You’ve FINALLY moved into your new home, but now what? New homeowners often wonder what to do after they buy a house, so today I’ll be providing a checklist to answer this question. I’m Chuck Shaver, and I’ve been helping people buy and sell homes here in Central Florida for many years. These items are NOT in any particular order, although there’s a couple towards the end that can lurk for a year or so before you realize that you’ve missed out on thousands of dollars, so be sure to read those. If you have any questions about this or anything else real estate, give me a call or email!

Save your closing documents

First, be sure you save a copy of your settlement statement and title insurance policy. Yes, these will just take up room in your filing cabinet, seemingly wasting space, but your tax professional may need them sooner or later and saving that title policy could come in handy for a number of reasons. As a real estate professional in the real estate industry for over a decade, I’ve seen these saved documents come up big for more than one of my customers.

Change the locks

Next, change the locks on your home. Now I’m sure that sweet little old lady that sold her home to you wouldn’t hurt a fly, but you don’t know about her grandson, nephew, or maybe the owner before her, who’s record may be a little bit shady. It’ll cost you a couple hundred bucks max, but this is a no-brainer for me after some of the things I’ve seen.

Air conditioner filters

Purchase several air conditioner filters and keep them on hand. I buy 4 or 5 at a time and then, when I put them in, I write the replacement date on the filter so that I know exactly when it should be changed. By having several on hand, I can see my inventory coming down and purchase more at my convenience.

Water filtration servicing

If you’ve got a water softer or maybe a reverse osmosis water filtration system, be sure to have them serviced. Take some time to learn about that water softener, unless you like orange shirts and socks! Trust me, it’s a thing! I always keep two EXTRA bags of salt on hand, just in case I forget to pick some up from Lowe’s or Home Depot, then at least I’m covered for a few days until I get there. While you’re there, pick up a couple extra filters for that reverse osmosis system, or maybe go online and pick up a few.

Register for warranties

If you’ve got a brand-new home, take the time NOW to get the appliances registered. Sometimes, these are required to be done within the first month of residency. Sometimes you’ll need to register the air conditioner and other major appliances, especially in the case of a new construction home. We all think we can do that tomorrow, but often tomorrow just means filing it away and getting to it one of these days, which, if you’re like me, sometimes never happens. Fill out those annoying forms and knock it out today as failing to register these appliances for their warranties could cost you some serious dough.

Contact the USPS

Next, contact the post office and change your mailing address. Maybe flag down the mailman and ask them which mailbox is yours. Sometimes sellers will pass along the keys, but they won’t even know which mailbox it is if it’s in one of those cluster boxes. Be aware that when you move in, you may receive mail for the previous owner, so be sure to notify your Realtor® if this happens so it can be passed along to the rightful owner.

Set up utilities

Utilities. Now this one may seem obvious, but give it some real thought. Do you have a well, or do you need to contact the local water authority? What about internet, cable, electric, sewer, or monitoring for security. There could even be others. Yes, you’ll figure these things out sooner or later, maybe when you try to take your first shower, but doing it sooner surely makes living in your new home a better experience.

Contact the homeowner’s association

Reach out to the homeowner’s association to obtain any keys or fobs for the swimming pool, or other facilities. Introduce yourself to find out about any events that may be upcoming that you’ll want to be aware of. Yes, your Realtor® may provide some basics, but if they don’t live IN that neighborhood, they may have no idea at all. You don’t want to show up at the fitness center in the early morning only to learn that you don’t have access, so invest a little time now to take advantage of all the benefits of your new home.

Document your home’s contents

The next one is really for those “what if” situations. Make a checklist of the contents of your home. Now, I’ve never actually done this one. I take my phone every couple of years, and I’ll do a walk-around video of everything in my home. My wife thinks it’s silly, but if there’s a total loss, at least I’ll have an idea of what contents were in my home. As I do this video I’m walking and talking about everything that I see. Talking about when I bought them, or maybe even what I paid for them.

Check smoke/carbon monoxide detectors

Check your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. If they’ve got batteries, go ahead and replace them now and sleep soundly because of it. Take a couple minutes to see how to test them and verify they work. Be sure you’ve got adequate coverage here. It’ll cost you less than a hundred bucks, but I believe it’s money well spent.

Discuss a safety plan

Take a minute to discuss a safety plan with everyone in the home so that, in the event of an emergency, everyone is on the same page. Be sure doors aren’t blocked and there’s a plan of escape should an emergency arise. Ensure the windows properly open. While you’re at Lowes or Home Depot like I spoke of earlier, maybe pick up a couple fire extinguishers. You may think it’s silly, but doing so today might one day save your life. Of course, this is not a complete list of safety items, but these are items that I see often overlooked.

Hello neighbor!

This safety stuff is scary, so let’s lighten things up a bit. Introduce yourself to your neighbors. There’s something to be said about saying hello, maybe even knocking on their door and introducing yourself. Maybe invite them to a housewarming party, or just an afternoon barbecue.

Joe, a neighbor of mine that is forever calling me to let me know that I’ve left my garage door wide open, has saved me a lot of hassle many times, and his friendship is vital to me. A good neighbor is priceless, and it starts with you. You’re the new kid in town after all.

Leave a positive review

Keeping with that positive theme, take a minute to leave a positive review for your Realtor® if they took good care of you. I know, you’re busy, but did they go above and beyond what they HAD to do? If so, help support them with a small gesture of goodwill. They should still be there for you AFTER the sale for your questions, so don’t neglect this small gesture.

Clean up

Okay, back to business. Your new home looks so clean, but is it REALLY THAT clean? I’ve been accused more than once of being an OCD clean freak, but what I’ve learned is that just because something LOOKS clean, does NOT mean it IS clean. Take the time BEFORE you move in all that furniture and put those dishes in the cabinets and do a deep clean, maybe with an antibacterial cleaner. Knock it now and you’ll save yourself a good bit of headache, and who knows what else.

Child-proof and pet-proof

Next, childproof, or pet proof your home. If you’ve got a swimming pool, be sure that safety fence and any necessary locks are in place and alarms are properly set. If there’s a yard fence, be sure it’s sound. Our beagle, Daisy Mae, managed to wiggle herself out of the tiniest little gap in our fence one time and that could’ve been ugly. Fortunately, we had good neighbors, so all ended well. There’s another reason to say hello to that new neighbor of yours.

Update your driver’s license

Update your driver’s license. As I record this, Florida says you’ve got 30 days to notify the Department of Motor Vehicles of your change of address; however, I’ve got other licenses that give me just ten days to make the change of address. It’s not just to avoid getting a fine if you get stopped by a police officer, it can also help to establish residency for Homestead Exemption, which I’ll be addressing in a bit.

Check NEXT years expected taxes

Contact the local tax collector to verify next year’s tax bill. This one can be huge, especially if it’s a new construction home. Tax Collectors charge taxes only on the land IF that’s all there is, but now there’s a home on top of that land, and the government is going to want their taxes for that home, too. Lenders and Realtors® should be preparing you for this, but it’s a small detail that I’ve seen completely overlooked.

A couple years back we had a guy that had to come up with like $2,500 because he had to pay for the shortage of last year’s taxes and escrow taxes for the mortgage company for next year’s taxes. It’s important to note that resale taxes are often just estimates, so your taxes could be impacted as well. Be sure to leave a little cash available, if you’ve got any left, just in case your taxes rise.

Apply for Homestead Exemption (Florida and some states)

Speaking of changing address, when you move into your new home, be sure to apply for homestead exemption if you live in Florida or any other state that offers homestead exemption. In Florida, failing to do so could cost you thousands of dollars every year for years to come. Currently, a new homeowner must apply for homestead exemption no later than March 1^st.

If they’ve taken residence by December 31^st, they may qualify for homestead exemption for the following year and every year thereafter as long as it’s your primary residence. We repeatedly remind our buyers to do this simple task, but most years there’s still one new homeowner that just doesn’t make it happen, it’s unfortunate.

What to do after you buy a house checklist

1. Save that title policy and settlement statement
2. Change the locks, change garage code, etc.
3. Check the filter on water filtration system
4. Register any new components (especially for a brand new home)
5. USPS change of address
6. Set up all utilities (electric, internet, cable, water, sewer, security etc)
7. Video inventory of your contents (write down, too)
8. Check smoke detectors and carbon monoxide
9. Emergency exit plan
10. Introduce yourself to your neighbors
11. Leave a positive review for your Realtor
12. Do a deep clean
13. Childproof/pet proof
14. Change driver’s license (or other licenses)
15. Apply for homestead exemption

Published on May 21. 2024 / Tags: Central Florida Real estate, Home Buying, Homebuyer checklist, Moving to Orlando, Orange City Real Estate / no comments.