The Common and Not So Common Things That New Home Buyers Don’t Want to Overlook

Any new home buyers in Logan, Utah? Maybe you’re buying an old home to make it new. Whatever your goal, there are some things that you’ll want to do if you want to have a healthy home. Today, we’ll take a look at five things to help you with your home checklist. You’ve probably already had a home inspection. This should mean all the basic safety stuff and most of the obvious cleaning work will be done, but some things aren’t so obvious.  These can affect not only the home but the health of anyone living there. We talked with some locally trusted experts and here are their opinions on some often overlooked items that you may want to focus on.

1. General Cleaning

General cleaning is going to be a regular thing. While this should hopefully be done by the previous owner of the home – or if the home is newly built, the construction crew should have cleaned up their mess – it’s always good to have a checklist just in case. For that, we have a simple PDF file to get you started. When it comes to buying a house, it doesn’t have to be fully clean for the previous people to move out.  Sometimes former owners miss things, especially around areas that are hard to notice, like under appliances.  If living with someone else’s dirt and grime doesn’t sound too appealing check out a complete cleaning list.

2. Radon and Mold Testing

Your home inspection before you buy should do some basic tests for obvious safety concerns like mold, gas leaks, plumbing, foundation, and so on. You should check with the realtor and make sure, just in case, but these are likely to be done on their own.  However, there are some tests that should be done, but often aren’t.  New home buyers should look into these tests.

Sid Roderer of Achievement Realty tells us, “In addition to home inspections, the tests that I always recommend for all of my clients in Logan, Utah are radon and mold.  People always overlook these issues.”  These tests aren’t required by law, but Sid firmly believes they should be, given the harm they can do to your health.

Radon is an odorless carcinogenic gas that forms in the soil as naturally occurring uranium breaks down.  Because Utah is a mining state, it’s more prone to higher levels of radon in the soil, which can seep up into homes and damage your lungs.  While it’s impossible to reduce the radon gas levels to 0 due to how it naturally forms, you can take steps to reduce it, but first you need to know if your home has unsafe levels in the first place. Typical tests run between $100 and $150 and it will give you peace of mind about your health.

Mold, on the other hand, is just one of those problems that’s easy to miss because it gets into all kinds of spaces.  It finds porous, organic materials, like wallpaper, wood, and many other things you find in your basement, where the growing conditions are ideal.  It can be hard to spot sometimes, and people often think that just spraying some bleach will kill it.  The truth is, mold is incredibly difficult to get rid of once it finds a place.  You should make sure a full mold check is done before you fully move in.  That way, you’ll have full peace of mind knowing your house is healthy.

3. Home Upgrades

Cache Valley has a lot of really great older homes, but some of them could do with a bit of improvement. Heating and cooling is one of the biggest energy expenses in any given home, according to the EPA. That can cost a lot of money, but with a bit of work, you can increase your home’s energy efficiency. Consider proper sealing and insulation, for example.

Heating is the number one thing we spend most of our energy on. During the winter, a lot of heat gets lost through improper insulation. Fixing that up, you’ll see a dramatic improvement in temperature management (in both summer and winter), which will reduce your energy bill.

You can also see if there are upgrades available to your HVAC system. Having an efficient heating and cooling system will do wonders for your energy use.  With rising energy costs, proper insulation is something that gives homeowners both immediate and long-term savings.  You won’t worry so much about your energy bills and can focus on making memories in your new home.

And speaking of HVACs . . .

4. HVAC Maintenance & Upgrades

Your HVAC system needs regular maintenance, not just for health reasons, but also for efficiency reasons. If you want to improve the air quality, though, there are options.  Joe W. from Wallis Comfort Air says new home buyers should consider investing in ultraviolet ionizing lights.  These lights use UV radiation to disinfect the air of viruses, bacteria, and mold. Some can even neutralize allergens. “These lights won’t disrupt the flow of air, but will reduce the materials in it. You won’t have to worry about heavy filters which can put strain on your HVAC system.”  The better air flow improves energy efficiency, which can save you some money in the long-run.

5. Air Duct and Vent Cleaning

Have you ever noticed tickles, itching, or even soreness in the back of your throat outside of cold or allergy season? It might just be coming from your air ducts. Even in new homes, this can be an issue, as construction crews may forget about them during their clean-up phase. Dust and allergens also build up over time, especially in older homes.

Typically, your home should have its ducts cleaned once every 3-5 years. When you first move into a new home, be sure to ask if that’s already been done. Chances are, it hasn’t. You never know what’s been left behind. Pet dander from a previous home owner or tenant, years of uncleaned dust, and construction debris left behind from building and remodeling can all be found in your ducts if they aren’t regularly cleaned.

Not only can it have a negative impact on your health and happiness, they can also impede the airflow of your home, decreasing its energy efficiency.
Kind of interesting how central air is central to home health.

“Many new homeowners call us because their allergies are flaring up,” says Katie, manager of Easy Breezy Pros.  “After we’ve cleaned them out, they notice easier breathing right away, a cleaner smell in the home, and even sleep better at night.”

Clean Home, Clean Air, Clean Bill of Health

You want to have the best start possible in your new home, right? Who doesn’t? With this list, we’ve provided you with some of the best steps to giving new home buyers clean air in your own home. Before you finish moving in, you should check up on them and make sure they’re done. The improved health, coupled with the savings on your energy bill will make you all around healthier and happier.