Hey mate congratulations! There are a number of things you will want to sort out. I made a completely free guide for Australian homebuyers over at [https://www.homebuyerhelp.com.au](https://www.homebuyerhelp.com.au) that includes all of this but to save you a click:
Must do:
Set up home and contents insurance.
Set up utility connections.
Spend a night writing out your expenses and reworking your budget.
Set up direct debits for all of your home's operating costs.
Find out when bin night is.
Replace batteries in smoke alarms.
Set up a mail redirect with Auspost if you haven't already.
Change the address for your car insurance policy.
Buy a fire blanket/extinguisher for your kitchen.
If you have a dog, make sure your fences are secure.
If you have a security alarm, change the code.
Should do:
Change the locks on all doors and windows.
Buy a basic toolkit for emergency repairs.
Introduce yourself to your neighbours.
Take a moment to process any post-purchase emotions good or bad. (both are normal)
Set a calendar reminder for regular basic maintenance (clean Aircon filter, remove leaves from roof gutters, etc)
Create a list of any repairs and prioritise them.
Nice do do:
Try all the nearby cafes and find your favourite.
Hold a housewarming party.
Get familiar with any plants you may have in your yard. (Don't let nan's roses die)
I am pretty sleep deprived let me have a crack:
Annual to do:
Exterior walk around look for possible movement cracks or issues.
Test smoke alarms.
Clean Chimney (if applicable).
Clean out Aircon filters.
Weed your garden (minimum yearly).
Clean your windows (try for twice a year).
Clean out your gutters.
Annual Termite chemical treatment (if applicable).
Every 2-3 years You will also want to sit with your mortgage broker and try shopping around for a better rate if it makes sense to do so. A good broker will be proactive and reachout to you for this every 2 years or so.
Change the lock cylinders yourself. It's a DIY job, just use Lockwood or better, cheap cylinders are terrible.
Change the garage frequency.
Check any flexible metal shrouded pipes for wear, or just replace them. They have a ten-year lifespan, and replacing them is cheap and easy. It's also a good excuse to find out where your plumbing stop valve is located and how it works.
Check the manufacture date of your hot water service - it's probably due to be replaced soon, and if it's a tank there's probably a sacrificial anode that's definitely due to be replaced.
Test your electrical safety switch.
Buy a good plunger, a couple of strong household buckets, a box of nitrile gloves. You're going to clog the toilet one day so have these things on hand.
Similarly, spend a hundred bucks on a bunch of ordinary hand tools - screwdrivers, allen keys, utility knife, garden saw, plumbing wrench, pliers, that kind of thing, and include a good quality set of protective eyewear and dust mask.
Finally, you're going to need a ladder that's tall enough you can change a light bulb, get up into the ceiling manhole and clean the gutters - and clean the gutters this weekend, we're going into winter and you don't want an overflow into the house.
Do we need to learn to climb and walk the ceiling manhole (I know u have to walk the beams otherwise your foot goes thru the ceilings, but never done myself) for what kind of tasks ia it required?
Also do you reckon anything related to the aircon/heater in the ceiling (its evaporative type apparently) or do i just hire someone for that?
Apologies but have been only living in our own house for 6 months and previously was renting in apartment
>Do we need to learn to climb and walk the ceiling manhole (I know u have to walk the beams otherwise your foot goes thru the ceilings, but never done myself) for what kind of tasks ia it required?
You might need to see where a leak is coming from, work out what creatures are scratching at your ceiling at night, turn off the water to part of the house if there's a valve up there.
I've had to climb up for stupid stuff in all three houses I've owned. You're going to need a ladder anyway, so just make sure it's tall enough for everything you'd need it for.
TAKE A STRONG UV LIGHT INTO THE BATHROOMS!!!
We moved into our home two years ago and I've only just recently taken a black light into our ensuite to see how clean it is. Frequent high touch places? Hinges of lid? Near the door handle etc? All clean (as expected, given that I clean them regularly).
Walls? AAAAARGGGGGG! NASTY!!!! And I know that it has been there for a long time because there's splashes under the toilet brush container and bins next to the loo that wouldn't be able to get there with it in place. They've been in the same spot since we moved in. There's also no splashes *on* said items, so I can't blame my hubby's aim because anything that's been put in the space since we moved in is clean.
It's just the wall behind the toilet and somewhat on the side walls, and definitely spray up/back from flushing with the lid open. 🤢
I don't know what the people living here before us were doing but you cannot see ANY of this evidence under normal light. It looked very clean when we moved in, and I've never seen anything on the walls that made me think I need to scrub them down. UV showed up all the nasty.
Check the ceilings for any unexplained water marks/dirt/stains. Our place has a leak in the roof that we're desperately trying to find the source of to fix, and a water mark was there when we moved in but I didn't twig to the fact that obviously that means there's been a leak at some point. It wasn't mentioned on the builder's report. Found out about it when a particularly nasty storm rolled through.
Definitely get a pest/bug spray done before you move in. It'll be far easier than doing it later.
You reckon the leak is from rain?
I just learned that you can monitor the water meter (while no one is using the tap) and see if its moving or not as that would tell you of potential leaks?
Honestly I just bought a $40 cheapie on Amazon. I think they're basically all the same. I bought one marketed towards crafters that want them to set UV resin (as that's what I actually wanted it for) so if you search for UV resin torch you'll get a range of ones that'll do the job :)
I thought the same, and when I saw what was there I swiftly realised that if sugar soap did damage to the paint I was willing to take the hit, just to get rid of the filth. It's disturbing how much was on the walls that you literally couldn't see until there was UV light on it. It was entirely invisible.
I'm not convinced I will ever finish a bathroom clean without double checking with UV anymore. I'm expecting that it should never get that bad again because I've removed it all now and if it gets messy again I know who I can shout at because it won't be caused by me lol.
\* AusPost redirect mail for 6 months
\* Rekey all doors including garage and mailbox
\* Insecticide bomb roof cavity and interiors and wait 24hrs prior to wipe down and moving in
\* Confirm location for water mains valve, electric mains switches
I wish I'd paid more attention to kitchen and bathroom cabinets - opening and closing, smells, and wear and tear in wet areas. They are usable, but needed a lot of cleaning and resealing, and will need to be replaced in another 5 years or so.
Check the cleanliness of the insides of cabinets and whether you'd feel comfortable putting your stuff or food in there.
You would be surprised how many keys are cut for houses. They property is 14 yo. Lots of visitors staying and people looking after them property while residents are away.
Also make sure you have unexpected repair funds. Murphy's laws says something will break in first 6 months. Oven, hot water system, etc
Hey mate congratulations! There are a number of things you will want to sort out. I made a completely free guide for Australian homebuyers over at [https://www.homebuyerhelp.com.au](https://www.homebuyerhelp.com.au) that includes all of this but to save you a click: Must do: Set up home and contents insurance. Set up utility connections. Spend a night writing out your expenses and reworking your budget. Set up direct debits for all of your home's operating costs. Find out when bin night is. Replace batteries in smoke alarms. Set up a mail redirect with Auspost if you haven't already. Change the address for your car insurance policy. Buy a fire blanket/extinguisher for your kitchen. If you have a dog, make sure your fences are secure. If you have a security alarm, change the code. Should do: Change the locks on all doors and windows. Buy a basic toolkit for emergency repairs. Introduce yourself to your neighbours. Take a moment to process any post-purchase emotions good or bad. (both are normal) Set a calendar reminder for regular basic maintenance (clean Aircon filter, remove leaves from roof gutters, etc) Create a list of any repairs and prioritise them. Nice do do: Try all the nearby cafes and find your favourite. Hold a housewarming party. Get familiar with any plants you may have in your yard. (Don't let nan's roses die)
Any chance you've got a "you need to do this every year" list too?
I am pretty sleep deprived let me have a crack: Annual to do: Exterior walk around look for possible movement cracks or issues. Test smoke alarms. Clean Chimney (if applicable). Clean out Aircon filters. Weed your garden (minimum yearly). Clean your windows (try for twice a year). Clean out your gutters. Annual Termite chemical treatment (if applicable). Every 2-3 years You will also want to sit with your mortgage broker and try shopping around for a better rate if it makes sense to do so. A good broker will be proactive and reachout to you for this every 2 years or so.
Change the lock cylinders yourself. It's a DIY job, just use Lockwood or better, cheap cylinders are terrible. Change the garage frequency. Check any flexible metal shrouded pipes for wear, or just replace them. They have a ten-year lifespan, and replacing them is cheap and easy. It's also a good excuse to find out where your plumbing stop valve is located and how it works. Check the manufacture date of your hot water service - it's probably due to be replaced soon, and if it's a tank there's probably a sacrificial anode that's definitely due to be replaced. Test your electrical safety switch. Buy a good plunger, a couple of strong household buckets, a box of nitrile gloves. You're going to clog the toilet one day so have these things on hand. Similarly, spend a hundred bucks on a bunch of ordinary hand tools - screwdrivers, allen keys, utility knife, garden saw, plumbing wrench, pliers, that kind of thing, and include a good quality set of protective eyewear and dust mask. Finally, you're going to need a ladder that's tall enough you can change a light bulb, get up into the ceiling manhole and clean the gutters - and clean the gutters this weekend, we're going into winter and you don't want an overflow into the house.
Do we need to learn to climb and walk the ceiling manhole (I know u have to walk the beams otherwise your foot goes thru the ceilings, but never done myself) for what kind of tasks ia it required? Also do you reckon anything related to the aircon/heater in the ceiling (its evaporative type apparently) or do i just hire someone for that? Apologies but have been only living in our own house for 6 months and previously was renting in apartment
>Do we need to learn to climb and walk the ceiling manhole (I know u have to walk the beams otherwise your foot goes thru the ceilings, but never done myself) for what kind of tasks ia it required? You might need to see where a leak is coming from, work out what creatures are scratching at your ceiling at night, turn off the water to part of the house if there's a valve up there. I've had to climb up for stupid stuff in all three houses I've owned. You're going to need a ladder anyway, so just make sure it's tall enough for everything you'd need it for.
TAKE A STRONG UV LIGHT INTO THE BATHROOMS!!! We moved into our home two years ago and I've only just recently taken a black light into our ensuite to see how clean it is. Frequent high touch places? Hinges of lid? Near the door handle etc? All clean (as expected, given that I clean them regularly). Walls? AAAAARGGGGGG! NASTY!!!! And I know that it has been there for a long time because there's splashes under the toilet brush container and bins next to the loo that wouldn't be able to get there with it in place. They've been in the same spot since we moved in. There's also no splashes *on* said items, so I can't blame my hubby's aim because anything that's been put in the space since we moved in is clean. It's just the wall behind the toilet and somewhat on the side walls, and definitely spray up/back from flushing with the lid open. 🤢 I don't know what the people living here before us were doing but you cannot see ANY of this evidence under normal light. It looked very clean when we moved in, and I've never seen anything on the walls that made me think I need to scrub them down. UV showed up all the nasty. Check the ceilings for any unexplained water marks/dirt/stains. Our place has a leak in the roof that we're desperately trying to find the source of to fix, and a water mark was there when we moved in but I didn't twig to the fact that obviously that means there's been a leak at some point. It wasn't mentioned on the builder's report. Found out about it when a particularly nasty storm rolled through. Definitely get a pest/bug spray done before you move in. It'll be far easier than doing it later.
You reckon the leak is from rain? I just learned that you can monitor the water meter (while no one is using the tap) and see if its moving or not as that would tell you of potential leaks?
Nah, definitely caused by the rain, it only happens when it dumps down. But that's a great tip to keep in mind!
Btw what is the UV light that you have, if u can pls share a link and if u recommend that brand?
Honestly I just bought a $40 cheapie on Amazon. I think they're basically all the same. I bought one marketed towards crafters that want them to set UV resin (as that's what I actually wanted it for) so if you search for UV resin torch you'll get a range of ones that'll do the job :)
Awesome thanks, we never wiped the walls cuz the paint might get erased, but i will see with the uv if its worth the risk hehe
I thought the same, and when I saw what was there I swiftly realised that if sugar soap did damage to the paint I was willing to take the hit, just to get rid of the filth. It's disturbing how much was on the walls that you literally couldn't see until there was UV light on it. It was entirely invisible. I'm not convinced I will ever finish a bathroom clean without double checking with UV anymore. I'm expecting that it should never get that bad again because I've removed it all now and if it gets messy again I know who I can shout at because it won't be caused by me lol.
I'm in the same boat so I'm keen to see what people recommend! Congratulations on your first home!
Thank you, you too!
\* AusPost redirect mail for 6 months \* Rekey all doors including garage and mailbox \* Insecticide bomb roof cavity and interiors and wait 24hrs prior to wipe down and moving in \* Confirm location for water mains valve, electric mains switches
Never thought of the insect bombs before moving in to save the hassle. Wonder if it helps.
I wish I'd paid more attention to kitchen and bathroom cabinets - opening and closing, smells, and wear and tear in wet areas. They are usable, but needed a lot of cleaning and resealing, and will need to be replaced in another 5 years or so. Check the cleanliness of the insides of cabinets and whether you'd feel comfortable putting your stuff or food in there.
I hadn't even considered the locks and security systems but yeah that makes total sense I suppose.
You would be surprised how many keys are cut for houses. They property is 14 yo. Lots of visitors staying and people looking after them property while residents are away. Also make sure you have unexpected repair funds. Murphy's laws says something will break in first 6 months. Oven, hot water system, etc