Moving to a new place is always fun and exciting, especially if it’s your first time to own a home. Regardless if you are single or moving in with kids, you should prepare for the big move. One thing you can do is to create a checklist of all the items you need for your move-in.

Homebuilders like D.R. Horton also suggest making some changes to your new house to make it feel more like home. More than anything, your home should offer you security, suit your needs, and match your personality.

Take a look at these three basic things:

Change the locks

There might have been some people who have had access to the house while it was being built and sold. To ensure your safety, buy or install a new set of locks or contact a locksmith from the area and have them replaced. Afterwards, have copies of the keys made and give them to each member of the family.

Give the house a good scrub

Cleaning the house inside and out will make you feel good about moving into a new place. If you don’t want to do this by yourself or you don’t have the time, you can hire a cleaning crew to do this for you. The cabinets should be washed down, carpets vacuumed, and counters and plumbing fixtures cleaned until they’re gleaming. When you walk into your new home, it should ready for your arrival.

Paint it your way

New houses already come in painted, but just in case you don’t like the colors, or you’d like to paint it differently to show more of your character, go ahead. This can be your first project as a family, or you can get professionals to do the job for you.

There’s a lot more to moving houses than deciding on the things you need to bring and how you plan to decorate the new place. It is essential to have a clean place to move to and to be sure that you and your family are safe in your first and succeeding days there.