From cleaning to buying filters, this explores things that you should do as a new homeowner to make the transition easy, flawless, and no hassle. It answers the question of what to do first after you’ve bought your home.
Buying a new house is great, but also crazy stressful. After scoping out each neighborhood, doing due diligence on schools/parks/whatever, checking property values, and other miscellaneous research, buying a house and moving can feel like an afterthought. Here’s the thing, your journey is just starting. There’s enough work to make sure that you’ll be sleeping soundly on your NECTAR mattress every night. Don’t fret though, we’ve come up with a handy list of ten things to check off before you move into that dream house.
Start By Making a List of Priorities — Then Check One Off Every Day
Moving in can feel totally overwhelming, so make a list of the projects that need to be done. Are the floors a big issue? How about heating and cooling? Rank them in order of importance, and try to knock the biggies off before you move in. Everyday try to cross something off the list, even if it’s something small and seemingly inconsequential. The act of getting something done is sure to soothe your nerves and give you a feeling of accomplishment.
Find Things You Can Do Yourself, Like Refinishing Your Floors
You’re going to have to shell out cash for plenty of services when you buy, so look for ways to save money by doing it yourself. Refinishing your floors is a relatively easy task that can be accomplished with just a little elbow grease. Don’t have the tools? Don’t fret, they can be rented from a local hardware store on the cheap. Plus, all that sanding is going to have you in your NECTAR mattress, sleeping like a baby every night.
Make Sure Your Refrigerator Coils are Clean
This one gets overlooked a lot, but when homes experience a changeover, a lot of dust, cobwebs, and other detritus gets kicked up and sometimes finds its way onto your refrigerator coils. Having those coils caked with dirt and dust makes them work harder and shortens the lifespan of your refrigerator. Gently clean them with a coil brush to make sure that your refrigerator is reliable and consistent from day one — kind of like your NECTAR mattress.
Clean Out Lint From Your Dryer Duct
This one gets missed by homeowners all the time. Not only does a ton of lint create more stress for your dryer, a full exhaust duct can actually represent a fire hazard. Make sure that thing is clean as a whistle when you move in, and you’ll be able to do laundry with confidence that you’re saving money and energy.
Save the Big Changes For a Year into Home Ownership
A good house is like a NECTAR mattress, you’re going to be more in love with it in a year than you are on the first day. Houses reveal themselves to us as homeowners in fun (and sometimes not fun) ways after a full year, so it’s best to wait that length of time before embarking on any huge projects. Instead, use that time to knock off smaller projects and get to know the idiosyncrasies of the house instead.
Make Sure to Buy Furnace Filters, and Keep Extras On Hand
This is another big one, sort of like the dryer ducts. It’s important to make sure you have a new and clean furnace filter when you move in. Figure out what model of furnace you have, then buy a bunch of filters in bulk, so that you’ll have them for the foreseeable future. It’s a good way to eliminate something that may slip your mind otherwise.
Figure Out Where the Main Water Valve is, And Know How to Shut it Off
This may feel like a no-brainer, but no one likes to wake up in three inches of water without a way to shut it off. Figure out where the main water valve is before starting any projects (and especially before messing with bathrooms or pipes), so that you can have full confidence that if things get hairy, you can shut the water off — no problemo.
Inspect Crawl Spaces and the Attic So You Have a Good Idea of the House’s Wellbeing
The foundation of a house is sort of like a person’s back — and while you have a NECTAR mattress to sleep on, a house doesn’t have that luxury. Check crawl spaces and the attic for mold, dry rot, and other nasty things so that you have a fuller picture of what is going on with the frame and foundation of your house. It can be a big help in figuring out how to prioritize projects.
Make One Room Your Respite From the Rest of the House
While projects can go on for what seems like a never ending amount of time, it’s important to have one room that can be your getaway when things get tough. Make your bedroom a place of rest and relaxation, so that you can unwind at the end of a long day. Kick your shoes off, hop up on your NECTAR mattress, and let the stress leave your body. You deserve it.
Meet Your Neighbors
This one can get lost in the shuffle, but it’s just as important to meet your neighbors as it is to learn the ins and outs of your house. Bring over a plate of cookies, and dish for a little bit. Not only will it make you feel more connected, you’ll also get tips on what it’s like to live in the neighborhood. A little compassion and outreach can go a long way — just like a great mattress. Congrats, homeowner!
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