7 Characteristics That Define a Move In Ready Home

When you buy a place that will become the new home you want to be able to walk in on day one and know that you start living in it without any concerns about a long list of repairs to occupy your mind.

When you see move in ready homes for sale being offered, what does this actually mean?

In a nutshell, when you see a home that is described as move in ready you shouldn’t just assume that it is a new property. It is actually a description that is telling you a number of important things about the state of the property and its readiness for immediate occupation.

Let’s take a look at some of the key characteristics that define a so-called move in ready home.

The electric and plumbing systems are in good order

For a home to be described as move in ready you can expect that the electric and plumbing systems have been checked and updated to a modern standard.

All of the electrical outlets and switches should be modern and everything about the plumbing should be in good working order.

Knowing that these things have been checked and updated where required gives you peace of mind. That is what you should expect when a home is described as move in ready.

The heating and cooling systems are good to go

Another key characteristic of the move in ready description is that the heating and cooling systems of the property have been checked and verified as being in good working condition and in full working order.

When you move into the property you can expect that the furnace will fire up, the water heats up properly, and the HVAC system is good to go too.

Plenty of life left in the roof and windows

You don’t want to move into a property to discover the roof is leaking and the windows need replacing.

These aspects of the property should be in good condition to be considered as move in ready.

The bathroom should be in working order

The condition of the bathroom can often be a deciding factor when you are looking to buy a property.

A move in ready property needs to have a fully functioning bathroom where the drains and toilets work properly and nothing leaks.

Defining a move in ready kitchen

The kitchen is also an important room in the house that you want to be in a good state.

To be considered as move in ready the kitchen has to be functioning properly. It doesn’t mean you can expect shiny new appliances and sparkling countertops but it does mean you can expect the appliances to be working properly and for the faucets to be functioning as expected.

What’s the state of the floors?

To meet the description of move in ready you can expect the floors to have clean and undamaged carpets. If it has hardwood floors, these should not be warped or damaged so that they are out of shape.

How is the paintwork looking?

Unless you are moving into a brand new home you can’t expect the property to be freshly painted as part of the move in ready standard requirement.

As long as the paintwork is mainly free of chips and marks it can be considered as move in ready. You can always put your personal stamp on the color scheme once you have settled in.

As long as your intended new home meets these minimum standards it should pass the test of being described as move in ready.