Closing on a new home may feel like reaching the finish line. But before you kick back and relax, take these important steps to settle into your new place.
Matters to take care of before closing
- After you sign a contract to buy a new home, ask the seller for a report on a year’s worth of utility costs, month by month, as well as the names of the electric, water, trash collection and gas providers. Contact these utilities to arrange for switching the utilities into accounts set up in your name beginning the day you close. Make these contacts at least a week before closing to ensure a seamless transition.
- If your new home is in a rural area and has a water well, septic system and propane gas, get the names and contact info of the vendors who service these utilities. Request a condition report and set up needed service.
- Don’t forget your telephone, internet, and cable or satellite service. Call a week before closing and set a date for the technician to come set up your service.
- Go online to the U.S. Postal Service and change your address effective the date of your closing. The postal service will direct all mail from your former home to your new one for a year. During that time, notify all of your sources of mail individually of your new address. Setting up paperless statements with a bank, investment, insurance, and other accounts reduces paper and eliminates the worry that sensitive personal information gets mailed to your old address.
Locks and codes
After getting the keys from your seller at closing, consider having locks rekeyed or replaced, resetting codes on keypads, changing the signal on the garage door opener and even outfitting your home with a new smart home security system you can operate from your phone.
Have the floors cleaned
The sellers probably had your new home thoroughly cleaned before putting it on the market. But since then, countless real estate agents, prospective buyers, contractors, and movers have marched through the place. Before you bring your furniture in, hire a carpet, tile, and hardwood floor cleaner to get the dirt out. If hardwood floors require refinishing, take care of that task before you move furniture in.
Have your new home treated for pests
Your previous residence may have been free of bugs, but you don’t know what kind of creepy crawlies may lurk in your new abode. So before you move in, have an exterminator service the house and set up a maintenance contract.
Set up maintenance for your HVAC system
You probably had your new home’s heating and air conditioning systems inspected during the contract period. Now set up an annual checkup and service agreement with a solid HVAC service company to keep the system in optimal shape.
The grass doesn’t wait
As you juggled the details of your move, the landscape at your new home continued to grow. You’ll need to mow and trim once you move in, or perhaps hire a service to at least temporarily take these tasks off your hands.
Related – Do-It-Yourself Packing and Moving
