Important Things to Do After Buying a House

Buying A Home

Important Things to Do After Buying a House

September 20, 2021

9 First Things To Do After Buying a House

1. Review Home Warranty

If you got a home warranty from the previous homeowner, then one of the first things you should do after buying a house is thoroughly review it. This will help you understand precisely what is covered in the warranty and, and how to make a claim in case something breaks down.

If you haven’t received any warranty, you can also buy one. Having a warranty ensures that you don’t have to pay for the repairs in case something breaks down in the house. The last thing you want is the added expense of replacing a dishwasher or an HVAC panel as soon as you move into the house.

When searching online for reliable and experienced home warranty companies in your area, look for sample home warranty contracts from those said companies. Sample contracts give you a glimpse into the type of contract you will be entering with the warranty.

2. Setup Your New Address

Now that you’ve bought yourself a new home, it’s important to update all of your official documents with your new address.

Here’s a short list of important institutions and people to check in with:

Friends and family members
With your employer
All of your creditors
Car insurance
Social security administration
Tax agencies
Bank and credit card company

Forgetting to change your address with any of these places or people could mean you’re not getting critical information or worse, someone else might be.

3. Connect Utilities

Electricity, water, gas, the internet, and cable – these are a few of the most important utilities that you need access to when you move into your new house. Setting up these utilities is one of the first things you should do.

It can take a couple days or more to connect to the service providers. Contacting the providers before you move into the house will give you insight into the process, the timeline, and all of the other details required to turn on the utilities.

4. Deep Cleaning

Whether you are buying a new home or a pre-owned one, you’ll want to make sure the home is thoroughly cleaned before moving in. There are two reasons for it.

First, because the house probably accumulated a lot of dirt and dust due to the large number of people who toured it while the house on the market.

Second, because it is a lot easier to clean an empty house than one packed with all of your furniture.

Hire cleaning contractors for the job, and they will take care of everything.

5. Familiarize Yourself With The House

Another important thing you need to add to the list of things to do after moving into a house is to make yourself familiar with all of the important systems. Systems like…

The emergency shut-offs
The circuit breaker box
The main water shut-off valve
Gas shut-off valve
Septic system

Similarly, you should have access to appliance manuals like the cooktop, the dishwasher, the washer and so on. These manuals will help you avoid any inconvenience when attempting to operate a new appliance.

If you do not have the manuals, search for them online. You can find appliance manuals on their company websites most of the time.

6. Secure Your House

Security should be a top-priority before you move into a house, especially if it is a pre-owned house.

Hire a local locksmith to change your locks ideally on the day of closing or right after. That way your move won’t be delayed just because you didn’t get the locksmith appointment on time.

If the home comes with an alarm system, connect with the service provider in your area and reconnect the service. Also, don’t forget to check the price before reconnecting.

7. Keep Track Of Documentation

You get a lot of documents when you buy a property. It’s important to keep track of all of these papers in case you want to make any renovations or even sell your home in the future. These papers include…

Homeownership papers
Copies of mortgage
Insurance documents
Appliance manuals
Home warranty

You can keep these documents in a fireproof box and pull them out when required.

8. Create a maintenance schedule

Homeownership brings with it an added responsibility of home maintenance, which you don’t need to worry as much about when you are renting a house. To make sure that your home stays in the best shape, you need to have regular maintenance tasks.

This is where creating a maintenance schedule is key.

You can use your home inspection report to create a checklist of maintenance tasks, which includes things to repair, things to replace, and things to maintain for the future.

Other maintenance activities could be…

Gutter cleaning
Changing air filters
Cleaning of wood floors
HVAC system servicing
And so on.

A checklist of all of these activities will help you start your homeownership journey on the right foot.

9. Meet The Neighbors

Lastly, don’t forget to introduce yourself to the neighbors.

Your neighbors can be an incredible source of information, which can be useful in the future. For instance, they can help in finding a handyman nearby or a landscaping service provider.

Besides, your neighbors can be a valuable resource to keep you updated on the latest news in the neighborhood, which you definitely don’t want to miss out on.

Summing It Up!

Becoming a homeowner is exciting, but the journey doesn’t end after you move in. Homeownership brings with it many responsibilities that may seem overwhelming but at the same time they are important to ensure your house stays in the best condition for as long as possible. You can use this list of important things to do after buying a house as a reference guide for your own journey. We hope it makes your time as a homeowner a lot smoother.