‘Tis the season for home buying! My wife and I have bought 2 homes so far. We have learned what to do during the home buying process but what many people don’t talk about is what to do after you close on a home. You may think it’s immediately move-in ready (and it may be if you’re lucky) but here are a few things you should consider doing while the home is empty.
Get Preventative Services and Maintenance Done
This is at the top of my list after buying a home. Every home I bought, I asked the sellers to get an inspection done on HVAC, water heater, and whatever else it needed. Even though the seller got the inspection done, it’s important to bring in people for quick inspections for preventative reasons after you buy the home. Getting these done gave me peace of mind that everything is working properly and safely. Here is what I’ve had or would recommend being inspected:
- Fireplace (especially gas or woodburning)
- HVAC
- Duct work cleaning
- Gutters
- Trees/large landscaping (I’ve had a few knocked down in a wind storm and broke a fence)
- Windows
- Roofing
- Garage doors
These are the main ones I have come across. You can also do a few things yourself like replacing the HVAC filter regularly, cleaning the duct work you can with a shop vac, power washing the house and driveway, and getting a ladder and cleaning the gutters out by hand. I realize these inspections can add up and be costly but it is worth the investment. The inspections will keep your home safe and operating smoothly.
Paint the Home
You will never have a better opportunity to paint. The rooms are empty and you will not have to cover or move furniture around. Believe me, we decided to paint our living room and dining room a year after moving in- it was a pain in the ass to work around couches, bookshelves, and tables. It is not fun. As much as you might be inclined to wait and see how it looks after moving in, now is the best chance to knock out the painting in rooms you plan to paint at some point down the road.
Deep Clean the Home
Again, the house is empty. Take advantage to wipe down walls, clean the windows and woodwork, and sanitize drawers and cabinet spaces. It takes some time, but well worth it. You never know how well the previous owners cleaned and sanitized their living spaces. Deep cleaning also really gave us the feeling of a fresh start. It was an amazing feeling. The deep clean made the home feel and smell fresh, especially since the first home we bought was over 40 years old.
Take Care of the Flooring
If you plan to replace the flooring, now is the time so you don’t have to displace furniture and other things if you decide to do it later on. We did the latter. Moving the fridge, stove, and dining room table were a pain to move around as flooring got done and costed us more money because of it. Friends of ours just moved in to a beautiful home and did the former. It turned out to be a great decision for them.
If you don’t plan to replace the floor, now is also a good time to refinish hardwood floors and clean the carpets. You can either have this professionally done or do it yourself. Rug Doctor is a great product for carpet cleaning yourself. You can pretty much rent the equipment anywhere. For refinishing floors yourself, you can rent equipment from Menard’s, Lowe’s, or Home Depot. YouTube is always a great resource for going through the steps for this. Here are some videos to get you started:
You are not required to do any of these things after you move in. After all, you own the home now. These are things my wife and I have come across that we saw value in doing or learned the hard way after buying a home. Those inspections and maintenance can save you a ton of money down the road. Since you own the home, you are now responsible for maintenance, fixing things, and replacing things. The inspections may come back clean but gives you that ease of mind that everything is working the way it should. If something isn’t working, it gives you insight into prioritizing home projects. In the end, it’s your decision.
