10 Things You Should Check Before Moving Into A New Place

A house is not just a house you move into.

When you start living in it, you make memories in it, it slowly becomes a part of your identity too – the way you decorate it, the way you take care of it.

It is then, the house becomes a home.

And homes should be where good memories are made. Not memories of you fixing a clogged toilet bowl or waking up to noise from outside because the area you live in is just too noisy and you cannot sleep at all.

Take the following precautions just so that you can call your house a home after some time.

1. Locality and neighborhood – check if the shops, hospitals, ATM and eateries are close by

The grocery store should be at a walkable distance, and most of the things you need for daily usage should be readily available. It should not be the backwaters of the city, where you have to drive 10 kilometers to go to the nearest supermarket to get a packet of sugar.

Ditto with the hospital, pharmacy, ATM and eateries.

 

2. Plumbing – check for leaky taps, clogged toilet bowls

Every piece of plumbing has to be checked for water pressure, leaking faucets, loose washers that lead to leaks, clogged toilets, flush tanks that do not fill fast.

If you do not check them before you move in, you will need to spend a lot on plumber expenses later on.

 

3. Electric sockets and whether they are grounded properly

If they are not grounded properly, your laptop and phone might get damaged. The simplest way you can check this is by plugging a device and then touching the metallic surface of that device – if you get a jolt, that means it is not grounded.

 

4. Noise proof windows – so that there is peace for you and for your neighbors

At least they should muffle the noise from outside and the noise that is generated inside. You may be a quiet person – then the outside noise will bother you.
If you are a noisy person – your noise will bother others.

 

5. Power outages and water shortages – vary according to the area you live in

In India, both of them vary by area and not by cities. You need to know which area has the least power outages and water cuts.

 

6. Security of that society – do they let any stranger into the building too easily?

Yup, another thing many people almost always overlook. Does the security guy not check who is coming in? Do they just let any vehicle enter the premises? If yes, then they’re good for nothing. Move on.

 

7. Air ventilation and sunlight should be ample

Open all the doors, to see if there is a breeze that flows across the place. Ideally, it should be there – that is how the architects design it, but if it isn’t there, Indian summers are going to be a bitch – AC or not.

Also, natural sunlight sanitizes your apartment surfaces. Also, it provides natural warmth during the winters, and lets you save up on lighting costs during late evenings if there is lots of natural light.

 

8. Fire fighting system – a functional one so that your home is safe during an emergency

All buildings are supposed to have them, but many of them are put there for namesake. Ask if it is functional or not. You do not want your house to burn down is flames just because the emergency system failed or does not work at all.

 

9. Cell phone towers in the vicinity – they are radiation hazards

Radiation hazard is a thing we do not even look for. Check if there are cell phone towers perched on the nearby buildings. (or on the top of your own building) They have an adverse effect on your health.

 

10. Damp and cracked walls. Seepage through the ceilings and leaky roofs – the things that make your home look old.

We are a country where we have monsoons for a good 3 months. It is during this time that our ceilings leak and our walls become damp – making beautiful homes look bad.

Asian Paints have come up with SmartCare damp proof that goes to the source of the leakage and stops it right there.

No more spending extra money every year retouching your walls and on waterproofing during the monsoons!

If you are going to make a house your home, make it a good home and fill it with good memories.

Because home is where the heart is.

Cover Image Source

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This story is brought to you in association with Asian Paints