Moving into a new home is always exciting because it is the start of a new life, path, and journey! It is wonderful because it is a new living space that you can customize to your liking. But, it can be also be a stressful thing because you are in an unfamiliar area. It can be overwhelming to get started right away.
So, here are some tips to help you move into your new Staten Island home:
1. Renovate Before Moving In
When you have purchased your house and no one is living in it, there is the perfect opportunity to renovate the house! It won't disturb anyone and allows maximum efficiency because you won't have to bother with furniture when you want to do some painting, polishing, plastering, etc. In addition, things may look pretty on the outside but not on the inside. You need to look behind the walls and see the pipes, electricity cables, molding, etc. It is extremely important to live up to city inspections and standards when buying a new home. It is especially significant to fix all those issues within that time frame, therefore no loose ends are left unaddressed when first living there.
2. Change The Locks
Nobody wants a complete stranger to have a key to their home. You don't know if the previous owner or someone has made copies of keys of the lock of your new home. Thus, it's best to change out all the locks in your home to minimize break-ins. Additionally, you can even pick and customize the lock to your liking.
3. Take Some Vacation Days
Moving into a new house is already stressful enough, so why not take some days off to start the move? You should take some time to fix all the issues that your new home may have. After all, you have to keep track of the deliveries from the movers, call up the internet and cable installers, and begin renovating the home to your liking. Obtaining and moving into a new home doesn't happen often, so it's nice to take some personal days off for yourself to adjust to a new environment.
4. Change Your Addresses
Moving to a new home means changing your address. We have a lot of subscriptions, memberships, or important companies that needs our address. For example, workplace benefits, bank accounts, credit cards, car and health insurance, or magazine subscriptions. Thus, it's best to let them know ahead of time that you will be moving because they can automatically send the recent issues and bills to your new home. Last but not least, you should also contact your post office to send all your mail to your new address!
5. Create a Home Maintenance Checklist
Every year, some parts of your house may start to degrade. When you move into your new home, you want to maintain it in tip-top shape.
Some starter items to maintain in the Spring/Summer:
- Test your smoke detectors
- Clean your gutters
- Fertilize or plant new grass
- Install window A/C units (or check central air units)
- Stain or paint the deck
Some starter things to maintain for the Fall/Winter:
- Sweep your Chimneys
- Check your fireplaces or gas units
- Clean out Boilers and Furnaces
- Turn off Water Faucets Outside
- Tune up your snowblowers
6. Go To Ikea or Any Furniture Store
It is finally time to go for some serious furniture shopping! This is finally the time to start customizing the home to your liking, so go out and spend a day shopping for your new home. IKEA is one of the few places that is affordable and provides a lot of options of furniture. You can go to their website or stores to go shopping for the starter and ideal furniture for moving into your new home. You can start thinking of the color schemes for your house, the decorations to add into each area/room, or start buying appliances for our kitchens.
7. Buy A Security Safe
You are moving into your new home, but there are all kinds of paperwork that you have to keep in case of worst scenarios. So, it's best to keep a safe inside your new home for all those important paperwork that you had to fill out to obtain your new home, including those bills, utilities, change of address forms, etc. Furthermore, there are a lot of people coming in and out of your house such as movers, handymen, contractors, etc., that you will need to keep all your valuables in one secured place.
8. Schedule a Cleaning
Cleanliness is an important part of our daily lives, and we don't want to live in filth when we move into our new home. We have no idea what the previous owner did to their home, so it's best to hire a cleaning company or business to come and clean your new home. You want to move into a spotless new space!
9. Locate Shut-Off Valves
When you are beginning to unpack your furniture, fixing and making repairs, or setting up all your utilities, it is important to locate the shut off values. For example, you discovered some rusty, broken pipes, and you want to fix them. It isn't a good idea to take them apart right away when the water is still running. To prevent water from suddenly gushing out or the worst case scenarios, you should shut off everything to prevent injuries or disasters.
10. Collect Take-Out Menus
Depending on how fast you settle in or the number of workable,clean kitchen appliances, you will need to start researching your area for some take-out menus. This is going to be the staple of your diet for a few days into the move. You don't have to stick with pizzas. There are a ton of options that you can explore, and you can ask your neighbors for some advice. When you order some take-out, be sure to ask the restaurant for their take-out menu, so you can have it for future reference.
11. Throw a Housewarming Party
You bought a new home and settled in, you have to celebrate this step of your journey! Invite all your family members and friends into your new home and have fun! You should talk out this new journey, eat food and drink, and celebrate in this new space. Throwing parties can make your home feel more welcoming and spark some starter memories in it!
We at Tom Crimmins Realty care about helping people buy the perfect home for themselves. If you are stepping out to buy a new home in Staten Island or Brooklyn, we can surely be your real estate guide! You can go to our website, https://www.tomcrimminsrealty.com or call us at 718-370-3200.
Posted by Tom Crimmins Realty, Ltd. on
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