Once you’ve brought your stuff to the new home, you must start putting everything where it belongs to begin settling in. While it may seem straightforward, you’ll find that certain things are easy to miss. Luckily, this article will give you some great tips for how to stock move-in ready homes with your possessions. Read on.
1. Save the Kitchen for Last
It’s always a good idea to save the kitchen for when you want to stock move-in ready homes, as doing so from scratch is a significant undertaking. You need a lot of foresight and planning. Start by giving your new kitchen a good cleaning because chances are it wasn’t properly cleaned by the previous owner. Pay special attention to where your pots, glasses, cutlery, and dishes will go and the surfaces you’ll use most.
Here’s a pro tip: use baking soda for the kitchen hood grease cleaning. With the space now clean, start gathering the boxes labeled for your kitchen so you can begin unpacking. Prioritize the most used items and arrange them to ensure they’re easily accessible
After arranging everything, consider paying for professional knife sharpening. A blunt knife is way more dangerous than a sharp one. You want everything to be in top shape.
2. Rearrange Your Furniture
Rearranging your furniture can give your space a new feel. However, before you can dive into it, there are a few tips you need to keep in mind. Determine how you want your space to function before moving things around and starting to stock move-in ready homes.
Is it a sizable living room where you wish to set up several conversational areas? Are you attempting to create a room that serves as a living and eating area? Establish an end objective to avoid creating a space that doesn’t serve your needs.
Most rooms have the TV as the focal point, but that doesn’t have to be the case. You can use the sofa, the fireplace, or the bed. Whatever you choose, everything else will fall into place around it.
Consider how people navigate the space from one room to the next. Arrange furniture in a way that encourages optimal traffic flow, especially if there are several entries and exits. Avoid placing things where they’ll obstruct your pathways. You’ll likely have done a lot of trial and error before you can figure out the best arrangement.
Always remember to measure your furniture pieces before you can begin rearranging and buying. Then, ensure they’ll fit by measuring the area where you want them to go. You don’t want to use up all your energy moving your bulky sectional to discover that it’ll only fit in its original location.
One mistake you should particularly avoid is placing furniture against the walls. Most people do this thinking it will make the space feel larger. However, the reverse is actually true. Keeping furniture about 3 to 4 inches from the wall will introduce a floating effect, creating the illusion of the walls being further away and the room much larger.
Natural light can do wonders for your spaces. Don’t place a big piece of furniture in front of the window or patio door, as it’ll obscure the light. Windows add an illusion of depth as the eyes move from the interior to the window and then to the exterior of the building.
Using overhead lighting alone can be a bit harsh. Place a few lights that deliver softer lighting about the room. The idea is to combine the strengths of different kinds of lighting. On end tables, table lights fit wonderfully. Overhead lighting works best behind or over sofas. Instead of a single, blinding light source, use a mix of different light resources./p>
There’s also the possibility that you may no longer find your current furniture pieces appealing. In this case, you can work with a furniture liquidation service to sell what you’re willing to let go and use the money you get to buy new pieces. This way, you can buy what will fit your new space better.
3. Invest in New Doorframes
The frame significantly affects the structural integrity and functioning of your doors. So, consider investing in new doorframes when thinking of ways to stock move-in ready homes. Here, you have several options to choose from.
If the current frame is made of wood, you may benefit from switching to one made of metal. Metal frames are much stronger. They can withstand the break-in attempts of burglars and will put up a good fight during storms and earthquakes.
The durable nature of metal makes these frames cost-effective. You won’t have to do much in maintenance, and you won’t need a replacement anytime soon. Metal door frames also eliminate termite issues.
You could do away with the door frames and get frameless glass doors instead. With these, you’ll get to enjoy unobstructed views of the outside. This is particularly great if your home features a beautiful landscape.
The reinforced, hardened glass in many frameless doors will protect your property from outside influences. These sliding doors include panels that are incredibly challenging to separate once attached. This makes it impossible for visitors to enter your property without authorization and the correct equipment or expertise. Frameless glass doors also typically have a five-year warranty, which guarantees they’ll last long and offer sufficient security during that time.
Opening all the panels simultaneously is another great benefit of going frameless. This will allow you to increase the natural airflow in the space the doors are closing off. It’s perfect for those hot summer afternoons when you’d like to take in the scenery but also want protection from the elements.
Slide one or two panels open to let in the refreshing breeze. You don’t have to go around opening every window to air out the space. The fresh air will enhance the atmosphere of your dinner party.
If you decide to add frameless doors throughout your home, visit your local bulk windows and door shop to look at your options. Ask for a professional’s help if you have questions about a particular type. Don’t just pick something based on aesthetics.
4. Keep Valuables Away From Fire Hazards
Besides ensuring fire protection for your family as you stock move-in ready homes, there are other things you also need to keep safe in case of a fire. Fire victims typically want to save things that are difficult to replace, including generational heirlooms, family pictures, and important documents. Have a strategy to guarantee your valuables are safe if you experience such a disaster due to an underlying issue like a faulty propane gas tank.
Keeping your most important items offsite is one of the best ways to protect them from damage. That said, it doesn’t work for every household since some people may have unique requirements or situations that call for retaining original papers close at hand. However, if you don’t use your birth certificate, passport, or document like your last will and testament regularly, you might want to think about purchasing a safe deposit box. These boxes are kept at banks in secured rooms.
If you prefer to keep your documents home with you, you can still protect them from fires. All you need to do is purchase a lockable, fire-safe file box. This investment will lower the risk of destruction during a fire and give you an extra layer of security against theft.
Simply shutting your doors can also add a protection layer between fire and your possessions. Closed doors can help contain a fire and give firefighters more time to extinguish the flames. So, in the event of a fire, lock the doors to rooms where you keep your valuable possessions to shield them from soot and smoke damage if possible. Some folks even go as far as burying cash in their lawn or putting it in their toilet tank or freezer. While these less common techniques won’t keep assets safe from theft, they could make them accessible and safe from fire damage.
5. Keep Fragile Items Out of the Garage
As you stock move-in ready homes, remember that you can’t just store everything you can think of in your garage. Some things are just too delicate and can easily get ruined. Art is a great example.
Whether it’s your kid’s painting or something you bought off the internet but can’t find the wall space to hang it, ensure it stays out of the garage at all costs. Since the climate isn’t regulated like in other rooms of the home, you’ll be exposing your art pieces to issues like mildew, mold, and other conditions that might damage them over time. Store such items in a humidity-free, temperature-controlled environment.
You should also avoid keeping books in the garage. Even if you’re not an avid reader, you likely have a few textbooks or novels in your home. Whatever the case, books belong on your bookshelves or somewhere inside your house. Besides making the pages crinkly, moisture can also make them cling together or, worse, trigger mold or mildew growth. Donate the books you no longer desire to your neighborhood library or secondhand store.
If you must keep fragile items in your garage, consider expanding it to include a special section. Such a project will call for the help of a demolition contractor. Explain what you want to achieve, and they’ll do the rest. After, they may also recommend a builder who can help you install climate-controlled storage solutions.
6. Design Your Home How You Want It
Your home should reflect your personality, showcase your style, and serve your needs. So, as part of your efforts to stock move-in ready homes, don’t hesitate to design your space how you want it. While you can decide to trust yourself and take the DIY route, enlisting the help of a professional home designer is always best.
These professionals have years of experience working on different homes and will know what works and what doesn’t. Think of it as eliminating the guesswork from the process. If you’re planning to make major structural changes and aren’t sure about the local codes, consult a real estate law firm.
7. Prevent Flooding
Flooding can wreak havoc as you try to stock move-in ready homes. If you live in an area prone to floods, you must be proactive and take a preventative approach. A great place to start is by regularly checking and cleaning gutters and downspouts. Typically, you can do this on an annual basis.
However, you’ll have to do it more frequently if you live in an area with many trees near your home. You can use a leaf blower for the downspouts and gloves for the gutters. Pay attention to any standing water that might cause flooding near your property when it rains.
Watch out for the areas close to the foundation. You want the ground to slope away from the foundation. You might need to bring in sod and soil to fix the grade. Installing drainage where water collects will ensure the water has somewhere to go during storms or heavy rains.
Don’t let things pile up in your yard. If your area has many trees, routinely rake the lawn, put the leaves in a bag, and place them at the curb for pick up. Ensure the nearby storm drains are clear of any obstruction, using your rake to clear anything easily visible. For more serious blockages, get in touch with your city’s or county’s water or sewer department..
Investing in flood detection systems is also a good idea. Modern, sophisticated systems will send an alert to your smartphone informing you of a minor leak before it becomes a nuisance. If you use a water pump to keep your basement clear of water, have a professional look at it to ensure it’s in optimal condition. Depending on its condition, they may either recommend water pump replacement or repair.
8. Hire Professional Movers
To conclude your efforts to stock move-in ready homes, hire a mover to help you get your stuff to the new home instead of paying for a cargo van rental. With professional movers, you can enjoy much-needed peace of mind even during this major undertaking. These experts go through thorough training where they learn how to properly pack items of different sizes into the right boxes, load them onto the truck, and ensure they get to your new home intact. You also get to have someone who you can hold accountable if anything goes wrong.
With this information, you can now confidently stock move-in ready homes. Remember, you can always enlist the help of professionals. If you have the funds to do so comfortably, don’t hesitate.