What should you do right away when you move into your home?

What should you do when you first move into a home? Celebrate, of course! But, after you wrap that up, you’ll want to make sure you take care of some things right away. Here are some things you should do right away when you move into a new home.

Change the locks

It may seem obvious, but would you believe, some folks don’t bother to change the locks? You never know who the previous owner gave keys to. You don’t want random people having access to your home, so, change the locks!

If it’s too expensive to rekey all the locks, you can learn how to rekey the locks yourself and save yourself quite a bit of money.

Meet your neighbors

If you haven’t already met your neighbors during the buying process, go ring some bells and shake some hands! No matter if your neighbors are naughty or nice, you’ll want to establish a connection with them. Great neighbors can really save you – they look out for you, you help each other, and they make living in your home that much more pleasurable.

Plus, if you end up having a dispute with a neighbor in the future, it may be a lot smoother if you already are in communication. Say hi!

Identify service people for repairs and maintenance

You never know when you will need a plumber, roofer, electrician, or sewer person. If it’s winter, the last thing you want is for your boiler to go out and have no idea who to call. Or, let’s say you notice a leak in the ceiling. In order to prevent major water damage, you’ll want someone to come and address it as soon as possible.

You know those neighbors you met? They may be a great place to get referrals. Also, consider asking the previous owners. Over time, you can always shop around for alternatives. But, it’s a good idea to have some names at your fingertips.

Do a thorough cleaning

Most sellers will do a cleaning of the home before you move in. In fact, it may be required by your contract. But, often little things are left less than spotless. Particularly, kitchen, bathroom and closet shelves may have some filth that wasn’t removed. Also, carpets may not have been cleaned for years except for vacuuming. If curtains were left, consider cleaning these, too. They may be dusty.

Be prepared for a less than squeaky clean home to move into. You might even consider, if you can afford it, hiring a cleaner to clean ahead of your move. Or, do it yourself.

Paint before you’ve unpacked

If there are rooms you want to paint, consider doing this before you fully move in. It’s a lot easier to paint rooms if they aren’t already cluttered full of stuff.

Get your sewer line checked and cleaned

Especially if the owner left a couple of months ago, it pays to get a professional to check and clean your sewer line. You never know how the previous owner maintained it. Sewer problems can be one of the most expensive things to deal with as a homeowner. Problems with the sewer can cause floods and water damage to items.

Buy a ladder

If you didn’t move with one already, buy a ladder. Get a nice 6 footer. You don’t want to wake up in the middle of the night with an issue and not be able to reach it because you have no ladder!

Change the batteries in your smoke and CO2 detectors

Speaking of ladders and problems, now that you’ve got your ladder, why not make sure your smoke detectors start beeping due to low battery? Why do they always seem to go off when you are just climbing into bed? Change the batteries so you don’t have to have this annoyance.

Take care of issues that the inspector flagged

Are there any issues that the inspector found that he or she recommended that you take care of right away? Take care of them.

Transfer the utilities

I probably don’t need to mention this, as most people we make sure their internet is hooked up seconds after the ink is dry (hello, Netflix!), but make sure you set up your utilities. These include cable, internet, security company, water and electricity/gas.

Relax and enjoy!

Moving is exhausting! Buying a home is no small matter. Chances are, it’s been weeks if not months of arranging things and packing, dealing with the mortgage folks, inspections, sellers, you name it. You deserve a good rest!

Oh, and, make sure you have shades on your windows, so you can sleep in. Zzzzzz.