New Home Checklist
It’s been a long time coming, but we finally got our apartment move-in date! We’re back in our home on May 15 – CUE the choir!👼
After moving out a year and eight months ago, the news is surreal! I began to wonder if we ever had an apartment. So, the last couple of weeks were busy with spring cleaning and planning for the big day. But, the most exciting task was our walkthrough!
For anyone unfamiliar with the process, walkthroughs let you inspect your home for “defects” before moving in. Walkthroughs are most common with new developments or home renovations, and they happen at the very end of construction. However, our building construction was a big exception in many areas. After promising to get families back in their homes by May, you can feel the scramble.
We’re excited to move back, but since we identified renovation issues, I wanted to share a checklist of things to look for in your walkthrough. Keep in mind, this list doesn’t apply to only homeowners, it’s useful for renters too. The last thing you want is a landlord to blame you for something you didn’t break.
SPECIAL REQUESTS
Make sure you come with a list of the things you agreed on with the developer. After months (or years) of waiting to move in, it’s easy to forget the details – for you and the developer. For instance, we upgraded from carpet to laminate on the first floor. Low and behold, they placed carpet in the dining area.
FIXTURES
Same thing as the special requests, it’s easy to forget what you told the developers to place in your home. Bring print outs or the website links for the fixtures you purchased. This gives you a quick reference for what they should look like and what’s included in the boxes. Unfortunately, the developers didn’t install all our fixtures in time for our walkthrough. Except, they installed our new shower head…which was incorrect.
PLUMBING
Trust me, you’re not obnoxious if you turn on the sink, bath tub, shower head, or flush the toilet. Plumbing is one of those things you overlook until it doesn’t work. Luckily, we had my father-in-law to bring this to our attention. He noticed the water pressure was lower in one of our bathrooms.
APPLIANCES & ELECTRICAL
Like a kid in home depot, flick every switch, push every button and make sure lights and appliances turn on. There’s no shame! You don’t want faulty wiring or a dud appliance that you’ll have to foot the bill for later on.
STORAGE
Open up EVERY cupboard and closet you can. I’ve heard horror stories of hacked together cupboards because they’re not front facing. As in “who cares, no one’s going to see it”.
DETAILS
Nicks, stains, and marks. As careful as everyone wants to be, little mistakes happen. While you want to be reasonable, remember it’s the developer’s job to deliver your home in the best possible condition. Don’t shy away from pointing out discolourations, paint streaks, or if something looks sloppy. We had to point out a list of paint touch ups, mismatching brackets, nicks, and countertop stains. Call it Canadian, but we felt guilty doing it. Unless you’re willing to live with the mistakes, speak up!
This is by no means an exhaustive list, so here’s a link to a checklist shared by “My First Apartment”. Happy house or apartment hunting!
