Have you recently closed in on a terrific deal and got yourself a new house and lot in Tagaytay Highlands or The Hydrostone? Good for you! But before moving in, it’s best if you keep a couple of things in mind first. What are those, you might ask? Well, you can Google them if you want― or you can read on below. Your choice!

By Angelo Castelda

Changing the Locks

First, you need to replace the locks in your new home. This will give you peace of mind because face it, the previous owners, real estate agents, and God knows who else would likely have clones of keys to the place. By changing locks, you’ll be able to make sure nobody unwelcome would be able to enter your house. So get new locks and install it (or have a professional locksmith do it for you).

Checking the Plumbing

As soon as you’re done changing the locks, go ahead and take a look at the plumbing. Yes, a home inspector may have done this prior to you acquiring the place. But every once in a while, they could have missed something during the survey, or else the problem wasn’t there yet back then. So a bit of DIY investigating and double-checking wouldn’t hurt. Keep an eye out for running toilets and dripping faucets, and look for cracks and leaks in the pipes. Here’s a suggestion: Check the water meter twice without using any of the water facilities in the house. If the first reading is different from the second, then that’s a sign there’s a problem with the plumbing.

Cleaning the House

Once you’ve made sure the plumbing is tip-top, you can proceed with cleaning your new place silly. Like the plumbing, someone might have already done this for you while you haven’t moved yet. But just in case nobody did or the house got dusty after the initial clean-up, you can either hire an excellent cleaner to do this for you, or you can get your own hands dirty and do it yourself. If you opt for the latter, you need to set up an area where you’ll put all your cleaning tools and supplies (e.g., brooms, mops, buckets, vacuum cleaners, etc.) before you start scrubbing and sweeping.

Painting the Walls and Ceilings

After you’ve finished cleaning every inch of your new place and it’s as spick and span as it can be, you can then start painting. But before you do, you need to check if there are holes, cracks, and other defects in the walls and ceilings; otherwise, slapping paint on them would be a waste. To save time, you can also opt to use just one neutral color for every room; you can always repaint it later. But in case doing it yourself is still too time-consuming, there’s nothing wrong with hiring a professional to do it for you.

Installing New Home Devices

Last but not least, check the devices currently installed in your new home. A lot of houses have rusty air vent covers, discolored cover plates, and mismatched outlets, especially older properties that have undergone many renovations. If you find any of these, better replace them before moving on. This will not only make sure you’ll have functional devices on your first day at your new home, but it will also give the house a sense of newness and cleanliness. Of course, you can do the installation yourself. But if you’re not very comfortable with tinkering with something electric, then find someone who is.

Any Tips to Add?

Do you have any before-moving-to-a-new-house advice for us that wasn’t mentioned above? Please share them with us in the comments section below! – CONTRIBUTED

Angelo Castelda works as a contributor for a news magazine in Asia. He loves to learn and understand diverse cultures and aims to share through his writing his experiences around the world.