Hello World! Welcome Friends! You might be all kinds of excited to get into your new home, but you should hold off on calling it a done deal just yet. After you get the keys, you’re going to need to take a closer look at things you might have missed on the first inspection, as well as making a few changes to ensure your health, safety, and comfort.
Install New Locks
It doesn’t matter if you live in a safe neighborhood and it doesn’t matter if the previous owner swears up and down that you have all copies of the previous keys. You can never know for certain so the only way to be safe is to hire a local locksmith and make sure for certain that no-one has keys that you don’t know about. When changing the locks, however, it’s often more cost-effective to get the keys cut, yourself, instead of having the locksmith do it.
Mind Your Pipes
Get to know where the water mains are in your new home when you first move in. It’s the first thing you need to switch off if you have a major water crisis. Overlook the pipes and if you see any signs of leaking, call your nearest 24 hour plumber. Even if you don’t make a note of their number. Take a look at potential leak threats as well, such as whether the gutter needs a good clean, whether you have good water temperature and pressure, and so on. If the pressure is too low or too high, it could do damage to your pipes.
Clear the Air
Your HVAC (or heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system will dictate much of the comfort in the home, and you should get familiar with it as soon as possible. Older vents and AC systems tend to be more inefficient, spending more energy and having a harder time controlling the climate, which can make summers both unbearably hot and expensive. Have an HVAC engineer take a closer look and consider budgeting to replace the existing systems.
Check your Detectors
When it comes to safety and security, changing the locks to protect yourself from potential outside threats is well and good, but there are threats that can come from the inside, too. Don’t forget to check your smoke detectors, fire detectors, and monoxide detectors, testing them to see how they run and replacing batteries or inquiring about repairs if they don’t.
Take a Look Down Under
One of the rooms that can be surprisingly most fraught with threats to the comfort and safety of the home is the basement. Unfinished and unsealed basements can be a source of damp problems, poor ventilation, and pest infestations. It’s not necessary in all cases, but taking the time to finish the basement and turn it into a sealed, livable space can add not only a lot of security but also a lot of value to the home.
With the above completed, you can let loose a sigh and finally relax in your new home.
Click the links below for any posts you have missed:
Is Home Security worth the Investment
Attract Wildlife to your Garden
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Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful day/night depending on where you are in the world! Go with God and remember to be kind to one another!
Toodles,
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