10 Things to Do After You’ve Bought a Home

10 Things to Do After You’ve Bought a Home

The following contribution is from another author.

Congratulations, you’ve bought your own home. However, before organizing a welcome party, you will need to deal with many boring yet necessary moving tasks. Otherwise, you may wake up in the middle of the night only to encounter an emergency – whether it’s fire, pests, or burglars.

In this article, you’ll find a list of several important things you need to do after buying a home. They include but are not limited to unpacking, getting your utilities up and running, inspecting the house for damage and pests, securing your home, childproofing it, cleaning, changing your new address, remodeling, and many more. Read on and make sure that your new house becomes your home.

Arrange Utilities

Most utilities can be ordered online these days, so it shouldn’t take you much time to get them up and running. If not, call the professional and ask for help in establishing your new utilities. Make sure that your heating system is working properly before winter comes and that there are no leaks in your hot water tank or pipes.

Inspect Your House for Damage and Pests

When you take inventory, you may notice some damage that needs to be repaired. However, it’s better to hire a professional inspector to look at everything. If you notice an infestation, check Las Vegas exterminator prices or any other location to find an affordable service, and call them immediately.

Otherwise, you may end up paying for things you don’t need to replace. Make sure that there are no pests hiding in the walls or floorboards and the cracks and openings are properly sealed.

Secure Your Home

You should make sure that all doors are properly locked, windows have latches, and the alarm system is working. You can also install a video surveillance system to monitor any possible intruders. By doing this, you will ensure that your home is safe and secure. You will also feel more relaxed knowing that your house is protected against burglars and intruders.

Change Your Address

Once you’ve secured your home, change your address on all of your official documents – driver’s license, passport, health insurance cards, etcetera. You can also start receiving mailings from companies you’ve subscribed to in your old house. However, make sure that you’ve registered yourself in your new house first, or else they will keep sending you bills to your old address.

Get a New Address Sign

If you’ve changed your address, you should get a new address sign. This will help people find your house more quickly and easily. You can buy a standard address sign at any hardware store and install it on your mailbox using self-adhesive tape or nails. It’s very simple to do! Just make sure that it doesn’t obstruct the mailbox or block the view for other cars when passing by.

Declutter Your Closet/Drawers

After moving into a new home, it’s easy to accumulate clutter. However, you should take some time off and declutter your closet and drawers. Otherwise, you will waste a lot of time looking for items instead of enjoying your new home. But do it gradually – once a week or once every two weeks is enough. It will also help you avoid getting overwhelmed by all the work and give you an opportunity to enjoy each process of decluttering your closet and drawers.

Get New Furniture

If you haven’t bought all the furniture for your new home yet, now is the best time to do it. As soon as you purchase new furniture, arrange to have it delivered (or pick it up yourself if it’s close enough). This way, you won’t have to carry it through the streets or up the stairs. It will also save you time and energy because moving furniture is quite exhausting.

Clean Your House Thoroughly

It may take several hours or even days to clean a new house properly, depending on how big it is and how often you clean it now. However, cleaning a house thoroughly will improve its appearance and make it easier to maintain. It will also make you feel more comfortable in your new home because the environment surrounding you will be healthier and cleaner.

Make sure that all surfaces are clean: floors, windows, kitchen cabinets – everywhere! Then, clean all the furniture and appliances thoroughly as well so that they look like new. Remove all dust from the corners of each room using a vacuum cleaner with an upholstery brush attachment (it can also be used for cleaning the ceiling fan blades).

Once you’re done with vacuuming, use a wet cloth to wipe down all surfaces that require cleaning. Afterward, use a dry cloth to wipe off any remaining dust particles from the air vents and other parts of the room where dust collects easily (on top of bookshelves, behind curtains).

The more often you clean your house thoroughly (both inside and outside), the less time it will take next time! You can even hire a cleaning service if you don’t want to do it yourself or if you simply don’t have time for it!

Set Up an Automatic Irrigation System

There are several types of automatic irrigation systems – drip, sprinklers, and so on. However, they all work in the same way: they automatically distribute water to plants by means of a timer and some special tubing. All you need to do is set up the timer and tubes, and you won’t have to worry about watering your plants anymore.

You can even create your own system by attaching an irrigation valve to the faucet. If you have a lot of plants, this is highly recommended because you can save a lot of time and energy watering them manually!

Remodel Your Home

If you want to remodel your home, now is the best time to do it. Of course, it will take some time and money, but this is a good opportunity to add value to your property and transform it into the home of your dreams! You can also use the opportunity to increase your property value if you decide to move again in the future.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are many things you need to do after buying a home. Some of them may be done right away, while others can be postponed. However, you should always make sure that you have enough money left over for the most important tasks and purchase new furniture and appliances. Otherwise, you won’t be able to enjoy your new home to the fullest!

Author

Eric is the creator of At Home in the Future and has been a passionate fan of the future since he was seven. He's a web developer by trade, and serves as the Director of Communication and Technology for a large church in Nashville, TN (where he and his family are building a high tech home in the woods).