Buying a house and moving into it is bound to be one of the most exciting moments in your and your family’s life. This instance will be even more significant for you if you are a new homeowner. However, it also means that you are probably new to many things related to home safety. If you are reading this and panicking because you don’t know much about this topic – don’t despair! You need a property inspection – you can either take this task on yourself or hire professional property inspectors. Doing this can make it easier for you to understand the eventual problems the place has or even deter you from buying it. Try not to give in to believing any property inspection myths and focus on the essential things. To ensure your whole family’s safety in your new home, we have prepared an essential home safety checklist for new homeowners. This checklist will make it easier to understand which aspects to focus on when checking if your new home is as hazard-free as possible.
Keep The Common Spaces Safe
The first on the essential home safety checklist for new homeowners is the living spaces. The bedrooms and common rooms will most likely be where you will spend most of your time. For this reason, it’s essential that you feel relaxed while you are there. Feel free to add some personal touches to them. Redecorating and personalizing your common spaces will make a new house feel like home. Another essential thing is to ensure that you and your family will be safe and not exposed to any danger – so it’s imperative to ensure that these places don’t entail any safety hazards. What you should keep an eye on are the following:
- Light Switches and Power Outlets – Faulty or not adequately covered light switches are a recipe for disaster – mainly if your family includes small children. Make sure that power sources are working correctly and aren’t exposed to prevent accidents or injuries.
- Walls – Although repainting the walls isn’t too costly, it’s best to avoid any unpleasant surprises by inspecting for holes, tears, or paint that’s peeling.
Check Your Kitchen’s Safety
Regarding the kitchen, a piece of general advice is to make a checklist of things to look for when performing an inspection. As a kitchen renovation can be very costly, ideally, you’ll want to keep the modifications to a minimum. Some common issues include:
- Plumbing Problems – Detecting a plumbing issue on time will save you a lot of money as a homeowner. Repairing water leaks will also prevent you from wasting water and keep mold away from your home – which can become a severe health hazard.
- Vents – Don’t forget to check the vents in the kitchen. Although they are small and may not seem as important as other things, it’s still advisable to check if the vents are working correctly.
Electrical Issues and Faulty Appliances
- Electrical Issues – Electrical issues may pose a serious health hazard if they go undetected. An overheating problem could, in the worst case, even cause a fire. To avoid such issues, checking for any possible electrical problems during the home inspection is best.
- Faulty Appliances – Big appliances such as a dishwasher, a refrigerator, or a stove are usually costly. Any malfunctions will require a significant investment on your end to fix them. And if you are a new homeowner, you probably don’t have that kind of money to spare – so it’s best to check in advance if all the appliances are working correctly before purchasing your house. If you are wondering if you could pack and move your devices from your old home to your new one – it’s possible! Transparent International advises disseminating the appliances into parts, pack them into boxes, seal with tape, and you’re all set to transport them to your new place.
Don’t Forget About the Bathroom
Bathrooms are an important place in the house – probably the one where we spend most of our time, apart from the bedrooms and the living places. Therefore, it’s no surprise that we dedicated a spot in the essential home safety checklist for new homeowners to the bathroom. Some things you should take into consideration when you’re performing a home inspection in the bathroom are:
- Leaks – Besides being annoying, leaks cause other problems and lead to water waste. For this reason, it’s wise to check for any leaks in the bathroom beforehand.
- A Clogged or Always Running Toilet – Whether the toilet is clogged or it’s always running – it will present a problem you will have to solve later on. An issue such as this one will cause unnecessary stress and require you to invest some money into fixing it.
- Problems with the Water Heater – Any issues with the water heater may be a deal-breaker, especially if you wish to move into your new home as soon as possible. Granted, the cost of the repair won’t be astronomical, but getting this issue fixed would take some time – and we imagine taking a shower is not something that can wait.
- Ventilation Defects – A ventilation system in the bathroom is essential if you don’t want to deal with moisture (which is bound to happen every time you shower). Apart from being unpleasant, moisture can lead to rust appearing on the hardware in the bathroom, ruining its appearance and functionality
Final Words
As you probably could’ve guessed, there are a lot of things that you need to keep in mind when you are planning to move into a new home. Following the advice from the essential home safety checklist for new homeowners, you should be able to identify them and make your move as hassle-free as possible.
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