Moving from a renter to a homeowner is a significant milestone. Unfortunately, first time homeowners can get swept up in the excitement and make careless decisions that jeopardize their financial or physical security.
A new home requires maintenance to thrive. Many experts recommend creating a checklist to help you get started.
- Schedule a Home Inspection
Buying a home is one of the most significant investments most people will ever make. As a result, it’s critical to do a thorough home inspection.
A home inspection gives you a chance to catch any problems that the current homeowners didn’t address before selling the property. It also gives you a chance to decide whether to ask for the seller to fix these issues or to back out of the sale altogether (provided that your purchase contract included an inspection contingency).
To make sure you get a quality home inspection, choose an inspector that you trust. Ask friends and family in your area for recommendations or search online. It’s important to find an inspector who is independent and not being paid by your real estate agent, as this may influence their opinion or lead them to miss issues that could cost you later.
- Change Your Mailing Address
Getting your mail set up in your new home is an essential step to take. To do this, visit your local post office with your deed and a photo ID. The clerk will register your address with the local postal service, which then sets up your mail delivery route. This can take up to 10 business days. During that time, you’ll want to make sure that your periodicals are properly forwarded.
You should also change your address with any government agencies and other entities that have your information on file. This will help ensure that you don’t receive important notices at the wrong address or end up with a credit card bill sent to your old house. You can do this online or by calling the USPS and using Form 3575.
- Change Your Locks
There’s a lot to think about when you’re moving into a new home. You need to know where the circuit breaker is, how to shut off your water, and how to install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. You also need to make sure your kids, pets and other family members are safe by putting up safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs, adding outlet covers and storing cleaners, detergents, sharp objects and boxes away from their reach.
But one of the most important tasks new homeowners should do is change their locks. You never know who else has a copy of the old keys or what other people may have access to your new home. Changing locks is an affordable, easy DIY project that should be at the top of your to-do list.
- Do a Homeowner’s Maintenance Check
Keeping up with regular home maintenance helps you avoid costly repairs down the road and can also add to your property’s resale value. To get started, make a list of all the items you need to maintain and schedule them into daily, weekly or monthly tasks, or hire a professional for more involved projects. Having a complete protection home warranty plan is important as it will greatly reduce the amount of costly repairs.
Changing air filters regularly can reduce dust build-ups and help you regulate your home’s temperature more efficiently, reducing energy costs. You’ll also want to clean and test smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors and replace batteries as needed.
Make sure you know where your emergency shut-offs are and how to access the circuit breaker box. Create a binder for all your homeowner documents and appliance guides and warranty information to keep them organized.
- Finalize Your Budget
When it comes to buying a home, you’ll want to make sure that you can afford it. This isn’t just about a down payment and closing costs, but also ongoing expenses like mortgage payments, property taxes and repair costs.
A good way to get an idea of what your budget should be is to look at your monthly spending habits. You may find that you can cut some unnecessary expenses or save by canceling a subscription service.
Also, remember that buying too much house can be a big mistake. It’s important to buy what you can comfortably pay for, as stretching yourself too far with a mortgage can leave you struggling for money elsewhere in your life. Buy within your means and you’ll be happier in the long run.
