8 Things To Do After Closing On Your New Home

When you have completed the home purchase process and finally closed and gotten the keys, then it is important to take care of some additional steps. Before you begin redecorating and planning your housewarming party, be sure you get down to some essential business first. Here are some important action items that you will want to be sure you take care of.

Insurance

For anyone who has a mortgage, homeowners insurance (and possibly flood insurance) will be a must. However, make sure you don’t forget about your personal contents too. Speak with your insurance agent and see if you can even do a bundle plan with your automobiles too and save.

Change The Locks

You never know who the previous owner of the home has given keys to. Maybe friends, old tenants, a dog walker, repairmen, etc. so have some peace of mind and change the locks so you know only you have access to your new home. The same thing goes for any keypads or door codes as well - give those an update too.

Change Your Address

You may have thought ahead to update your address at the post office, but you will still need to manually change all of your other important information too such as banks, credit cards, drivers license, etc. Make a checklist and run through everything so there are no issues down the road.

Clean and Repair

As soon as you get the keys, do a thorough cleaning and take the opportunity to fix anything that may need it. Moving into a clean and turnkey home will make things go so much smoother for you.

Make a Maintenance Plan

Create a plan with dates for all of your important maintenance items. This should include things like replacing HVAC filters, smoke detector batteries, pool filters and the like.

Check Security

Does the new home have a security system that you can easily activate and begin using? Maybe both doorbell and property cameras? See what is there and what you may want to add if the sellers did not leave you a list. Pro tip: check with your insurance company on potential savings as monitored security systems can potentially save you on homeowner’s insurance.

Meet The Neighbors

It is always a wise idea to know who is living around you. This way you and them both can keep an eye on each other’s homes for any suspicious activity. 

Get Familiarized

Take a moment to get familiarized with the new home. Be sure you see where the electrical panel is for any potential problem or blackouts, inspect the HVAC system and how to operate all appliances and the like. Figure this all out from the get go and avoid any future headaches and stress.