If you’ve just bought your first home, congratulations! Take a moment to relax after the hectic process of making an offer on the house, securing your mortgage, and having inspections done before finally closing the deal. You might think the hard work is done and dusted, but things are just getting started.
To ensure that you’ll be comfortable and secure in your new home for years to come, here are 8 things to do after you buy your home.
Secure Your Home
The first step after you’ve got your new house keys in hand is to secure your home. Since you probably don’t want the previous owners popping around whenever they please, the first stop should be changing the locks. Also ask for any security codes to a garage or alarm system and change it to something you’re familiar with.
Ensure You Have Home Warranty and Insurance
The last thing you want is the fridge, dishwasher, and washing machine to go kaput immediately after moving in. Having a home warranty covers all the appliances inside, so that if something goes wrong you can rest easy knowing that it’s all covered. Having home and contents insurance with reputable providers such as NRMA is also essential. This protects your home and possessions from theft, natural disasters, fire, water leaks, and a variety of other things.
Connect Your Utilities
Another step to take care of before you move in is to connect your utilities. Water, gas, and electricity are obviously the most essential to get up and running under your name – things like an internet connection might not be as urgent. It’s important to approach a variety of providers to make sure you’re getting the best deal for your new home.
Double Check Any Safety Features
Take the time to go around your new home and make sure that all the safety features are working. That means smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, and even emergency lighting. And if you notice that they’re missing, it’s best to get new units installed as soon as possible. It’s always a good idea to have smoke detectors in the kitchen and laundry, the two common spots for fires to occur. Also invest in a decent first aid kit for the home, as well as a fire safety kit (fire blanket, extinguisher, etc.)
Prioritise Things to Repair, Update, or Maintain
You should have had your new home inspected before moving in, which means you’ve probably got a list of things that need fixing. After you’ve closed the deal, go back to that list, and prioritise what needs to be looked at immediately, sometime soon, or in the long term. Tackle the things that can quickly get out of hand and end up costing you an arm and a leg (things like dirty gutters, broken door, leaking window seals, etc).
Give the Interior a Fresh Coat of Paint
A popular way to put your stamp on a new home is to have the interior painted, or at the very least, spruced up a bit. Doing it before your furniture gets moved prevents you having to move everything twice and stops drops of paint splattering on your couch or dining room table. Choosing colours for your new home is an exciting prospect, and you can even ask for a colour consultation from a painting company.
Figure Out How Things Work
New homeowners should immediately familiarize themselves with how their house operates. The biggest priority is finding out where the emergency shut offs and circuit breaker box is. It’s also a great time to figure out which switch does what inside, and label everything so you don’t forget. And don’t forget to study any manuals that came with your appliances and home systems and organise it all into a filing system.
Organise a Home Maintenance Schedule for the Long Term
Finally, maintaining your home over the years requires an organised schedule. Don’t get carried away trying to do all the maintenance jobs immediately; instead, set up a long-term schedule. Jobs like cleaning the gutters, having the exterior pressure washed, and replacing the batteries in your smoke detectors are some examples of jobs that need taking care of semi-regularly. Having it organised will help you maintain your home’s value, appearance, and condition.
