Moving to a new home can be an exciting time. But when planning for a move, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of things you have to do before you can settle into your new place. If you’ve chosen your place, paid the deposit, and hired one of the best moving companies indianapolis, you still have to deal with checking your new home for any potential issues. This can be an easy task or a difficult one, depending on the kind of place you’re dealing with. However, if you’re someone who wants to make sure there are absolutely no loose ends waiting to cause trouble after you move in, you’ll want to take the extra time and make sure you’re not overlooking anything. From changing the locks to making sure all the home carpets are freshly cleaned, preparing your place takes time and patience. But if you’re ready to take things into your own hands, you can nip any potential issues in the bud before they arise. If you’re moving into a new home soon, here are a few things to check for.
1. Change the Locks
Part of being a responsible mover means taking absolutely no chances with your new place. That means making sure that you’re starting with a clean, fresh slate. If you’re moving into an apartment in the city or a larger house in an isolated area, failing to change the locks could leave you open to awkward encounters with previous tenants or even dangerous attacks from people who happen to have a spare key to your place. Changing the locks can even serve as a protective measure if you don’t want your landlord simply letting themselves in at any hour. Getting your locks changed isn’t too costly, and it will help give you the feeling of wiping the slate clean, as well as restoring your peace of mind.
2. Fumigate
It doesn’t matter whether or not your new home has a history of vermin or rodents, or whether or not your landlord disclosed any signs of infestation. The bottom line is that when it comes to a new place that’s been uninhabited for a while, you simply don’t want to take any chances, especially if you live in a big city. Your new home could look clean as a whistle, but after you start to move in and stock your kitchen, things could start to change rapidly. Moving is hard enough without dealing with the extra stress of an infestation. Save yourself the trouble of having to fumigate after you’ve already moved in all your stuff by pre-scheduling a fumigation before you even set foot in the place. You’ll be able to rest easy knowing that your home is ready for habitation, and you won’t have to deal with the last-minute stress of wrapping everything up in plastic and clearing out for a few days.
3. Clean All Carpets
Fumigation isn’t all you need to do to ensure your home stays clean and ready for use. If your new apartment or house comes with pre-installed carpeting, you don’t want to take any chances. Get someone in there to thoroughly steam-clean any wall-to-wall carpets or pre-installed furniture before you move in. It won’t just give you a perfect, fresh slate to start with, it will help alert you to any potentially hidden problems with your carpeting, such as mold from an unseen leak or a bedbug infestation.
4. Check the Electrical System
After moving into a new place, you want to get yourself somewhat familiar with the electrical system. If you ever experience a blackout or brownout, you’ll want to know where your circuit breakers are and how to reset the system. If you’re moving into a larger place with its own thermostat system, as opposed to an apartment where the heating and cooling is controlled by the building owner, you’ll also want to familiarize yourself with the thermostat and heat source. For instance, if you’re moving into a home that uses furnace heat, you’ll want to make sure you stay up to date on maintenance and care.
5. Look for Leaks
Nothing is worse than finding a surprise leak after you’ve moved in. Before putting any of your furniture or belongings in your space, thoroughly check the area to make sure you don’t see or smell any signs of plumbing leaks, roofing leaks, or general water damage to the space.
6. Wipe Everything Down
From the countertop surface to the faucet handles to the inside of your new home cabinets, you’ll want to thoroughly dust and wipe everything down before you start filling your home with your belongings. This isn’t just a basic health and safety measure. If your home was recently renovated or had extra work done, you don’t want to have any sawdust or paint chips laying around.