Continuing with my series on finance and wellness, today I talk about five things that are a must before you move into your new home, for your safety and well-being. Sure, buying a sofa for the new house is more tangible than buying home insurance, or a LED TV more entertaining than pest control!
But, it’s the insurance that will ensure you continue to watch those late-night football matches.
These may seem impertinent, but they are not to be taken for granted.
#1 Insure: better safe than sorry
Remember the fire breakout at Deepika Padukone’s building recently, or the ravage caused by floods? Imagine losing all your possessions to something beyond your control; especially when you have spent tens of lakhs on the property and interiors. It is only wise to insure your home with a home insurance.
I’m aware that most home loans come with a bundled insurance. My advice, however, would be to take a separate cover, and check what it encompasses: burglary, natural disaster, fire etc. Estimate your home insurance premium using a calculator such as this one.
#2 Pest control: give roaches the marching order
We were away for two weeks last month. On getting home, we were greeted by a roach freely roaming around the living area, and then a snake, few frogs and rats to give company in the front yard. This was a huge shock and disdain as I haven’t had problems with roaches inside the house before. It turned out a few folks in the immediate neighborhood had just moved in, and the importance of deep cleaning or pest control was not imminent.
When the interior work is done onsite, termites, ants, and roaches tend to make it their home. So, it’s always advisable to get pest control done before you move in. There are several options available these days from herbal gel to chemical and a combination.
I use herbal gel for the wardrobes and chemical spray for bathrooms. They are effective for six months post which you need to repeat the process. It is typically between INR 2,500 to INR 4,000 for a 3 BHK apartment for one-time application (valid for a year).
#3 Deep clean and let it shine
Deep cleaning is the process of cleaning every nook and corner of your home thoroughly from ceiling fans and curtains to kitchen shelves and toilets. It is advisable to get your home deep cleaned by professionals once a year, no matter what OCD you have for cleaning.
I cannot emphasize the importance of deep cleaning before you move in to ensure the remnants of interior work is cleaned and there are no traces of saw dust, paint and whatsoever. Especially the bathrooms which tend to get soiled during the interior work. This typically costs INR 10,000 for a 3,000 sq.ft home.
#4 Privacy control: hang those curtains and blinds
Even if your furniture has not arrived, ensure you hang those curtains and blinds before you move in. Most apartments and houses these days flaunt large glass windows. We don’t want to put on a show for the world with that see-through floor to ceiling windows, do we?
#5 Mesh for mosquito menace
Mosquitoes are our endearing cohabitants wherever we live in India. I’ve seen many of my newly moving in neighbors in despair because the mosquito mesh was not fitted. When the sun shines bright in summer and you can’t leave the windows open for some respite from cool breeze in evenings, thanks to the mosquitoes, and then, sleep becomes a distant dream. So, get that mesh installed before moving in.
You’ll also want to have a broadband connection in place given our dependency on cab-hailing apps these days and poor network connectivity in many areas. But, these 5 things figure on top of my list.
