Terri Ramsey Beavers You’ve looked at options all across town. You’ve gone over all your financing. The paperwork has been signed, and everything is in order. It’s finally time to move into your new home. Moving into a new house is an exciting new chapter in your life, and you should certainly celebrate the accomplishment. But after the thrill has subsided and you start settling in, you’ll find that taking care of your own place takes a little dedication and planning.
The home loan experts at Solarity Credit Union want your homeownership experience to be an absolute success. That means choosing the perfect home, working with a great lender, and coming in armed with everything you need. So when you move in, make sure you’ve made these five essential purchases for a new home.
1. Handy Necessities
Owning your own home is a great investment, but it can be a lot of work. If you’ve only rented until now, you may be used to calling your landlord if anything needs fixing. Once you’re the owner, that clogged sink or leaky faucet is your problem and your problem alone. That’s why one of the most essential purchases for a new home is a good-quality toolkit.
You won’t need anything extensive—at least at first—but you’ll want enough to be able to solve problems around the house. A hammer, screwdriver, and tape measure can go a long way toward taking care of most issues. Oh, and don’t forget a plunger. You’ll also want to invest in a few flashlights and maybe an electric lantern. Having a mobile light source can be helpful for taking care of issues that might crop up in darker, out-of-the-way corners of the house. Plus, should a storm blow through town and knock out your power, you won’t be left in the dark.
2. Keeping It Clean
Unless you’re planning on springing for a cleaning service every other week, it’s going to be up to you to keep your new home sparkling. Be sure to add cleaning supplies to your list of essential purchases for a new home. You may have some left over from your previous residences, but cleaning a whole house is a bigger task than cleaning a two-bedroom apartment. Bleach and hydrogen peroxide are always good to have on hand, along with any specialized cleaners you may be fond of.
Your choice of cleaning implements will also affect how difficult it is to get your chores done. Now is not the time to pick up the cheapest vacuum you can find. A good, strong model can make cleaning your floors a breeze, so don’t skip the investment. Even if you have an old broom or mop, this might be a good chance for you to grab some new ones. Depending on how long you’ve been using that toilet brush, you may be overdue. Finally, evaluate the size of your home and how much garbage you may generate. You’ll need somewhere for household waste to go, and your old bins may not be suitable to your new home.
3. In Case of Emergency
Your home should be a safe space, a sanctuary you can retreat to from all the hardships of the world. Before you can relax, though, you need to make that space as safe as possible. Some of the most essential purchases for a new home are safety purchases, so be sure to shore up your house while out shopping. Check your home to see the distribution of smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. If your coverage seems lacking, get more to install in areas that could use them. On the topic of fire safety, you can’t go wrong with a small fire extinguisher. You don’t need to get a full-sized one, just one that will fit under the sink or near your oven. They’re affordable, and should a fire break out in your kitchen, you’ll be glad to have it.
Looking beyond internal dangers, you may also want to install a security system in your new home. While you hope to never need it, a good system can give you peace of mind both during the night and over any extended trips you take. You never know when life might surprise you, so it pays to be prepared for any circumstance.
4. Fresh Air
Since you’ll be spending a lot of time in your new home, your indoor air will greatly impact your quality of life. As such, getting things to keep the atmosphere feeling fresh and vibrant are essential purchases for a new home. Start out by picking up a new filter for your furnace or HVAC system and changing out the current filter. You might not know the last time it was changed, but this way you’re definitely starting fresh.
If you want to go a step further, you may want to invest in an air purifier. A good model will remove pollutants from your indoor environment, letting you breathe easier as you relax at home. Indoor air pollution can have a variety of negative health impacts on people, particularly those who suffer from allergies. Even houseplants can make a difference in your indoor air quality, as they help absorb pollutants from the air around them. Air might not be first on your mind when buying things for your new home, but you’ll be happy you did.
5. Make the Space Your Own
You can make practical choices for your new digs all day long, but at the end of the day, you need your house to feel like a home. That’s why some of the most essential purchases for a new home are the ones that make it feel like yours. Blank walls don’t say anything about your personality, and empty rooms aren’t fit to make memories in. You don’t need to spend a lot, just find the things that make your home feel like an expression of you.
You want people to come over and know it’s your own space, somewhere you put care and effort into making it just so. So after you have everything you need to make your home livable, get the things that you need to make it feel alive. After all, you’ve just purchased your own home. You deserve it.
If you’re just starting your homebuying journey or in the midst of it and looking for a great mortgage lender in Washington State, Solarity is here to help you with the process. Visit their website for more information about what Solarity can do for you and your new home.