Buying a House is an exciting thing, and when it’s your first, it is such a huge leap forward in life. Moving to a new house usually signifies a new chapter in life, it could be a growing family, a move for work, or just the right thing to do at this point in time. But buying a house doesn’t always mean that it is going to be a perfect home straight away. And, unless you’re buying a brand new, just built, house, there are going to be things that you need to upgrade straight away.

Locks

Your safety is paramount. And where keys are only supposed to pass hands from the old owners to the agent to you, there’s a high possibility of a spare pair floating around somewhere. Hopefully, it’s because someone forgot they had that pair cut, but you don’t want to take the chance that it’s for a more nefarious reason. Get the locks changed as soon as possible and you’ll sleep a lot sounder.

Boiler

You might not need to replace your boiler, but you should always have it checked. Before moving in, the estate agent will have had the boiler looked at and a report given to you. However, it’s always a good idea to have a second opinion. You might also want to upgrade to a smart meter so that you can track your household use on gas and electricity.

Lights

You will probably change the fixtures as you redecorate anyway, but once you have moved it, run around the house and switch the bulbs to energy saving ones. Not only are they the better option for the environment, but they will make a significant in your electricity bills each month.

Shower

Either just replace the Shower head or everything including the shower valves. You might decide that you’re fine with the one already in place, but you don’t know the level of limescale that has built up inside it, because you don’t know the last time it was replaced. Limescale isn’t going to kill you, but it’s not a great thing to have flowing over your body. Plus, a build up can damage your pipes and can stop the proper pressure of your shower – and you’ll be incredibly disappointed if you get in for your first shower in your new home, ready to wash away to dust and sweat of moving, just to have a dribble of water come out.

Windows

This only really applies if the windows in your new home are single-paned glass, or if you can see that there are breaks in the seals. So much heat and energy are wasted through cracked seals, and old, single-pane windows are old for a reason. Double-glazed uses a cushioning effect to contain the air flow, and stop heat getting out.

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