Congratulations! You closed on your new home and you are eager to move in! Although we couldn’t wait to move in after we finished building our new custom home, we strategically planned to do certain important tasks in advance. We recommend these important things to do before you move in to your new home, to protect your new asset and your family. Check out our empty house tour video to see how our custom new construction home turned out!
Here are the top 6 things to do before you move in to your new home!
1. Protect Your Floors During Move In.
Nobody intentionally plans to move in the rain, but it happens. If it does, mud, water or dirt may be tracked throughout your new home. Also, movers use dollies and hand-trucks that can potentially leave scuff marks and sometimes damage floors. Yes, floors are made to take a beating and of course, you can clean them afterward, but why take a chance? Our stained concrete floors were polished the day before the movers were scheduled, so we felt like prevention would be the best cure. We purchased Ram Board and Ram Board Tape and used it to protect our floors. (paid link)
This is the same material that the builder used to cover the floors during the building process. It isn’t cheap, so we were strategic about where we put it. The evening before the movers came, we covered the front door entry where the movers would walk the most, and then formed walkways down hallways and into rooms. Worked like a charm – and it helped that the movers were still careful. “As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.”
2. Hire an Exterminator Before You Move In.
Hire an exterminator as soon as possible and before you move in if you can. We made the appointment a few weeks before we closed, and scheduled the exterminator to come the day after we closed on the house.
3. Wifi service appointment.
Make an appointment with your wifi provider in advance of move in so that you aren’t sitting around with no Wifi for days waiting for the service to start. In addition, if you plan to install a security system that depends on Wifi, you should get the Wifi done ASAP! We had Wifi set up the day after we closed on our home.
4. Security System and Video Doorbell.
We had our new construction house pre-wired for a security system. The contractors installed it within 3 days of closing. Even if you don’t need Wifi for the system itself, you may need it for some system features or app features. Also note that if the home already has a security or video doorbell system, make sure that the previous owner doesn’t have access to it. If your new home doesn’t have a video doorbell, you should get one ASAP if you don’t have a clear line of sight to the door. Many people may be coming and going during the first few days or weeks of move in and you want to be able to clearly identify each person.
5. Reset your garage door opener codes.
You don’t want the seller or the new construction home builder to be able to enter your house. New construction home builders typically give contractors a special code – make sure to deactivate or change it!
6. Lock and unlock all of your doors using the new keys and change all or some of the locks if you are buying an existing home.
You never know who else has a copy of the previous owner’s keys (visiting relatives, neighbors, kids that lose house keys). New construction home builders typically use a builder’s key during construction. This key should not be operational after you take possession. Ask to be sure!
By doing these top 6 things before you move in to your new home, you will relieve some of the stress of moving so that you can focus on enjoying turning your new house into a home!
