Essential Home Maintenance to Handle After Moving

The joy of moving into a new house that is more attractive and well maintained than your old home is undeniable. If you have recently moved, though, you should make sure to put a few home maintenance tasks at the top of your list before you get too complacent with your new house. While you don't have to start on these the moment that your Raleigh movers drop off the last box, you will want to knock these out during the first few weeks after your move.

Protect the Security of Your Home

Rekeying or changing out the locks shortly after you move into a new house is always a smart idea. Even if your home is truly new and had no previous occupants, there may be various people who had access to a key during the construction or viewing, and there is probably still a master key out there somewhere. A locksmith can get the job done in a fairly short amount of time — most will spend 15 minutes or less on each lock — or you can buy new locks at the hardware store and install them yourself, if you don't mind investing a little more time in the project.

Check Sources of Serious Expense

Considering the costs of buying a home and moving, you definitely do not want to face any unexpected and urgent costs associated with your new home, which is why you will want to check out a few essentials early on. You should check your pipes to make sure that they're well insulated and won't burst during the colder months. It is also smart to have someone inspect your furnace to ensure that it is running correctly and not piling money onto your monthly bills. Even if you had the roof inspected prior to buying the home, you can benefit from having the gutters cleaned, since clogged gutters are a leading cause of issues like mold and leaks.

Look for Easy Ways to Save Money

Once you have eliminated the risk of serious repair costs, you can start looking for ways to make living in your new home more affordable. Installing programmable thermostats is an investment that pays off quickly. Replacing attic insulation, caulking or replacing weather stripping on any gaps in your home exterior, and installing high-efficiency appliances can also be cost-effective ways to lower your monthly cost of living.

Start Developing Good Maintenance Habits

Moving into a new home can throw anyone off balance, and if home ownership is new to you, adapting to the responsibilities of owning and maintaining a home can be challenging. Write down a full checklist of yearly inspections, repairs, or other maintenance — from small tasks like swapping out air filters to major ones like having a roof inspection — and consider assigning specific seasons or months to each task. This will make it less likely that you overlook anything important and leave your house in less than optimal condition.

Although you will want to focus on unpacking and enjoying your new home during the first few days after your Raleigh movers depart, make sure that you don't leave these maintenance tasks go for too long. None of them are particularly time-consuming or labor-intensive, yet they can make a huge difference in getting your ownership of your new home off to a good start.