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30 Things People Who Just Bought A Home Should Do And Have, According To Experienced Homeowners
Buying a house is no small feat; it requires a lot of money, effort, and patience. New homeowners are often so focused on getting the property and moving into it that they may not realize all the other things that are also important for home ownership.
This list explores all of those tips and tricks that folks who just purchased a home should be aware of. Some are minor details that may escape attention, whereas others are important things to focus on so that settling into the new space is easy and comfortable.
More info: Reddit
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Change the locks, same day you get possession. You have no idea who all has a copy of the key seller gave you.
lenka 8 months ago
This! We had been living in our house for some months when our neighbor casually mentioned that she would be happy to put our packages inside our house for us. We thanked her for her kind thoughts and said we didn't have any spare keys. She said that's ok. I already have them. WTF. Definitely change the locks!
Fabulous chocolate cookie 8 months ago
100%. This should be a thing you always need to do. Even for rental houses.
Scott Rackley 8 months ago
Locksmiths charge less to rekey locks than changing all of them. I mean, if you like the look of the hardware.
Glen Ellyn 8 months ago (edited)
Several years ago when I bought my current home, I was 50 miles away closing on the sale of my previous home. ________I rented a truck and my brother helped me load it up, before heading to my new home. My lovely nextdoor neighbor saw him arrive and told him that she had a key to let him in. My brother called and told me this, asking if it was okay. I said yes, and by the time I got to my new home, he had most of it unloaded. This lovely neighbor became my best friend in my new place. I respected her because she would not let him in unless he had my okay. _________________ Turned out that eventually, both my neighbor and I had keys to each other's houses. Sadly, she moved away a few years ago. When the new neighbor arrived, I immediately gave her the key I had to her new house. One would hope things are still like that, but I suspect many people don't trust anyone. Sad.
Glen Ellyn 8 months ago
Oh, and I have since changed my locks because before, there were different keys for front door, the side door, and the garage door. Now they all use the same key.
Load More Replies... RELATED:
#2
1. Unless it’s an emergency situation, live in the house for awhile before making any changes. It takes a bit of time to figure out your routine in the house. Changes you thought would be a good idea when you first saw the house often times don’t make sense in the day to day.
2. Just because you see something on Pinterest doesn’t mean it’s a good idea in rl.
Dog Mom to Zoe 8 months ago
I wish I had done this because there are a few things I would change. I can still do them but it would be allot of work. Easier when the home is empty.
Jrog 8 months ago (edited)
N. 2 is REALLY IMPORTANT. Pinterest and Instragram are full of stupid stuff that you will hate from the very second you finish the renovation. Beige room with a single burgundy wall means lot less light, hard to match furniture and you will come to hate it quickly. Open kitchen shelving is impossible to keep clean. Tiled countertops are unhygienic, delicate and hard to maintain. Vintage bulbs are expensive, inefficient and even dangerous. Smart homes at a point become more of a nuisance than an help.
Prudence Putnam 8 months ago
When adding inbuilt additions …eg kitchen/ bathrooms… respect the era of the house otherwise it’ll always look like a patch job and need redoing in five years. Yes …you can use modern tech but disguised to suit era of house. Eg plumbing and soft touch draws. Anything else that's transitory….add modern lighting and art …all your ‘stuff’ that’s what makes your house yours. Please don’t take a 1900 Cape Cod and try and create a Florida 2020 build.
#3
Any project you start is going to be 10x longer than you think.
Dont buy cheap paint or paint brushes.
Make a list of things you need and write them down as soon as you think of them. You will still go to the hardware store a billion times.
DennyS (denzoren) 8 months ago
Oh yeah and every project takes ages because life. Also, DIY isn't always the best since it can be quite stressful.
Kim Kermes 8 months ago
Everything takes longer and costs more. Top of the line usually isn't worth it, but never economy.
Strings 8 months ago
I've seen this in automotive and with motorcycles, and it does seem to apply to homes. And repair/upgrade you do, you will have one of 3 things happen: 1) break something as you're working, 2) forget to purchase something important/needed for the project, 3) find another issue that needs to be addressed
Fellfromthemoon 8 months ago
Add that every project will cost about twice as much as the proliminary calculations indicate. Thrice, if the calculations were slightly optimistic.
Forrest McCanless 8 months ago
When you're doing plumbing, leave the car running when you get home from the supply store - it saves wear and tear on the starter.
keyboardtek 8 months ago
These new paints that have paint and primer all in one are a real drag to use. They dry way too fast so it is difficult to brush out the paint smoothly. Stick with a separate primer and a paint that does not have primer in it.
Buying a house can be a stressful and challenging experience. According to surveys, around 40% of Americans feel house buying was the most stressful thing they ever went through. People have even burst into tears and broke down at the thought of all the things needed when purchasing a property.
On the other hand, there is also a lot of excitement that comes with this entire process. At one point, a person’s emotions might be more toward fear and worry, and at other times, they might sway toward enthusiasm. This exciting energy can also be great during the home-buying process because it helps keep a person’s spirits up when they have to complete all the house-related tasks.
#4
Go ahead and plant the plants you want to plant. Fruit trees, bushes, whatever you want, don't wait until you have the not-fun stuff done before you do the fun stuff. .
Kim Kermes 8 months ago
My folks bought the lot and started planting trees, especially windbreaks a couple years before they could afford to build.
#5
- Immediately stop looking at other listings. Unsubscribe from zillow or anything else that sends you pictures of houses.
- You will feel an emotional crash. Buying a house is so stressful and when you’ve finally got all the paperwork squared away and you’re moving your stuff in and you’re on cloud 9 picking out curtains…you will likely start to feel inexplicably bummed out. It’s a dopamine crash, it’s natural and normal just recognize it for what it is and get some good sleep and take care of yourself.
- Smoke a bowl, cig or cigar in your new place. Nobody can tell you what you to do in your own home. *YOUR OWN HOME! Wooot!*.
LauraDragonWench 8 months ago
It's called buyer's remorse and it hits HARD. Best thing to do is just go around your house again and remind yourself of all the things you love which made you buy it in the first place.
keyboardtek 8 months ago
After you buy the house, there is always the thought in the back of you mind that if you just shopped a little longer you might have found the perfect house. Forget about it! In this tight market grab what you like asap as if you wait one day someone else will buy it.
Bored Trash Panda 8 months ago (edited)
We are closing on our house in 2 weeks and we are nervous but SO EXCITED!! There is a workshop on the property already so I can have an art studio finally! There is a spare room in the basement my husband can have his "man cave" and the backyard is all dirt so it is a blank canvas I can do what I want with. And I FINALLY get to have chickens!! This was only the 3rd place we looked at and it had literally came on the market the same day we looked at it and we pounced on making an offer because we fell in love with it.
Glen Ellyn 8 months ago
I was lucky enough to find my forever home after looking at just three houses. No regrets. I love my home. It helps to have a realtor who listens to you, does his/her homework and only shows you homes that meet most of your requirements and is in your price range.
#6
You are also buying your community and your commute.
Uncle Panda 8 months ago
You are also buying a substantial portion of the nearest hardware store.
keyboardtek 8 months ago
That is especially important if your child has special needs. We moved into a neighborhood specifically to get out daughter into the elementary school that had the best reputation for helping kids with learning disabilities.
Load More Replies...Becoming a homeowner involves a long list of decisions. People may have many criteria and sets of standards for how their house is supposed to be. Unfortunately, experts say that this is a common mistake people make by holding out for “unicorns.” Folks hope to get the most perfect house and end up missing out on other great opportunities.
It is, therefore, important to make sure the property you are looking at checks at least a majority of boxes that you have. If there are a few areas it falls short in, it’s best to figure out whether those things are very important to you or not. Always keep an open mind, do enough research, and talk to experienced people.
#7
Find a way to make one extra payment a year and have it applied to the principle. (As long as there is no penalty).
Shaggy 8 months ago
Sold the bi weekly payment plan in the late 90's. It actually works. Whatever extra you pay(every 2 weeks averages 1 extra pmt per year) you can earmark it to go to the the principal and it literally shaves a bunch of years off of your mortgage. Thing is, you can do this on your own, for free... Made some cash on that... LOL
Kim Kermes 8 months ago
Luckily, most US mortgages do, at least in this century.
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Cecilia Matthews 8 months ago
I did that and it paid my 30 year mortgage off in 20 years. Rounded the monthly payment up to the nearest hundred and had the extra applied to the principal.
Load More Replies... #8
Do NOT rush to move in - clean and paint before you move in PLEASEEEEE. It is SO much easier than doing it after.
Dawn Thomas-Cameron 8 months ago
You know, I never understood why home owners weren't required to clean the house before the new owner moved in. You have to do it as a renter.
Michael Largey 8 months ago
They'll never do as good a job as the new owner wants/needs/deserves.
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Bored Trash Panda 8 months ago
We are closing on our house on the 2nd of May and don't have to be out of our apartment till the 29th so we are taking some time to paint and do a few other things before we move in.
ROSESARERED 8 months ago
Floors and wall before moving in. I could o ly afford to do one, do it was floors....but three years later I regret I could not do the walls so much harder when furniture, and people, are in the house
Glen Ellyn 8 months ago
Sometimes it's just not possible to do this, though. I wish I'd been able to do this, but then again, when you move yourself it's enough to make through moving day, I was exhausted afterwards.
Michael Largey 8 months ago
We went into a small room in the basement of the house we had just bought and asked ourselves "Why is that wall over there painted black?" Well, it wasn't paint.
#9
Save more money than you think you will need for repairs. Like twice as much as you think you will need.
As you’ve probably gleaned from this list, home ownership is full of sudden and unexpected things that you might have never prepared for. Things like leaky faucets, broken fences, creaky floorboards, and faulty power lines are all things you’ll observe when staying in your new place.
It’s important to try and stay on top of all of the maintenance work or else you’ll end up spending a lot of time and money on such things later on. It’s best to set aside 1% of your home’s value annually for any kind of emergency repair work. In the event of natural disasters, floods, or robberies, your homeowner’s insurance policy will help cover the costs.
#10
Paint walls and refinish the floors before you move in. Especially the floors. I have all hard wood floors and am kicking myself for not taking care of it then.
keyboardtek 8 months ago
The house we lived in for 18 years had all hardwoods and we did the first floor before we moved in. The second floor master bedroom got done a month before we sold the house just to get it sold. Definitely a pain moving all the furniture out of the room.
Glen Ellyn 8 months ago
I've been there, but I couldn't afford to refinish the oak floors when I first moved in. So, yep, I had to slog the furniture around.
Load More Replies... #11
Learn where the main water valve in. It should be in your basement. Because when there is a leak, you’re gonna want to find that fast!
Have your boiler/water heater checked in the summer. Because when it’s cold in the winter and it get damaged or something is wrong, that is NOT the time time to have no heat in your home. Maybe now or maybe in September but definitely not in winter.
Check your roof to see if it’s good and for how much longer. There could be leaks into the attic when it rains and you don’t want to be something you don’t know. Once again, do this now and not during the rainy months.
Lastly I’d say, when it rains, check the basement for leaks/windows.
LooseSeal's $10 Banana 8 months ago
And if you can't find a shut off in the house, find the meter and figure out what kind of pliers/tool you'll need to cut it off there.
keyboardtek 8 months ago
The shut off in this 1951 house was in the basement in a hole in the paneled wall and rusted. We had a plumber relocate it with a modern working shut off valve.
Load More Replies... #12
Each season google “things homeowners should do in fall, summer, winter, etc.” go over the list and see if anything are an issue.
Otherwise remember homes are for living in, so take time to enjoy it. Congrats on your first home.
Even though this list might make it seem like a lot of people are buying homes, the current housing market is actually very tough. Surveys show that around 67% of people feel that owning a home is an unrealistic thing for young folks.
Despite there being a lot of challenges and hurdles, around 48% of Millennials and Gen Z plan to purchase a property in the next five years. This is because owning a house is still considered to be a good investment and a way to have a sense of stability. Being able to afford the home itself is one of the biggest hurdles, but once it happens, it’s a wonderful accomplishment.
#13
Realtor here. Take out a life insurance policy if you don't have one already. I have had clients die right after closing on their home and their surviving spouse (also on the loan) could not afford the payments and because in one case - it happened as they were in the middle of a major remodeling project- couldn't sell it for what was owed without finishing it. Which she also couldn't afford to do. So make sure you're good on life insurance.
#14
Optimize energy usage. Caulk windows, insulate attic, wrap the hot pipes, adjust the water heater thermostat, clean the air filters and ducts.
Most importantly though, locate your water main and buy a shutoff key if you don't have one.
#15
With the age of the house, hopefully a sewer scope was part of the inspection.
You’ll have a few sleepless nights as you figure out what the normal noises vs abnormal noises are.
You’ll also have nightmares about things going wrong with the house (or losing your job and not being able to afford the mortgage).
The little things add up quick when it comes to furnishing, cleaning, and basic maintenance supplies.
Finding decent tradespeople who aren’t salespeople can be challenging.
Home Depot and Amazon will be your best friends and worst enemies for a while.
Eventually you’ll learn to prioritize projects and figure out what’s truly important because homeownership is a marathon not a sprint. Sometimes it’s okay to just live in the house for a while instead of being in a rush to do everything right away.
nomnomborkbork 8 months ago
Find your emergency water cut-off at the street! When the emergency hits, minutes make a difference when your house is flooding from a broken pipe. Ask me how I know...
ROSESARERED 8 months ago
I've had a few sleepless nights, roof decided to leak, mice in the house...had an inspection, but they did a mediocre job, with so many disclaimers in the contract I cannot do anything legally.... the noise that really keeps me awake happens when it is windy, the house has pull down blinds/awnings, metal, from the 70s, and when it's windy they go whoooo, whooo...witches flying around the house.
Having your own home is one of the most exhilarating things possible. It gives you the opportunity to create a comfortable space for yourself. Although there may be challenges along the way, they will be made easier with patience, care, and, of course, the advice of the folks on this list.
What piece of advice do you agree with the most on this list? Let us know in the comments.
#16
Nobody is on your side. Realtors and brokers make their living by selling/financing homes. The inspector they recommended is more concerned about the realtor hiring them again and may not look out for your own best interest; they hold no liability. Accept the free home warranty if they offer. Don't renew it.
K**b and tube wiring is hard to get insured in some areas.
Kim Kermes 8 months ago
Most states allow for a buyer's agent who is legally responsible for your fiduciary interests. You can hire your own inspector.
Sarah Belt 8 months ago (edited)
And if you don't like or trust your agent/realtor, find a new one!
Load More Replies... keyboardtek 8 months ago
We depended on the realtor to hire the inspector because the house we were retiring to was a three hour drive away. That inspector failed to find a rusted sewage pipe in the basement that was causing the basement to stink. Be there with the inspector if you can. If he fails to go into a room ask him why.
#17
Stay calm. I had so much anxiety in my first year of home ownership, thinking that we bought a lemon and there was going to be some major repair that was going to bankrupt us. I spent so much time worrying about things that never materialized. Other commenters here are correct that you do need a good savings amount to cover for things and there will likely be some expensive repairs. But I so wish someone had grabbed me by the shoulders, looked me in the eyes and said, "it's going to be okay.".
LakotaWolf (she/her) 8 months ago
I'm just enjoying the Shibe in the stock photo who is stretching its muzzle out to the woman's hand as if it expects there to be a treat in that hand XD
#18
I wish I knew how expensive furniture and decor is! Interior design is pretty hard to get right. I set too high expectations for myself and got burned out trying to make our home look nice.
Curtains for windows, even with DIY can cost hundreds of dollars per room. If you want to get a new dining table set, couch, or bed frame, get ready to spend thousands to buy something that will last long. I haven’t gotten around to buying rugs yet but those are a few hundred dollars each too…
Either get ready to set aside a big chunk of money for decorating, or accept that you can live with a more humble home with the basics.
Kim Kermes 8 months ago
Buy vintage. Well-built, no particle board. Even upholstered furniture can be slipcovered and eventually reupholstered
Dog Mom to Zoe 8 months ago
If you don't mind used, 2nd hand wooden furniture is cheaper and usually better made. I personally don't purchase anything 2nd hand that has fabric for different reasons. My end tables are glass with metal, and I paid $50.00 each off of craigs list.
Eliyahu Rooff 8 months ago
Used furnture can save you a fortune. Shortly after we got married, I found a dining room set in a thrift store for $20. Solid teak and in need of regluing and refinishing. I'm pretty good with tools, made it look like new, and we enjoyed it for years. Sold it at auction recently and it went for $1100. (With just the two of us, we didn't need a full sized table with two extention leafs.)
keyboardtek 8 months ago
Wait until you shop for lighting fixtures! One would think they are priced for the millionaires.
#19
If possible, see if you can get *documentation* of when the roof was replaced (for insurance and warranty purposes).
I’m having an issue right now with my insurance company, because my disclosure said the roof was replaced in 2001 and my insurance company is going to want me to replace it.
However, several roofers have said some of the parts on my roof were manufactured in 2014 and Google Maps confirms that my house has a different roof in 2014 than it did in 2011. But that’s not good enough for my insurance company and the previous owner is completely useless and won’t give me the name of the previous roofing company.
Glen Ellyn 8 months ago
I knew I'd need to replace the roof on my forever home within a year or two of buying it, but I was surprised to find out my insurance company wouldn't insure the house until I did. I was lucky because my brother worked for a roofing company at the time, so I got a good price.
#20
Put yourself in the places you don't want to go. The attic. The crawlspace. Check it out or pay someone to go into those spaces and make absolutely sure that everything is the way it should be. Find out someone who does meticulous inspections and pay whatever you need to pay to find out everything before that house becomes your responsibility.
keyboardtek 8 months ago
Besides the home inspector, pay for a separate HVAC inspection. Our furnace looks pretty new to my eyes, but it is 17 years old!
#21
A lot of these specific suggestions are unrealistic but the general point is true. Which is to expect things to be broken after you move in - big and little. Even if it’s a shiny new, move in ready flip (especially if it’s a flip).
You can do your best to identify issues in the home inspection but random stuff will become evident after you’re living there full time. Hopefully nothing major.
#22
Trust your gut more than you trust anybody trying to sell you a home service. Personal recommendations from friends/coworkers is better than thumbtack or random googling due to fake reviews. With few exceptions, don’t hire someone who had to show up at your door to get hired (eg pest control folks are a big one).
A lot of home maintenance/repairs feel scary, but you can handle more than you think on your own!
Congrats, OP.
#23
If that house doesn’t have a new sewage line installed, meaning it’s the original clay pipe, DO NOT CLOSE unless you’re getting a sellers credit for a brand new sewage line. 20k minimum. It will happen immediately after you close and move in. I don’t make the rules.
Ace 8 months ago
Right, right. Cos every house has the same sort of sewer pipes, and every one is going to need replacing.
Kim Kermes 8 months ago
Anything over a certain age is either clay, or cast iron, with joints tree roots get in.
Load More Replies...
#24
Replace toilet seats or toilets if needed.
Ace 8 months ago
Err, yeah? Replace anything that's _needed_, obviously. Why do toilets need to be singled out?
Zoe Vokes 8 months ago
I assume that most people accept if the flush isn’t very strong and requires a second flush, or the toilet is an awkward design or the toilet seat wobbles rather than go through the effort of removing the toilet.
Load More Replies... #25
That if you have asthma and build a home, air it our for a couple days, lest all the offgassing VOCs try to k**l you.
jasper 8 months ago
Also, get your furnace cleaned out. We did not do so for several years and it was disgusting how much construction debris was in there.
keyboardtek 8 months ago
We bought a one year old new home. I developed chronic fatigue the two years we lived in it. The plywood gassed off chemicals, the wall to wall carpet gassed off chemicals, the entire house smelled like a builders supply of man made chemicals.
#26
Have 25k in cash for when you inevitably find all the coverups the last owner did that need to be fixed.
#27
Constantly increasing property taxes and homeowners insurance rates.
#28
I wish someone would have told me it's okay to celebrate to make a big deal out of it. It was such a chaotic close and then five days back and forth of moving. Some fights and lack of sleep. His parents came the last day of moving in which we had more cleaning than we thought at the old place. We left at 1am drove 10 hrs straight to pick up his parents to begin painting. His parents bicker a lot and by the last day I just wanted them out. I was grateful but I'm struggle with change. I felt like we had no time to celebrate. We jumped straight into work and unpacking. I had weird beliefs around being show offy that I needed to work through. My aunt's knew one congratulated is but the other said she would call and never did. We didn't really share the news with most people just that we were moving to OK which everyone said why are you moving there. It kind of sucked. Celebrate with you two. Have a house gathering party. Celebrate how big this is and focus on the joy. You have time to fix things. You have time to unpack. Enjoy it. Congratulations. Will be praying for close goes smoothly and it all works out. .
#29
For the love of god do not buy paint from big box stores! Behr paint sucks. I painted my house before moving in and less than a year later it was peeling and cracking. I used the top of the line with the primer too.
Use Sherman Williams from the get go!
Me 8 months ago
Hmm interesting one. I've been using Behr paint for my house for many many years, and I've never had a problem with it.
keyboardtek 8 months ago
Same here. Sherwin Williams paint has a strange consistency and does not quite flow well. I do recommend avoiding the paint with primer stuff as it dries too fast and is hard to brush smooth.
Load More Replies... Glen Ellyn 8 months ago
I highly recommend Backdrop paint (US). No odor, luxurious colors, and the coverage is great. You can order samples at $5 each, but these samples are a full square foot and, like Post-Its and can be moved around the room so you can see how the color looks at different times of the day and in different lighting. (No, I don't work for Backdrop - I'm just a very satisfied customer.)
#30
Main thing to watch out for: WATER. If you see shitty plastic hoses on anything (fridge water connection, washing machine, etc) replace them with higher quality braided stainless steel hoses. But for water heater connections, you want copper flex pipe instead of braided SS. I learned both of these lessons the hard way after having pipes burst. Know where your water line shutoff valves are, both in the house and at the meter box outside. If you don't have a shutoff valve in the house, get one installed! Turn off the water whenever you leave the house for a while like vacations. Spending a little money up front can save you thousands in water damage.
What do you think ?
Dog Mom to Zoe 8 months ago
American here. If you buy in a community that has an HOA, see if you can get a copy of their rules BEFORE buying. Some HOAs have some ridicules rules. READ THE CLOSING DOCUMENTS --BEFORE-- signing.
Susie Elle 8 months ago
As a non-american: check the condition of windowframes, especially if they're wooden, and check when was the last time anyone did maintenance on the roof or stuff like the boiler. Check for moisture, access to a crawlspace and stuff like cracks in brick walls. Aside from that, there's always 'verborgen gebreken'-claim.
Robert Beveridge 8 months ago
Honey, 25K is going to replace the water heater. (I know over a dozen people who had to replace it within a month of buying a house.) You'll want to quadruple that number, especially if you're buying pre-WW2.
Ace 8 months ago
Best advice I can offer is to look elsewhere other than BP/Reddit for genuine reliable advice. Quite apart from the fact that most of these are very specific to US-style housing, they're also, mostly just the superficial headline, without details as to when, how, why or what exactly they're relevant.
Dog Mom to Zoe 8 months ago
American here. If you buy in a community that has an HOA, see if you can get a copy of their rules BEFORE buying. Some HOAs have some ridicules rules. READ THE CLOSING DOCUMENTS --BEFORE-- signing.
Susie Elle 8 months ago
As a non-american: check the condition of windowframes, especially if they're wooden, and check when was the last time anyone did maintenance on the roof or stuff like the boiler. Check for moisture, access to a crawlspace and stuff like cracks in brick walls. Aside from that, there's always 'verborgen gebreken'-claim.
Robert Beveridge 8 months ago
Honey, 25K is going to replace the water heater. (I know over a dozen people who had to replace it within a month of buying a house.) You'll want to quadruple that number, especially if you're buying pre-WW2.
Ace 8 months ago
Best advice I can offer is to look elsewhere other than BP/Reddit for genuine reliable advice. Quite apart from the fact that most of these are very specific to US-style housing, they're also, mostly just the superficial headline, without details as to when, how, why or what exactly they're relevant.
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