So you have finally moved into the new house after savings for years, and you can’t hide the joy anymore. You may have had a good moving experience, and now everything seems to be in place. Many people will pop a bottle of champagne to celebrate the move.
There is still plenty of work that you have to do before you get into the celebratory mood. You want to ensure that life in your new home is worth living. Let us go through some of the things you should do after that move:
Seal and insulate your new home
You could have hired the best architect and building company in your locality. However, your home is bound to wear out with time. One of the areas tends to wear out is your concrete driveway. A concrete sealer protects the floor from harmful UV rays, prevents discolouration and also extends durability. Ensure that you get a good concrete sealer as there are hundreds of products out there.
Insulating your home helps deal with weather variations. Air conditioning has been one of the most expensive recurrent household expenditures. Insulating your new home makes it easy for the air conditioner to function at the optimal levels. The sealing approach will depend on the seasonal variations in your home.
Set up your utilities
You now need power and water connection in your new home. You may have arranged such connections before moving to the new house. However, you need to ensure that they are running before you settle. You can as well have backups such as a power generator and water tanks. Internet and phone services are also essential utilities in this modern world.
Connect major appliances
There are various appliances that you need to fit before you settle. Think about the air conditioner, your fridge, and security systems. Some of these appliances will require the services of a professional. You can decide to get new appliances for the new home or move with the old ones. If you decide to follow the latter route, then get a moving company that will handle your stuff with care. Some companies may extend their aftersale services and fit the appliances they sell to you.
Secure your new home
You may have a lot of precious possessions in this new hood. You also want peace of mind to ensure that you have peaceful nights. The home is finally yours, and you can now secure it from unauthorized access. It is time that you change the passwords to your locks and ensure that your family learns about the new combinations. Install smoke signals in every room to make it easy to detect fire outbreaks before it wrecks your new home. Check the windows and ensure that they close with ease and do not provide access to burglars. It is also the time to ensure that your security apparatus, such as security lights are functional.
Unpack
You may have used a moving company to facilitate the move. Such a company can help you with unpacking and ensuring that everything is in place. However, there is personal stuff that you need to unpack yourself. You will be left with a lot of garbage in the form of packing materials after this process. There are some that you can throw away as trash while others you can keep for future use. You can as well sell some of the stuff that you no longer need in your new resident.
Create house chores schedule
All homes are created differently. The schedule you had in your previous resident might not fit the new home. The new home could be bigger or even smaller than what you are used to. A schedule will breakdown chores such as cleaning and maintenance tasks in this new resident. List down the regular duties as well as long term maintenance tasks such as home repairs. Give your new home a thorough cleaning once you are through with the unpacking process.
Personalize your space
The efforts you make will determine whether you will have a mere house or a home. It is the simple things such as that welcome mat on the door that make the difference. A simple inscription such as ‘The Johnsons’ comes with a sense of pride. Your interior décor can include family portraits and things that mean a lot in your life. You can work with an interior designer to ensure that everything is in place and create that homely feeling.
Change your address
The nature of change will depend on the distance you have covered. You may have to change your service provider for services such as telephone if you have moved to a new state. Do some research to identify the most reliable service providers if you move to a new area. In other cases, you can stick with the old service providers if you are still in the same hood. Your service providers need to update their database with your new address. Let your friends and extended family members know of your new location after the move.
Explore the new hood
You will not live in isolation in the new hood. You need to familiarize yourself with the security apparatus in the area and how to take care of yourself. Exploring the area will not hurt. You may have done your survey in the past but missed on a few things. You may have moved to this place for the first time due to job change. This is time to learn about a hotel where you can have meals or the coffee shop where you can hang out. Stay up-to-date and learn about the local events and what to expect in the new hood. Familiarize yourself with the societal norms, and you will never feel out of place.
Moving into a new locality or home can be hectic unless you create a plan. Following the above tips makes it easy to convert the new house into a home. Be ready for change as you learn to adapt to the new environment. Delegate some of the duties and handle what you can.
