Things to do After Buying a Home
Change your mailing address with the United States Postal Service.
-
Have a plumber clean all the drains to prevent future blockages.
Have a heating company perform a furnace inspection and tune-up.
Ask your employer to withhold less from your paycheck for federal income tax.
Moving checklist
Prepare your move to your new home. Click the link below for a handy moving checklist.
Change the utilities into your name.
The day that escrow closes, call the various utility companies and switch the utilities into your name. If you switch the utilities into your name before the utility companies physically disconnect the utilities from the previous owner, you may avoid a re-connection charge.
Change your mailing address with the United States Postal Service.
Change your mailing address with the United States Postal Service when you move to your new home.
Re-key the door locks for security.
It is a good idea to re-key all locks after you buy a used home. A locksmith can re-key all the door locks so one key fits all of the locks, for convenience. If you will be making improvements to your home before you move in, and will be providing a key to repairmen, re-key the locks after all work has been completed.
Have a plumber clean all the drains to prevent future blockages.
Whenever you buy a used home, it is a good idea to hire a plumber to thoroughly clean every drain within the home using a wire “snake.” This includes “snaking” all sinks, bathtubs, showers, and toilets. This thorough cleaning should remove any accumulated material from the plumbing pipes, help prevent or minimize future blockages, and reduce your home ownership costs — and therefore make owning your new home more enjoyable.
Have a heating company perform a furnace inspection and tune-up.
When you buy a used home, it is a good idea to have the heating furnace inspected and tuned up to ensure that it is working properly.
How to use your home warranty
If something within your home ceases to function properly, be sure use your home warranty.
Ask your employer to withhold less from your paycheck for federal income tax.
If you were previously renting a home and are now a homeowner, or if you will be paying more mortgage interest, you will be able to deduct the mortgage interest amount that you pay from your taxable income for your federal income tax. This will reduce your taxable income and therefore decrease the amount of income tax that you pay. Typically you would receive a tax refund after you file your tax return. However, rather then waiting until you file your federal income tax return to receive the benefit of this tax deduction, you can ask your employer to withhold less money from your paycheck for the federal income tax by completing Form W-4 and increasing the number of deductions. This will increase your monthly income so you can use the extra income throughout the year instead of receiving a tax refund after you file your federal income tax return.
How much less money should you ask your employer to withhold from your monthly earnings? You should calculate your monthly estimated tax savings from the mortgage interest deduction. Then increase the number of deductions on the W-4 Form so that you receive about that much more money as your monthly income.
Check the irrigation system, valves, and timer.
After buying a home, check the irrigation system, valves, and timer:
- Check the timer settings and adjust them as necessary.
- Look for any broken sprinkler heads.
- Look for any leaks in the irrigation pipes.
- Check to see if any of the sprinkler heads are overspraying onto the walls of the house, fence, walkways, and driveway. If so, adjust sprinkler heads so they do not overspray.
