Future homeowners go through the buying process and succeed at finding a suitable home. The money exchanged hands and the keys are yours. What does a homeowner do now? A solution is to visit and examine the home before moving. While you’re at it, perform these five important tasks.
Have a Home Inspection
It's vitally important that you have a good idea of what you are buying, and there are many areas that can be hidden from the unprofessional eye. Getting a professional home inspection will give you the peace of mind you need to go forward with your purchase. A fully licensed and certified inspector can ensure not only that industry standards are followed in your home's construction, but also that the overall housing conditions are safe and sound. A proper home inspection usually covers roof, exteriors, structure, plumbing, electrical systems, heating and cooling systems, insulation and ventilation, and doors and windows.
Change the Locks
While real estate agents force homeowners to turn in their keys to you, it doesn’t prevent relatives, real estate agents, and neighbors from making themselves at home. Alleviate the stress by switching out the front door, back door, garage door, and window locks and hardware with new ones. A locksmith is ideal for lock changing, but you can change the locks by buying new ones at the store and following the instructions. Additionally, make copies of new keys. Toss the old ones.
Locate Important Shutoff Valves
Power and water emergencies occur at any time, and locating the water shutoff valve and breaker box is mandatory. Contact a plumbing contractor to find the main water shutoff valve. While you’re at it, ask the contractor to flush out the water heater. Contact an electrician for the breaker box location. Locate the gas shutoff valve too.
Make the Home Spotless
Just because the home appears clean doesn’t mean it is. Assure cleanliness in the home through DIY. Be thorough; wash, scrub, dust, vacuum, mop, and buff the home’s interior. After cleaning all floors, walls, cabinets, closets, appliances, pantries, and ceilings, clean the attic, basement, garage, and utility closet. Clean underneath appliances and overlooked areas such as refrigerator coils. An alternative is hiring cleaning professionals to do this process for you. In addition, replace all filters and change the toilet seats.
Install Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors
A smoke alarm is the first defense against fires and uncontrollable smoke. Carbon monoxide detectors detect invisible, yet deadly gas. Purchase new ones or change the old one’s batteries. Test both devices outside to see if it works before installing it indoors. Test it again indoors. Place a smoke and carbon monoxide alarm on each story of the home. Large one-story homes should get a smoke and carbon monoxide alarm for each side of the home.
It’s imperative you put your personality in the home. To do that, it begins by feeling safe and sound. These four tips are valuable in transitioning smoothly from being a future homeowner to being a primary homeowner. Let this be a guide to discovering other checkpoints such as painting, mail transfer, and utilities.
