The fast-paced process of searching for the perfect house, going through mortgage technicalities, and finally appending your signature to the closing document reaches its peak during that single moment that one ‘gets the keys’. CONGRATULATIONS! You are officially a landowner. It might be hard to resist the temptation of hurrying to pick out colors for painting, and furniture for the house; but there is a very important list of things that should take precedence immediately after you have acquired the property. These immediate actions go a long way in protecting the property, make individual crumbling more impossible, and make it easy to grasp the new life without upheaval.
1. Protect Your Fortress: Consider Changing the Locks or Insert Some Security System
The primary concern in this regard is as follows: as quick as possible it is of utmost importance to change all the locks in the house. Reason being, one can never tell how many keys of the same house have been issued before and to whom they were issued such as previous owners, their friends, contractors, or even any previous occupiers or tenants. This cost effective solution widens the security of your house making it peaceful in terms of the mental aspect. Also, you need to avoid being distress by opting to smart locks, other, there are even deadbolts which are preferable evidenced to be of great help when the above is not affordable. On that note, make sure any existing security is operational and the alarm system is updated and think about installing new motion sensing enhancers particularly at entry points or hidden sections.
2. Clean and sanitize thoroughly: Clutter-Free
Risks that exist in this context of a new purchase are overlooked by people so much so that they forget to point out that before any of your properties or worse still, yourself, move in, a deep profound dirtying must be carried out. You can accomplish this easily by getting rid of items first so that you are able to clean every area without any interference of the furniture present in the house. Tackle the easiest areas to clean. That is kitchens (appliances, insides of cabinets), bathrooms (toilets, shower cubicles, sinks), and all surfaces in between (floors). If the previous occupants had pets or were smokers, also consider professional cleaning of the carpets or indeed stratifying ozone treatments in order to remove any lingering odors that remain in the house. Hygiene ties with decor in this aspect, rather than simply applying a cosmetic or typically decroative paint, conquer the grime of the previous inhabitants.
3. Handle Immediate Repair Needs and Check for Maintenance
Your home inspection would have uncovered significant issues but there is always the chance that the home may have small repair issues which require immediate attention. Address leaking or dribbling faucets, continuously running toilets as well as non-functional or nonexistent smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms. Try equipment ensuring that all the light fittings and all plugs work. It is also a good idea to establish where the main water valve, the power supply box, and the main valve controlling the power, reside. This will be indispensable when trying to remedy a disaster. In case the house is built many years ago, it is advisable to call in HVAC specialist for a quick inspection of heating and cooling system to make sure they are reliable for the comfort of the house.
4. Transition and Set up Utilities
Examine each of them to make sure that they have been transferred in your name and arranged for payment as at the actual day of closing. This requires all the services from energy supply, gas, water, telecommunications and waste removal facilities. Do not hesitate to plan these in advance in order to prevent any service disconnections. It’s also a good time to research local service providers for things like trash pickup, recycling, and potentially even snow removal or lawn care, depending on your needs and the season.
5. Everything in Your Old House and Since it’s Yours Now: Inform about Your Change of Address
Be sure to contact the post office and submit a change of address so that your mail will be sent to the new address properly. Then begin the slow process of identifying and notifying everyone that requires the address of their bank, credit corporation, employer, insurance home, auto and health, magazines, providers, government contacts and a number of individual contacts. As boring as it may sound, this is one of those time-consuming activities you really have to do in order to make sure you don’t miss any important mail.
6. Start Planning Large Renovations or Replacements – Preferred Measures Fine With Wisdom
Once the basic priorities are out of the way, one can also begin thinking of major changes. If there is no u value in the enclosures, modular walls should be introduced or perhaps new windows in Ottawa as the existing ones are old and devoid of features. Old, inefficient windows can lead to significant energy loss, impacting your comfort and utility bills, especially during Canada's cold winters or hot summers. Window replacement can be strategic for early enhancement of the energy efficiency of the home and the other value of the property. Similarly, consider the age and condition of your roof, hot water tank, and furnace – proactively addressing these before they fail can save you headaches and emergency repair costs down the line.
Completing these necessary steps after acquiring your house shall not only safeguard the money invested in it but also kick start the process of making yourself at home in the new dwelling as it is referred to. May you enjoy the ride of AU home ownership!
