8 things to do as soon as you buy a house. Helpful tips from a Eugene Realtor.
Buying a home is a big moment. After the search, the negotiations, inspections, paperwork, and waiting, you finally have the keys in your hand. It’s exciting—and sometimes a little overwhelming—to step into a space that is now completely yours.
Before the boxes pile up and life settles into its new rhythm, there are a few simple things that can help you start off on the right foot. Taking care of these early tasks will help you feel more secure, more organized, and more at home in your new space.
Here are eight things to do as soon as you move in.
Have the house rekeyed/change the locks. There is no way to know how many copies of keys are floating in the world to your new house. If you feel handy and want to tackle this yourself, have at it. There are folks you can hire who can help and rekey for you. Money well spent.
Find the mains. Main water shut off, main gas shut off. This is knowledge you want to have especially if you have a water leak and need to shut off your water. Water mains are typically found in the front of the house, maybe near the road or sidewalk.
Take a look at your electric panel and label all the breakers. This is easiest as a team job. One person at the main panel, the other person in the house. Turn off a breaker and the person insides shares what was turned off. Label it.
Get your wifi set up. Life is easier with wifi and then you can easily get step 5 started.
Set up your cameras. A couple well placed cameras go along way to help you feel a little safe in your new environment.
Clean the carpet. Do this before you move in. You have no idea how the previous owners cared for the carpet. Just get it cleaned. Have it scheduled when you have the locks rekeyed.
Run all the appliances. Make sure they are still in good working order. The inspector should have run them all during the inspection and you probably checked them during your final walk through but check them again just in case something broke in the move out.
Go meet your neighbors. Bring a little something, bake some cookies in your new oven. A sweet treat and a friendly hello goes a long way to forging good relationships with your neighbors.
Congratulations! I am so proud of you. Buying a house is no easy thing and you did it. I hope you make many happy memories in your new home.