Whether you are moving into a new house or are leaving your rental for a house for via first time, this checklist will help you to take care of all important details to keep your house in tip-top conditions. By properly maintaining the house you will be able to keep the market value of the house at par with other new houses and will be able to showcase your lovely house to your guests.
Under mentioned are the things that you should follow to keep your house looking new for years to come
Give Your House a Full Cleaning Before Moving in
No one fancy living in a house with spider and cockroaches crawling everywhere. That’s a major turn off for people and nobody wants to live in a house with a rodent infestation. Before moving in it is better to make a call to the pest control services to visit your house and check every nook and corner for any signs of infestation. This is fairly a simple process as most of your furniture is not yet moved in your house and the pest services will take care of those rodents and insects in a matter of 24 hours.
If you have lived or moved from one rental to another you are most likely to find these rentals in great condition with complete cleanliness. There are strict rules on rental apartment and buildings and it is the responsibility of the tenant to make sure cleanliness before moving out. A house does not have such regulations and where you might expect the previous owner to leave the house in reasonable condition, it is up to you to keep the house clean as per your standards.
Since you have no idea how the previous owners kept the house it is better to do a complete cleaning. It’s easier at the start before moving in your furniture as you have ample free space to clean the house from scratch.
Finding a good handyman or cleaning services is not difficult. You can always Google “Handyman near me” and check out some services with the reviews to decide which company to select.
Proper Maintenance of Garden and Lawns
Often when the home for sale on the listing, the homeowner add value to the house market value by maintaining or having a new lawn to add beauty to the house. In most cases at the last moment, a landscaper is asked in to dig the old grass out and put in rich soil with pre-grown grass to give you a fresh new lawn.
Your job is simply to make certain there is no compromise on the maintenance of your garden. You need to call in your local gardener and decide a schedule during the winter and summer when the gardener will come and take care of your lawn. If you regularly keep up your lawn it would be easier for you at the time when you decide to move out and not have to spend a lot in building a new lawn.
Remove the Mould
You should make sure you clean and take care of the mould in your house. The best way is to keep up a proper flow of air in the house by keeping some of the windows up. During the cold seasons, there is always an issue of mould formation and before moving in you should check the entire house to make sure there are no mould issues in your house. You can hire professional services to take care of the mould or you can do it yourself. Or you can simply do it yourself by simply using a vinegar spray, water, and plain piece of clothes to clean all those areas where you find the mould.
You should repeat this process at least once every year. To prevent the mould from reoccurring you should spray vinegar into the problem area once every couple of weeks. This will keep your home mould free and keep the environment healthy for yourself and your family.
Bring up the Value of your Home with Proper Repair and Replacement Where Necessary
Before moving in you must have had a pretty good idea what changes will you bring in to your house, the types of new furniture you will install and the interior designing you will upgrade.
There are many ways you can bring in new features in your home and add to its value.
You may simply repaint the house. A new paint job will give a new look to your house and it will look brand new.
The garden may need some touch-up or you may need to have new grass in the outdoor areas to add beauty to your house. Add simple garden items to breathe a new life into your garden.
If you are moving in an old property you can go for renovating the old rooms such as kitchens, bedrooms, lounge and work on the interior of the house to give it a new look.
If your house comes with old doors, furniture, and fixtures you might want to replace the old items with the new one and install the latest furniture, curtains and shop around to check the latest trends of furniture for your house.
You can introduce some new things in your home such as fencing or installing a pool in your backyard. All this will add value to your house.
While you may look for these options yourself, a good idea is to call your local handyman to offer you the best possible results.
Give Old Surfaces Some Attention
Along with regular paint, some surfaces need more attention, especially those area where there is a higher level of foot traffic. Use protective paint on hard and old surfaces, on areas that are damaged by mould and other weak surfaces. A good idea is to paint the tiles. If you use the proper paint the finish is so slick that it doesn’t even look like a paint job as it seems natural.
Change all the Locks and Use a Single Key Pattern
You have little idea who lived in the house before you and who had access to the house. While you are handed over the keys there is no way to be certain that others do not have duplicate keys. So to be sure it is better to change all the important locks of your house. A locksmith will make your life easier by installing the new locks and single key pattern to keep the process of locking and opening the locks simple.
Look after your pets
If you live with pets you must make sure they have a proper living space and you train them well enough to not claw and scratch your household items or spread litter. Otherwise you won’t be enjoying the tranquility of a clean house for very long, and your move out bill will slowly grow day by day.
Apply for a Mail Redirect Services for 6 Months
While you move to a new place it is better to register with your mail redirect services to deliver all the post addressed to your old place to your new home. When you move in the new place it is difficult to remember all the subscription you have and the postal mail you receive. Your mail forwarding would enable you to keep track of postal mails for some time while you update your address.
Maintain a house file and keep Online Backups
Prepare and keep up a physical file with all the important documents of the house including important utility bills, receipts, agreements and other documents that you want to keep in easy reach. You should always keep a soft copy of these records and store it on Cloud Spaces so your important property date is kept safe.
Inspect your home
You do not have to be a certified building expert to look after the house and check all the items and fixtures in your home, a top handyman like Universal Tradesman can take care of this, with ease! Take some time out every year to check all house items to make certain everything is working fine and if there is a need for any repairs attend to it immediately before they become a bigger issue.
I am sure if you follow this checklist you will step in your new home with a proper plan to keep your house clean, updated and living in a healthy and happy environment.
Now that your home is clean, it’s time to take a look at safety! See our post on babyproofing your home.
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