Despite all the advice first-time home buyers can get from realtors, friends, and family, you always forget something. When you finally move into your first home, you want to settle down and relax because there’s still plenty of work ahead.
And the last thing you want to deal with is forgetting something important–essential. While you know it will take time to turn this house into a home; several must-haves will make the first few weeks more comfortable and safer to help your property feel like it’s yours. With that in mind, here are fifteen essentials for your first home.
Move-in Essentials
Although you can gradually pick things up as you go, there are a few things you’ll need the day you move in.
Cleaning Supplies
The home should be clean when you arrive, but this is not always the case, especially if the property has been vacant for a while. You might be tempted to worry about it tomorrow. But if the house needs significant cleaning, you’ll need to bring cleaning supplies along with you. No one wants to spend their first night in a new home scrubbing floors or wiping down windows, but taking care of this now ensures you’ll feel more comfortable going to sleep that night and ready to tackle the rest tomorrow morning.
First Night Bag
A first-night bag ensures you have everything you need once you walk through the door. If you have hundreds (okay, not hundreds, but a lot) of boxes, you won’t want to search through every one to find your toothbrush. Instead, this checklist outlines all the small essentials you’ll need to make your first night more comfortable and convenient, with everything from your charger to your toiletries. You can worry about unpacking everything else later.
Tool Box
You might come across a few loose bolts or hinges when moving into your new property. These issues may not seem hugely significant now, but you’re better off fixing them in the first few days after moving in. Similarly, you’ll need to build furniture, so a toolbox is essential to get out of those camping chairs and onto a proper sofa as quickly as possible. The same goes for your bed and any shelves to show off how well-read you are.
Garbage
Even if the property is clean, you’ll still make a lot of mess over the first few weeks, so you need something to store it all in. Garbage bags and bins are a fantastic solution for this, while larger boxes should go somewhere out of the way (like a spare room or in the garage) until you can take them to the dump for recycling. If it’s a long time until garbage collection day, you might prefer to take everything to the dump to get ahead of your cleaning.
Curtains and Rod
If there’s one thing everyone forgets when moving into a new home, it’s that the previous owners take everything with them. If they bought it, you can expect they packed it up, so you’ll need to purchase curtains and a curtain rod to install on the night you arrive. This isn’t always the case in rented properties, but if you’re a homeowner, you want to sleep with the curtains closed on your first night.
Living Essentials
You need to think about the rest of your life, though, and while you have time to collect bits and bobs, there are a few living essentials you’ll need to source as quickly as possible.
Kitchen Must-Haves
The kitchen is one of the most-used parts of your home, up there with your bedroom and living room. Therefore, you should purchase as many utensils and accessories as possible before you move in. This can include your pots and pans, a toaster and even a coffee maker with a grinder to help you start the day right. Plates, cutlery, and washing-up utensils should also be on the list, while you can save things like your air fryer or rice cooker for another time.
Living Room
You’ll spend the most time in your living room, especially for evenings and weekends when you just want to relax and enjoy your home. Because of this, think about everything you’ll need for your living room, like your TV, sofa, and mood lighting. Everyone has a different idea of what their living should include, so don’t be afraid to indulge in your imagination and creativity to create a space where you’ll feel comfortable and content.
Home Office
With the number of people working from home, it’s worth setting up a home office so you don’t spend all of your time working in bed, at the kitchen table, or on the sofa. Designating a space within the home, such as your spare room, can create a more productive environment as you have a space separate from the fun around the rest of your property. Even if you don’t work from home, a home office can be useful for paying your taxes or bills.
Bedroom
Much of your good health starts in your bedroom, so consider what you look for in a bedroom to ensure a good night’s sleep. Again, everyone’s a little different as some people like it cool, whereas others prefer a warm bedroom. If you’re a light sleeper, invest in blackout blinds, while dry air can be overcome with a humidifier to prevent middle–of–the–night coughing fits.
Fun Stuff
Your home shouldn’t just be about work and sleep. You also need to make it a fun place to be. Fill your home with books and artwork. Buy a small home gym set if you want to work out in between meetings. Invest in a games console and throw parties with your friends as long as they’re not too busy with everything else going on in their lives. Your home should be fun, so find something you love and make it a must-have.
Security Essentials
Keeping your home safe is vital, but various hazards could affect your property’s security.
Home Insurance
Home insurance is an affordable essential that everyone needs to consider. This setup protects you and your home in case of property damage, burglary, flooding, and more. Of course, it won’t stop these things from happening initially, but it will cover any expenses you may need to pay to repair your house or replace anything stolen or damaged.
Burglar Alarms
You can deter burglars by installing security systems and alarms that activate if your property is breached. Combining burglar alarms with security lighting and cameras as part of a smart home setup is more affordable than ever, and it gives you the peace of mind you need when you are at work or on vacation. Some setups even allow you to monitor the house remotely, meaning you can act quickly if you see or even suspect something is happening.
First Aid Kit
Scrapes, cuts, and bruises happen, but you’ll still need to quickly clean up any wounds and injuries, whether they happen to you, your partner, or your kids. A comprehensive first aid kit should include everything from band-aids to gauze to disinfectant wipes, which will all help if you scrape your hand on a nail poking out of the old floorboards. Furthermore, a first aid kit is just smart to have, so buy one before you need one and save yourself a lot of trouble.
Emergency Contact Details
While you hope nothing goes wrong in your property, there’s always the risk of flooding your toilet or fusing box trips. You shouldn’t panic if this happens because you should have a list of emergency contact details easily available. Knowing who to call in an emergency can save a lot of time and money, although it’s also worth learning how to fix some basic household problems to mitigate any severe damage as much as possible. You should also find contact numbers for local emergency services, such as police and the fire department.
Smoke Detectors and Fire Extinguishers
Speaking of the fire department, smoke and fire extinguishers should be in every house. Without them, you and your family risk getting into trouble if someone forgets they left the stove on. You should also learn how to deal with various types of fire. Specific fire extinguishers work on specific types of flames, but you should also know how to eliminate a grease fire. Do not throw water into it. Instead, you need to cover it and deprive it of all oxygen.
Home Sweet Home
Although you won’t feel at home immediately, these essentials can accelerate the process so that you believe you’ve lived there your whole life and this is where you’re meant to be. Your home will be filled with all the must-haves, allowing you to spend time there with peace of mind and an eager eye on what the future holds for you and your family.
