasing a new home is ensuring that your home is secure. This means that you should take the time to change all of the locks and garage codes, which is another task that should be completed prior to you actually moving in. According to one security professional, “you don’t want the previous homeowners to have the ability to enter your home. If you are putting off changing your locks, take a good look around the area of your house to see if you find hidden spare keys. They can be under large rocks or in the door frame.” Additionally, it’s also important that you ask for both codes and manuals for any and all electronic systems, as well as make it a top priority to change all codes to brand new configurations that only you will know.
Check Smoke Detectors
One other important thing that should be done immediately after purchasing a new home is to take the time to check all smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, as this will help to make sure that both you and your family will be safe in the home, as well as that the detectors themselves are in good working condition. For instance, you may end up needing to put fresh batteries into the detectors or completely replace the detectors themselves. According to one expert, “smoke detectors should ideally be placed in a hallway leading to your bedrooms. Fires are most likely to start from your kitchen or your laundry room, so it’s a good idea to place smoke detectors there. If you live in a home with multiple floors, make sure there’s at least one smoke detector on each floor.” Ideally, when it comes to batteries, these should be both checked and replaced every six months in order to ensure that they are in good working order, and you can also contact your local fire department for a free inspection and testing of the detectors as well.
If you are in the market for buying or selling a home, reach out to the Barton Harris group at Weichert Realtors.
