Home Updates to Make Before Moving In

If you’re like most new homeowners, you’re feeling both delighted and excited to move into your new place. However, there are advantages to postponing your move-in date long enough to complete some of your highest priority home updates. Let’s take a look at 4 of the most pressing home updates you’d want to consider making before you move in.

Change All of the Home’s Exterior Locks

The home seller probably handed over to you all their copies of the door keys. However, there is no telling whether their partner, cat sitter, or closest friends still have copies of those keys. To protect your investment and ensure your own safety in the home, it’s prudent to change out all exterior locks on the doors of your home.

If you have a few simple tools and you’re able to follow instructions, you can head to your local hardware store to purchase a kit that includes doorknobs, locks, and keys. Your other option would be to have the locks re-keyed by a professional locksmith. This will give you the peace of mind that you know everyone who has access to your home.

Bring Your Wiring Up to Code

If the seller listed your home for sale on an as-is basis, or if you waived your home inspection report, it’s wise to have an electrician take a look at your home’s wiring and make sure all the electrical work meets local code requirements.

This precaution is especially important if you bought an older home. It’s ideal to have the electrician fix any safety problems that may be present such as underrated breakers, reverse polarity issues to any outlets or missing ground wires to outlets. While working on this, it may also be helpful to add a few extra outlets if you don’t have as many as you would like.

Have Your Walls Painted

It’s significantly easier to paint a home when the space is cleared of items like furniture and moving boxes. It also saves labor to have your interior painting done before you move in. This is because your painters won’t have to take precautions to protect your furniture from harm; this saves them time, so they can complete the job rapidly and efficiently.

Paint fumes are another issue to be concerned with. You can avoid the headaches and dizziness that frequently result from breathing paint chemicals if you complete the painting well before your move-in date. It’s ideal if you can allow an extra few days after the job is complete to open the windows and circulate fresh air through the home before you move in.

Refinish Your Wood Flooring

If you’ve purchased a home with solid hardwood flooring, you most likely have the option to refinish it. If the floor has surface scratches but no other major issues like water damage, you’ll probably be able to sand it down and make it look brand new. You can even finish it off with whatever color of stain that would look best with the furnishings you plan to bring in. You’ll also have the option to choose a protective polyurethane outer coating with a matte, satin, semi-gloss or glossy finish.

The downside is that the sanding process will be dusty, gritty and messy. This is something you definitely want to take care of before you move in your furniture. Fumes from the finishing process can also be problematic; again, you’ll want to open a few windows to let the fumes subside before you move in.

These are 4 of your most critical home upgrades to prioritize when you’re moving into a new home. There are other details that might also be applicable to your situation, including child-proofing and pet-proofing; however, attending to the items mentioned above can help you to save money plus a massive amount of frustration.