When you move into a new home, you'll have a laundry list of tasks ahead of you. We've got some ideas to make them manageable.
12 Things To Do Immediately After Moving Into a New Home or Apartment
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Make a Prioritized List
The minute you walk in to your new home, your mind will be racing with to-dos. Keep this overwhelming task list at bay by keeping a notebook in a central location and write down every action item you or your family thinks of throughout the day. After 24 hours cut the list off, and prioritize each item with a 1, 2, or 3.
First priority should be items completed that week – such as safety concerns, cleaning, unpacking essentials, etc. Priority two should be tasks completed within the next two months – related to organization, maintenance and remaining unpacking. Priority three tasks should be non-essentials, but improvements and projects you’d like to complete within the year – renovations, landscaping, and large purchases.
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Know Your New Home
“Live in your home for 12 to 18 months before undertaking any major renovations such as additions or knocking down walls. What you initially think you want may change after you’ve lived there for a while.” —reader Fran Carpentier
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Locate Your Home’s Main Water Shutoff Valve
Know where you main water shutoff valve is in case you need to shut off the water to your entire house. Almost all homes have one main shutoff valve directly before the water meter and another directly after. Where the meter is located depends on the climate in your area. In cold climates, the meter and main shutoff valves are located inside, usually in a basement or other warm area to prevent freezing. In milder climates, the meter and its two shutoff valves may be attached to an exterior wall or nestled in an underground box with a removable lid.
Between the water main in the street and the meter, there’s also usually a buried curb stop valve. This vale accessible only by city workers wielding special long-handled wrenches. There’s usually also a corporation stop, where your house water line hooks up to the water main. Your city absolutely doesn’t want you messing around with these valves. Turn your water off or on using the main valve on the house side of the meter. This valve will normally be a gate-type valve, with a round knurled handle, requiring several full clockwise rotations to turn off. In newer homes, it could be a ball valve.
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Locate the Electrical Panel
Find the electrical panel so you know where to shut of the power to you whole house or an individual circuit. You’ll usually find the main circuit breaker panel—a gray, metal box—in a utility room, garage or basement. Don’t worry about opening the panel’s door. All the dangerous stuff is behind another steel cover.
Behind the door is the main breaker for the entire house, usually at the top of the panel, and two rows of other breakers below it, each controlling individual circuits. If you’re lucky, there will be a guide that indicates which outlets and receptacles are served by each circuit.
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Inspect Crawlspaces and the Attic
It’s good to familiarize yourself with the farthest corners of your home. Check for leaks, bugs, mold and other issues that you should address sooner rather than later. If your crawlspace doesn’t have a vapor barrier, make plans to install one soon.
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Make One Room a Sanctuary
You won’t be able to make all of the home improvements you want to make right away and it’s best to live in your home for at least a couple of months before starting any major projects. Something that seems like a must-do when you first move in may quickly fall to the bottom of the wishlist after you’ve actually lived in your home for awhile.
So, choose one room that doesn’t require too much work and make that space your new-home getaway. You’ll have a place, in your colors and style, where you can relax and dream about the day when every room in your home is just the way you want it.
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Meet the Neighbors
It’s wise to reach out and extend a friendly gesture to your neighbors as soon as possible. You want to know those around you so that everyone can look out for each other. It’s hard to know if a situation is suspicious if you don’t know the people involved. Establishing yourself in your neighborhood can also give you access to inside information, like who’s the best plumber in the area and which roofing company to avoid. Even if you’re an introvert, you’ll be happiest if you’re in good standing with your neighbors.
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Check Smoke and CO Detector Dates
It’s important that you know where your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are located in your new home. And once you know that, you need to make sure they are working. Smoke alarms are one of the cheapest, easiest and most effective means for protecting your family and your home from a fire- as long as they’re functioning.
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Test Your Sump Pump Before the Rainy Season
Pour water into your sump pump to make sure it works. The most common time for one to fail is the first heavy rainfall after months of not being used. The submerged or partially submerged portions of cast iron pumps can rust and seize.When this happens, they’ll burn out when they switch on. You should also find out if you have sump pump backup. A good sump pump installation should include a backup system for breakdowns and power outages.
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If You Don’t Have Keyless Entry, Hide a Key
If you don’t have keyless locks, be sure to hide a house key so you don’t get locked out. Consider a location other than under the welcome mat, like in a garden hose or under a flower pot.
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Add Inexpensive Door and Window Alarms
Keeping doors and windows locked is your first line of defense. Make wireless alarms your second. Burglars hate noises, so even a small alarm usually sends them running, and they’re typically available at home centers. The alarms don’t provide the same security as pro-installed monitored systems since the wireless devices are activated by doors or windows opening, not glass breaking. But they’re more affordable and still a good layer of protection.
Use the alarms for doors and windows in ‘hidden’ areas of the house where you don’t normally gather and that are often dark. Attach the alarm to the door or window with a screw or double-sided tape alongside the magnetic contact strip. They don’t have to be touching, but within 1/2 in. When the door or window opens, breaking magnetic contact, the alarm shrieks.
Most door alarms have a delay feature. This gives you time to set the alarm and leave, then open the door and deactivate the unit when you come home, without setting it off. Window units generally have an on/off switch.
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Make a Homeowner’s Journal for Your New Home
“Buy a ring binder and keep insurance papers, repair receipts and all other paperwork pertaining to the house in it. Storing all your house information in one handy place makes life easier for the homeowner and can be a sales ‘plus’ when selling the house later.” —reader Debora Emmert
