You’ve been weighing your options as a prospective homeowner, and you’ve decided to buy a home over building from scratch. You’ve been looking around, going to open houses, and you’ve stumbled upon the perfect home. Here are a few new homeowner tips to consider before and after purchasing a home:

Have The Home Inspected.

Before you make your home purchase official, you will want to know if the house is in good standing condition. An inspector will search for any issues related to the house’s structure and systems, including plumbing, electric, foundation, roofing, grading, HVAC, and similar aspects of the home to ensure it’s safe, defect free, and in no need of repairs or replacements. 

Hire Qualified Contractors.

If you’re having work done on your new home and you’re not sure how to pick a contractor, we have a few tips for you. First, you want to find a contractor who specializes in the type of work you want done and is licensed to work in your area. Think local. A well-established local contractor will have plenty of positive word-of-mouth reviews and will eliminate the possibility of needing to find out-of-town crews and materials.

You also want to work with a contractor that’s professional, timely, and reliable. The best way to determine if a contractor has those qualities is to look at their Google and Facebook reviews. Sometimes, they will display testimonials directly on their website. 

Check Off Your “Before You Move In” List

If you’ve purchased your home already, then you want to move in with a clean slate. Before bringing in any furniture, take the time to have your locks changed, replace the air filters, deep clean the whole house, paint the walls, and replace the flooring. The last thing you want to have to do is cover up and move around furniture to paint walls, replace flooring, and clean.

Prioritize Your Renovations

When moving into a new home, you may have a list of changes you want to make to customize the home to fit your taste. You will want to think about function before thinking of aesthetics and appeal. Ensuring your kitchen, bath, and floor plan make sense is important to your everyday routine. After you’ve addressed functionality, start thinking about impressions and renovations. Work in phases and chip items off of your list as you go.