購入後の諸々
We finally bought a house. We haven’t received the key yet, but it’s supposed to happen over the weekend. I’m excited, but a little nervous at the same time. I have never been a homeowner, and even though we say we bought a house, we didn’t really buy it. The bank owns it. We paid the down payment and closing cost with our own money, so we should be proud of the fact that we’ve come this far.So, what are the things we will have to do once we’ve made it through making the offer, home inspection, mortgage application, financing and closing? Is it finally the time to kick back, relax and enjoy a new place? Not really.We still need to move. Moving is not easy at all even though we’ll do the inner-city move. I’ve been packing a little bit, and thrown many things away since we received the 60-days-notice, but there are so many things we still need to do. I feel that we are so behind. The process of purchasing home was so exhausting (it’s our excuse for not packing). Going for house search, making the offer, doing home inspection, completing mortgage application, financing and closing were very emotionally draining. It required a lot of patience.Once we closed the deal, we had to come up with our timeline. We are doing the flooring before we move in, and installing brand-new laminate floor will start right after the Memorial Weekend. While the construction is going, we’ll clean the space downstairs, and bring stuff to the new place as much as possible. We have roughly two weeks to move. And of course, we’ll have to do some cleanup because we have no idea what kind of mess the seller will leave.One of the first things to do when you buy a house is to change the locks. Experts recommends taking care of this business related to security issues before you move in. OK. We’ll have to do that very soon.Another important thing is to review our home warranty. We’ve received a home warranty purchased by the seller to cover the home’s major systems and application. I think we really need to review the specifics, so well know what’s covered and how to file a claim.Connecting utilities is important as well, and we already finished that. How about checking smoke and carbon monoxide detectors? We’ll surely do that before we move in, but I guess the inspectors already checked those things. I must check the paperwork.Also, using our inspection report as a to-do list for maintenance is a great idea. Using the home inspection repot as a guide, make a list of things to repair, update or maintaining for the future, ranking them from most to least urgent. We want to address items that can potentially blow up and cost our money later, such as dirty gutters, leaky pipes or door and windows that need to be released.I’m very excited by the new journey as a homeowner, but at the same time, I feel very nervous too. I think it’s totally normal to feel this way. There is no place like home. May the walls ring with love and laughter!
