Congratulations on the purchase of your new home! You’re excited to move in and get your new life going but before you do so, there are some orders of business to take care of. After moving into your home, make sure you do these six things:
Make Copies of Essential Documents & Store Them In A Safe Place
Once you receive your homeowner’s packet at closing, you will have all the documents related to your home purchase:
- Loan estimate
- Closing disclosure
- Initial escrow statement
- Mortgage note
- Mortgage or deed of trust
- Certificate of occupancy
When you get these documents, make copies of them and store both reproductions and originals in a safe place like a bank safety deposit box or fireproof safe.
Change All Locks To the House
When you move into the home, one of the first orders of business is to change all locks to the house. This is a critical part of home safety, as there is no way of knowing how many copies of the key have been made and who has them. Start fresh with your own locks and keys. If the home has a security system, change the code or get a new system.
Make Sure Utilities Are Set Up
Make sure that utilities like water and electricity are set up and in your name. This should be done before you officially move in so you’re not without utilities. Find out who services your electricity, waste pickup, and water/sewer and contact them. If you have an account with a service like electricity already from renting, you can transfer them to your new home. You’ll have to provide:
- Your new address
- When services need to be shut off at your old residence
- When services need to be turned on at your new residence
If you’re moving to a whole new town, you may have to cancel old utilities since providers may change.
Start Cleaning & Take Inventory
Once utilities and everything are taken care of, it’s time to start cleaning the home and taking inventory of your possessions. A new home is a blank canvas and you want to make sure that it’s clean. As clean as the previous owners may have been, there will be some grime left behind. This means deep cleaning areas that you may typically ignore, like inside the cabinets and fridge. When cleaning, go from room to room and be sure to start cleaning at the top and work your way down. That way, dust and other grime will fall to the floor for final cleanup.