Finally: Closing on your new home was certainly stressful, but now you have the keys in your hand. What are the next best steps before you actually start moving in?
What most homeowners don’t realize is everything they need to do after they close on a property. To make sure you don’t miss anything, it’s vitally important to have an after closing move-in checklist that includes tips on how to protect your house with good home insurance.
With the right checklist, you’ll know when to get a home-inspection report, what to do with a purchase agreement, and why finding the right utility companies is so important. Without the list, you might miss a crucial step and jeopardize the biggest purchase you are ever likely to make. Ready to safeguard your future with a list that lays out the most important steps, one by one? Keep reading this Southern Harvest guide to discover everything you need to know!
What to Do Immediately After Closing on Your New Home
Any good after closing move-in checklist is broken up into three parts: what to do right after you close, what to do right before you move in, and what to do once you are nice and settled in. This helps you divide the various responsibilities (like setting up a change of address and installing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors) into a manageable timeline so that you don’t feel the need to do everything at once.
What should you start doing before the ink is even dry on your closing agreement? Below, you’ll find a breakdown of what to do first, as well as why these steps are so important for all buyers, especially first-time homeowners!
Change All the Exterior Locks
There are few things quite as important as feeling safe in your own home. Be sure to change all exterior door locks of your new house as soon as possible after closing. This ensures that the original owners will not be able to let themselves in while you are away. It also protects you from anyone else (including friends and family) to whom the original owners may have given keys.
Set Up Utilities
After closing, you’ll need to have utilities transferred to the new house. Arrange for the seller discontinue the old utilities right after you close on the house. That way, the utility companies can ensure that your home is ready for the transfer whenever you are!
Update Your Address
It’s important to update your address as soon as possible after closing. This will ensure you get all of your bills and relevant paperwork (including documentation for your new homeowners insurance policy) in a timely manner.
Organize and Store Closing Documents
Buying a house involves navigating plenty of paperwork, including a home-inspection report and a purchase agreement. Arguably, though, none of it is as important as the closing paperwork that includes your deed, title report, tax forms, and more. Be sure to keep all of this paperwork together after closing, as it will be important if you run into any problems when settling into your new home.
Before or Shortly After Moving In
As you can tell, your after closing move-in checklist has plenty of things to do right after you close. Fortunately, the next section is much shorter. In fact, there are only three things you need to worry about before moving in (or, worse case, very shortly after moving in).
For example, you’ll need to give everything a thorough cleaning and properly service the heating and cooling units. In addition to basic home maintenance, test any existing safety devices (including smoke and carbon monoxide detectors) and, if necessary, replace them. Below, you’ll find more information on each step!
Deep Clean the Entire Home
Once you’ve completed all of the closing paperwork (including title report, deed, and all those lovely tax forms), you’ll want to settle into your new home. Before you can really relax, though, you’ll need to deep clean the entire house. This will require hiring professionals or putting in plenty of elbow grease, but the effort will be worth it once you can (quite literally) breathe a little easier.
Test Safety Devices
Remember, simply changing the exterior door locks isn’t enough to really safeguard your house. After all, locks can’t protect you if the house catches on fire! For maximum safety, test the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors right away and change batteries or replace entire devices as needed.
Service the HVAC System
Unless your home is a new build, the heating and cooling units may be showing their age. As soon as possible, you should have them inspected and serviced; afterwards, have your preferred HVAC specialists regularly inspect them as part of your home maintenance routine. This can help you catch minor issues before they turn into major problems while definitively letting you know when it’s time to replace these units altogether.
After Settling In to Your New Home
Once you’ve moved into your new home, it’s time to get settled. However, that doesn’t mean you’re done with your after closing move-in checklist. As it turns out, there are just a few more important items for you to complete before you can call it a day.
For example, you’ll need to review your insurance, plan future projects, develop a home maintenance checklist, and personalize each space. Below, you’ll discover how you can get started with each of these important steps!
Review Your Homeowners Insurance
After settling in, it’s important to review your homeowners insurance policy right away. No two policies are the same, and no policy is perfect for two homes. This is the time to get quotes from multiple carriers and customize a package (including top Georgia home insurance discounts) that is perfect for you and your family.
Plan Your Home Projects
Perhaps the best thing about buying a house (especially if you’ve been renting) is that you can do whatever you want with this space. That means you can paint rooms, renovate the bathrooms, redecorate your front porch, and so much more! Take the time now to plan your various home projects; this will give you something to look forward to and help ensure any home renovations go smoothly.
Budget for Ongoing Home Maintenance
Conversely, the most annoying thing about owning a house is being responsible for repairs. That’s why it’s important to set an ongoing home maintenance budget as soon as you move in. This will help you discover potential problems early on before they turn into expensive, out-of-pocket repairs.
Unpack and Personalize
Now, for the fun part: making the house really feel like your own! From putting up your framed photos to creating dedicated spaces like man caves and libraries, you can do whatever you want. You’ve probably been dreaming of having the perfect home for many years. Now, it’s time to turn those dreams into a reality!