Take These Steps When Buying A Home

If you are on the exciting path to homeownership, congratulations! It is indeed an exhilarating time in your life. As you sign your name on the final documents, there are some things to keep in mind to make the process run smoothly.

Establish Ownership

When you purchase your new home, you need to do your due diligence to secure the ownership rights of the property you just spent a lot of hard-earned money on. Signing a few or several stacks of papers will not complete the process. You still need to finish the task of accomplishing any real estate deeds that need to be filed in your name.

Typically, your title company agent or a real estate lawyer will write up the new deed to the property on your behalf. Once it is complete, review it thoroughly to ensure your name and other information is correct before filing.

Consider the Walls and Floors

If you have the opportunity, in other words, the time and financial means to do so, you should consider painting the walls and refinishing the floors before moving in. The process is monumentally easier when you do not have to deal with moving furniture or boxes around throughout the process and can get right to the job at hand.

Either take on these jobs in true do-it-yourself fashion or hire licensed professionals to do it for you. Regardless of the route you choose to take, do the job right by reviewing the best practices for preparing the surfaces and refinishing or painting. If you decide to hire the job out to the experts, always ask for references and conduct an in-depth review online.

Watch this short video to learn some of the essential questions you must ask a housepainter before hiring them.

Add Smart Technology Features

When you are moving into a new home, it is the perfect time to incorporate technology into the space. With the ever-changing field of smart home features, you are sure to find at least one or two items that will help you live easier at home.

Here are some common smart tech features you can add today.

• Thermostat - Smart thermostats are easy to install to replace an existing home thermostat. They sync up with a corresponding app on your smartphone so you can change the temperature without ever getting up or even being home. In addition, the smart options allow you to create programs to raise the temperature before you wake up on a winter morning or to decrease it right after you leave for work.
  
• Lighting - Setting your household lights on a timer is the perfect way to never walk into a dark home after a night out or make the residence look like it is occupied while you are on vacation. These lights can be voice-controlled through smart assistant applications such as Amazon’s Alexa or Google’s Nest or via a smartphone or tablet app. Some smart bulbs even allow you to change the color.
  

Wait on the Furniture

Getting into a new home is exciting, almost beyond measure. You want to dive in and make it your own. Not to mention how fun it is to start fresh with something new. What you should do, however, is take a moment and take a calming breath before going shopping. Besides that, it is all too easy to go online when you should be sleeping or working and make decor purchases to your heart’s content without really realizing what you want or need.

The best thing you can do for your sanity and your bank account is to wait on the furniture purchases until after you have moved into your home. Take your time and live in the space for a while so you can assess what you want and need to hold your dishware or shoe collection. Sometimes, the furniture you moved from your old place will actually work well. You might apply a fresh stain to a beloved dining table or refresh a comfortable reading chair with new upholstery. 

Once you understand where the new furniture will fit best in your home, go ahead and add the pieces to your shopping list so you can keep your eyes open for sales and stay within your budget. Look for pieces that will last instead of shopping for the fast fashion equivalent of furniture.

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When you are going through the steps to find your next home, it can be overwhelming. Take a few moments to relax before proceeding. Find the best furniture by being patient, and make changes to the walls and flooring before moving in. Pay attention to the details so you know you have the right paperwork in hand for the home-buying process. Have fun with your home and make it smarter by installing useful technology.