Well, the deal is closed and you are now the owner of a new home – Congratulations! Now what? If you have owned a home before, then you have some clue about moving in and setting up your home. But if you haven’t owned a home before this next phase of buying a home can seem just as daunting as the home buying process up to signing your mortgage documents. In either case, the following is a list of things to consider to guide your move after you get your keys.
Clean Your New Home and Your Old Place
If you leaving a house or an apartment, it will probably need a thorough cleaning and then inspection in case you were renting as you'd like to have your security and cleaning deposit returned. Had you been the owner, the new buyers would appreciate moving into a cleaned house. Moving can be quite a messy job and it is only considerate to remove all the papers, boxes, misc, items which you may have left behind. At the very least clean the floors and carpets.
Give Yourself Extra Days To Move – Plan For Delays
If possible, give yourself a slight cushion of time between when you have to be out of your old place and can move into your new home. This may mean a partial payment for the additional time but it can be a life saver if you need the extra time with slight delays in getting your loan closed. The worst thing that can happen is having to be out of your apartment on a Friday – the last day of the month – and having your loan closing delayed until the following Monday. Your stuff sits in a moving van for the weekend and you in a motel – Yuck!
Turn On Utilities For The Day You Move In
Before settlement you will want to check with your new utility companies to make sure that you will have the gas, electric, water, and other municipal services turned on the day you move in. Moving into a new home without electricity is a real drag, so don’t forget this important step. It does happen that excited new home owners forget to do this and scramble at the very end to get the lights turned on.
Professional Moving Company Can Save You Time And Effort
Consider a professional moving company. If you think about the times that you have moved before it is a pain in the neck. When buying a home, there is much more to think about and manage without having the stress of packing and moving your home too. Professional moving companies can do the packing depending on the type of service you get. Professional movers will even set up the beds and unpack boxes as a courtesy.
Make Sure You Have a Good Supply Of Cleaning Supplies
If you are not stocked with cleaning supplies from your old place, make sure to stop at your local grocery store and pick up cleaning supplies, including trash bags, paper towels, sponges, toilet bowl cleaner, and rug sanitizing and refreshing powder. You may even need a vacuum cleaner to do a thorough job of cleaning when you move in. Don’t forget to shelving paper and of course toilet paper.
Get The Keys and Locks Changed ASAP
On moving day, make arrangements if you can to get the locks and keys changed. There is no telling how many copies of your front door key have been made over the years. Do yourself a favor and protect yourself from theft and other unexpected surprises.
Do Not Forget The Lawn If You Have One
Should this be the first home you've ever bought, there will undoubtedly be expenses you might not have considered beforehand. Take for example lawn maintenance; do you have a lawnmower, rake, shrub trimmers, and a yard edger? You might not need these if you plan on getting a private gardener. Many new homes may not have any grass as yet, so you'll need to lay sod or plant grass seed.
Then when considering your lawn, a garden hose has many handy uses. These are inexpensive and there are several choices when shopping, including adjustable sprinkler heads or lawn sprinklers. Remember shovels, weed-whackers, rakes, hoes and push brooms which are useful for sweeping out garage floors. Then don't forget such items as a wheelbarrow, wagon and watering can.
Tools And Supplies For Home Maintenance And Painting
If you are moving from an apartment you will quickly realize that there isn’t a landlord to call when thing in the home need repairs. Perhaps you already have a tool box with all the tools you’ll ever need to take care of most problems in the home. If not, below is a brief list of items you may want to pick up the next time you are near a hardware store or Home Depot.
Your toolbox should include:
- Hammers - Ball and Claw
- Flathead and Phillips Screw drivers
- Hacksaw
- Pliers
- Plumber's Wrench
- Basin Wrench
- Small Drill and drill bits (both cordless and electric)
- Nail driver
- Staple gun and staples
- Tape Measure
Many new home owners want to paint their home to make it theirs and to freshen up the newness of the home and to perhaps even cover up the smell from the previous homeowner. Below is a brief list of items to consider to stock your painting toolbox.
- Paint Brushes - one to four inches
- Paint Scraper with steel brush for cleaning brushes
- Five gallon container for mixing paint
- Paint screen
- Paint roller and sleeves
- Drop cloths or plastic sheeting
- Electricial tester
- Wire nuts
- Assorted nuts and screws
- Assorted sandpaper
Other Home Stuff
- Some other items to consider are an outdoor barbecue – either gas, or charcoal, lawn chairs, patio furniture, umbrella and maybe even a gas fire pit for those nighttime soirees.
- Should you live in the northern states where there is snow you’ll need either a snow shovel or snow blower. Also, pick up some rock salt – this will help you melt ice. The last thing you need is to have a visitor to your new home slip on your icy sidewalks (homeowners insurance claim).
- Additional items that you may need to purchase in your new home are kitchen appliances. New homes frequently are equipped with a refrigerator, oven range, washer and dryer, but if buying an older home, the former owners may have taken these items with them when they moved. Hopefully this was ironed out in the sales contract – but there are times when these items get overlooked.
- Another unexpected expense could be for bathroom linens. If doing much painting which includes the bathroom, your old towels may look dingy and unattractive against the newly painted walls. Matching floor rugs will also make attractive improvements. In your bedroom, you may want to change the linens and bedspread or duvet covering. All these linens can be found reasonably priced at such stores as Bed, Bath and Beyond, Home Depot, J. C. Penney Co. and Wal Mart.
Hopefully, this article will be of some help to new home buyers and give you some guidance in what to expect in the days and months ahead, so you can plan appropriately. Good luck and again Congratulations on buying your new home!
(New site)