4 Things to Do After Buying Your New House

Buying a house can be an incredibly challenging task. From choosing the right house and getting financing to closing the sale and moving everything, you have gotten through a lot of headaches.

However, you might have to do a few things before you can kick back and relax in your new home. While some of these apply to completely brand-new houses, you should really do these things if you’re moving into a used house.

For the final touches, here are some things you should do immediately after buying your new house.

Secure Your New House

Since you’re not the first person to have the keys to the house, it is normal to assume that the previous owners or maybe even the realtor has a copy of the keys. If the locks have keypads, like the garage door, then they probably know the passwords.

Therefore, you should secure your house immediately after buying it. That means, changing every single lock in the house and changing passwords for the keypads.

You should also contact the security company if your home already has a security system and update all the necessary information. Alternatively, you can look into a new alarm company or go with the one you had in your previous home.

Connect the Utilities

Normally, the previous owners would have disconnected all the utilities after moving out. But, they might keep things running to sell the house and show it to potential buyers.

You can get a list of all the utility companies connected to the house and find out if the previous accounts are closed. Whether or not they are disconnected, you should clear everything and make new accounts for the house in your name.

Create a Maintenance Schedule

Since the house was previously in use, there is a chance that the previous owners didn’t do all the necessary maintenance before selling it to you. Even if they have, the house will eventually need to be maintained again sooner or later.

Use the inspection report as a guide to figure out what needs to be maintained immediately. For instance, the HVAC system might be dirty, old, outdated, or in need of repairs. In that case, you can call a residential HVAC contractor.

Some things you should do anyways include pressure washing the exterior, replacing air filters, draining the water heater, testing the smoke detectors, and cleaning the gutters, among other things.

Refresh the House

When you buy a house, there is a good chance that the colors might not match your style or the previous owners just spruced up the place using cheaper materials that won’t last too long.

For starters, you should paint the walls in the main rooms. You can pick the color of your choice, and get good quality paint. Ideally, you should do this before moving your furniture inside so that your belongings don’t get paint on them.|

Since you’re not the first person to have the keys to the house, it is normal to assume that the previous owners or maybe even the realtor has a copy of the keys. If the locks have keypads, like the garage door, then they probably know the passwords.

Therefore, you should secure your house immediately after buying it. That means, changing every single lock in the house and changing passwords for the keypads.

People also change the toilets and sinks in the bathroom, usually because they are looking for a new style or just to give the bathrooms a fresher appearance. The same can be said about the cabinets and the island in the kitchen.

For wooden floors, you can get them refinished to get a fresh shine. With carpets, you can either get professional carpet cleaning done or replace the carpets with the flooring of your choice Read more