5 “TO DO’s” Before and After Closing
Another chapter of your journey starts at the end of closing day. When you have been house hunting for months or even years, you finally find he home that fits you. But it’s not over yet. Here are some steps you need to consider before moving in.
-
Plan out your renovations
A buyer rarely gets a move-in ready place. After you have signed the contract for your home, you need to plan out the ideas for your home and how you will customize it.
If the place needs extra work, don’t wait until you’ve closed to engage a professional. Either at your final walkthrough or during a private appointment, get the proper contractors in the house and start collecting bids for necessary work. Your real estate agent will work with all tradespeople to get it done correctly.
-
Set up the utilities
Many utilities have their grace periods, but you can’t always assume that will be the case. If your seller is out of town, they may have canceled services the day they know all contingencies were removed. In this instance, the grace period likely lapsed, and you may be stuck dealing with the electric company, waiting for an appointment, or just being without power when you really want to start painting, fixing, or cleaning.
Before moving it, it’s better to call the utility companies to get you all set up before closing.
-
Change your locks
After getting your keys to the place, the first person you should call is the locksmith. The keys given to you might be provided to others as a copy, like a painter, stager, or other real estate agents during the listing period.
-
Get a cleaning crew
It is an absolute nightmare to show up with the movers and with your belonging to find the place is a complete mess. The seller might not have properly cleaned the area. Assume the worst; get professional cleaners after the closing. If you want to start anew, what better way to start is to clean your home.
-
Get a handyperson, contractor, or designer on call
Moving in involves many mishaps and stuff that you didn’t wish happened. If you think that it’s a luxury to invest in a couple of people who would do the work for you, it saves you time to do other things and relieves you of a giant headache.
It’s always better to be ahead, so you won’t get anything unexpected the day you move in and won’t regret buying the home.
Contact me today to help you with your real estate needs!
