In my previous article, I gave a few tips on the process of buying your first house. However, the work doesn't end now that you've made your major purchase. What happens next?
Set Up Your Utilities
This is something I forgot to mention in my last article, but while you are waiting to close on your new house, get your utilities sorted out. If your property has a homeowners association, see what is covered with them. You'll be on your own for the rest. Make sure you have Electricity, Gas, Water/Sewage, Garbage/Waste all set up prior to moving into your new home (It's smart to get your Phone/TV/Internet set up beforehand, as well). It won't hurt if you have to get it all locked down after you close, but electricity, heat, and bathrooms are all things you'll probably want to have while moving in. If you're having trouble figuring out what the major utility providers are for your area, ask your real estate agent to scrounge up a list for you, chances are they'll have one ready to go.
Reassess Your Priorities
To use myself as an example, I got a house with an unfinished basement and was excited to get to work on putting in an extra bedroom and bathroom. After beginning to move in, however, I realized that was going to have to be pushed to the backburner for a while. There are some things you'll need to fix/purchase/modify before even moving in (If you want to repaint/carpet/tile rooms, it's probably best to do that before setting up all your furniture and other junk). In my last article I noted a list of stuff that's handy to have prior to your big move, but to reiterate - you'll want to have toiletries, paper towel/kleenex, garbage cans/bags, floor mats (especially if you're moving during the winter/spring/monsoon season), and cleaning supplies, just to name a few. Anything you can think of that was readily available at your last place won't be here now. You're starting from scratch. And all of this cost money. Like a (un)surprising amount of money. All those cool projects you had in mind while touring? Maybe pump the breaks on that while you let your savings account recover from the initial investment and making the new place livable.
You'll also need to figure out what you need to move/unpack right away versus what you want to. No, that Netflix/Hulu queue won't get any smaller while you're away and getting moved in, but maybe wait until you have utensils and dishware before getting your TV and consoles all set up. Again, try and make a list of everything you use on a daily basis and make sure to get that transferred over first. There's a lot of stuff you use without even thinking about it, so consider getting a list app for your phone if you don't already have one (My favorite is Out of Milk) - this way you can quickly write things down whenever you think of them, either to get moved over or to grab on your next Target run.
Go With the Flow/Manage Your Expectations
Kind of a continuation of the last tip and similar to the one from my last article. You will need to adapt once you are actually living in the house and your priorities will have to change almost constantly. You may think the battle is over now that you've closed on your new place and you can just relax and settle in, but chances are that will not be the case. Pipes will burst, furnaces and vents need cleaning, new outlets may need to be wired to handle washing machines and dryers. Houses are a lot of work. I know you know this. You've lived in a house at some point in your life, you've watched your parents scramble to fix unexpected disasters, you know that owning a home is not an easy or cheap task. That wonderful realization won't truly hit you until your shower is broken and you need to bathe in the sink until it can get fixed.
Roll with it.
Friends and family will be happy to help out and lend advice on whatever new disaster might come your way. And I'm sure there's a lot of projects you were excited to tackle out of the gate, but be willing to push those aside to get through some necessary repairs first. You'll get that extra bathroom/bedroom/what-have-you eventually, but for now, focus on getting your house in ship-shape.
To reiterate, be prepared to spend a lot of money within the first few months of owning your new house - regardless of how good the condition your house is in when you bought it, it's not cheap getting it to your personal specifications of "ship-shape." This is another aspect you should probably know prior to buying the house (and one you probably knew already) but it doesn't really hit home until you're actually moved in and need an electrician to run a new outlet so you can actually power your dryer. Think of your initial down payment as pouring gasoline on your bank account and the following few months as tossing a lit match. It's a bit grim, and know that you may certainly have a different experience. I might simply lack the self-control, but I have spent hours walking the aisles of Target and Home Depot to come home with yet another carload of stuff.
Do I have a rolling pin? Do I need a rolling pin? Maybe I'll get into baking. Better buy a flour sifter, too. You know. Just in case.
Breathe
Chances are, a lot will happen at once and things are going to start piling up quickly. You'll have new bills, you'll have family/friends overly excited to check out the new digs, you'll have things that will break that you really weren't planning on breaking, not to mention there's a ton of old stuff you need to move over and new stuff you'll need to make the place livable. On top of all of that, you'll no doubt be juggling a job and social life.
Take a breath. Relax.
Eventually, it will slow down. I'm about a month in and I can't say I've gotten there yet, but I know that I'll eventually be able to come home from work, crack a beer, and get through that ever expanding backlog of Netflix and Hulu shows. It might not happen next week, it might not happen next month, but keep on trucking and don't forget to bask in the glory of your awesome new investment. Sooner or later thingswillslow down and start to fall into place. Until then, there will be plenty to keep you on your toes.
