I have moved over 15 times and about 1/2 of those were in my adult life. Moving is what we do in the military. Change is inevitable.
Moving can be a fun, yet exhausting adventure. When you move in to your new place, you either want to start packing immediately or crash because of all of the packing, the move itself, and the unloading.
However, how often do you think of the little things you need to change?
Here are 5 changes you need to do when you buy your new house.
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Change the Locks
You never know if the last owner/tenant still have keys to YOUR new house. This is the most important change you can make for the security of your family.
You can buy new locks at a home improvement store (I recommend a deadbolt lock for all exterior doors – including the garage). If you are not handy, consider hiring a recommended local locksmith to change the locks.
Included in this – check all your windows and be sure they are locked.
Throw Out the First Ice Batch
The first ice from the automatic ice maker should go down the drain. Hopefully, the appliances received a good cleaning – perhaps with bleach. If not, go ahead and give it a good clean and then throw out the first batch. You don’t want any residual in your cold drinks while unpacking all those boxes.
Change the Toilet Seats
You just bought a house. I know, you are probably very low on money. However, this may be one area of upgrade or change you may want to invest in if possible.
A toilet seat costs on average $15-30. We changed the porcelain ones that were standard on ours to nice elongated durable plastic ones.
Mow Overgrown Grass
Seems pretty obvious, right? Well this usually gets put on the back burner. However, if you have outdoor pets or kids, you want to get this under control fast.
Overgrown grass is home to slithering creatures such as snakes (which can be dangerous depending on the area), ticks, fleas, and more.
Children may not want to be cooped up in your house and the backyard can be a perfect outlet for them while you are unpacking. Spend a few hours focusing on the yard to give yourself the time you need to organize indoors.
Change the Batteries in the Smoke Alarms
There is nothing worse than waking up Day 3 at 3am to the annoying chirping sound of the smoke alarm. It gets the dogs barking which then wakes up the children, and you are now an official zombie. Go buy a few packs of 9-volt batteries and change them.
Getting ready to move? Get your PCS guides here.
Doing a DITY move? Read 5 tips that I swear by here.
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About the Author
Kelsey Ramirez is a Real Estate Broker in western Washington. She is also a veteran elementary school teacher, military wife, and mom to two daughters. She is the founder of The Military Move, a military-based website to help families in the PCS process. Kelsey loves to travel, write, and create amazing content. She has her Masters in Technology, which she uses to learn all new things digital.
With three decades of military support, Kelsey’s mission is to help new and existing military families in their unique adventures through all military topics including PCSing, budgeting, school choice and rights, housing, and especially just being a military spouse.
