What to Do Within 30 Days After Buying a House

Congratulations on purchasing your new home! You’ve probably been overwhelmed with time-consuming tasks like packing, dealing with movers, squeezing in renovations, and more. Once these are all taken care of and you have a moment to breathe, run through this list of smaller —but-still-important items. They’re relatively easy and will give you extra peace of mind as you start enjoying your new digs.

Take care of these important items in the first 30 days after closing on your home for a smooth and seamless transition.

Change Your Locks

This is one of the first things to do when you buy a home and is a relatively easy task. Trust us, you’ll sleep easier at night knowing that no one has a key to your house that you don’t know about. If you’re the forgetful type, be sure to hide one of the new spare keys in a safe location outside, in the unfortunate event you get locked out.

Sign Up for Electronic/Automatic Payments

The bad news: there’s no shortage of utility bills and mortgage statements heading your way soon. However, most mortgage lenders and utility companies now let you set up electronic bill pay, so you can pay your bills quickly and easily online. Even better, sign up for the “auto pay” option, so you don’t miss any payments or incur any late fees.

Reset the Garage Security Code

You’ll definitely want to set a new code for your garage. If the previous owners didn’t leave instructions on how to change it, you should be able to find an instructional video online. Worst case scenario: you may have to buy and program a new one.  

Forward the Mail

No one wants to miss out on their mail, magazines, or even birthday cards. Go online at usps.com to enter your new address and keep it all flowing as seamlessly as possible. Like most good things, mail forwarding doesn’t last forever, so you will eventually need to let people know your new address for future reference. Start with this helpful list:

• Work
• Your doctor/dentist
• Food delivery/rideshare apps
• Subscription services (food, magazines, etc.)
• Department of Motor Vehicles/Secretary of State office (to update your driver’s license)
• The IRS
• Voter registration
• Your bank
• Investment accounts/401K
• Credit cards
• Loan servicers
  

Check the Smoke Detectors

Since you don’t know how old the batteries in smoke detectors may be, it’s important to put new ones in to keep you safe. Check to see if there’s a date on the housing, since a general rule of thumb is to replace smoke detectors roughly every 10 years. If the previous homeowners didn’t have a carbon monoxide detector on each level, grab a few of those as well.

Feel Safe, Secure — and Responsible.

Ready to feel like a real grownup? Now that you know exactly what to do after buying a house, you’ll be all set to start enjoying your new home for years to come.  And remember, even if you’re barely settled in, it’s never too early to consider refinancing your mortgage for a lower monthly payment.

Search for a local mortgage broker today to get started.