When you’ve purchased a new home in Miami Beach, Florida, the very first thing you should do is celebrate. Congratulations! Closing on a house in any market—let alone today’s crazy real estate market—is something to be proud of. You’ve navigated the house-hunting process, had your offer accepted, passed the home inspection, cruised through the closing procedures, and now it’s time to pat yourself on the back.
But don’t get too relaxed.
Moving into a new home is a big project, and there are a few things you want to do to enhance your security and make homeownership as successful as possible for yourself in the coming years. Here are the top six things you should do after buying a house in Miami Beach.
Update your home security
This should be the very first step you take when you buy a new house in Miami Beach. Change out all the locks and keycodes to ensure previous homeowners can no longer access your home. The cost of changing out the locks in your home varies depending on the level of security you want. The complexity of the lock determines its price, as does the number of locks you need to replace. You can easily hire a professional locksmith to handle the project for you, or you can tackle it yourself if you feel equipped to handle the job.
If your home has a smart security system, then you need to reconnect the service to one that only you have the passwords and controls. You can also choose an entirely new provider if you want to be extra cautious. When you purchase a home with a smart security system, always ask for the instruction manuals and codes for the current system so you can easily update the alarms, garage codes, and other security settings.
Always update codes with new digits or configurations that only you know how to open. If you need to put off changing the locks in your home for any reason, make sure you take a thorough look around your home for hidden spare keys. It’s not uncommon for homeowners to hide spare keys and then forget about them. Check in the door frame or beneath large rocks in front of the home. Clear away any keys you find to increase your home security and prevent anyone from getting in until you can replace the locks.
Set up your utilities
Connecting all of your utilities is something you want to do very early after you purchase a house, even before you move in. Depending on the neighborhood and local service providers, this may be a complicated process.
Help yourself by making it a smooth move-in process by planning and ensuring all the necessary utilities are started before you move in. Check with all the local providers to get a clear idea of the process and what you need to do to transfer the utilities from the previous owner to your name.
Set up a home warranty
While not all homeowners get a home warranty, some do. A seller can purchase a home warranty to cover any of the home’s major appliances. This is to help protect the buyer in case something breaks down soon after they move in. Obviously, as the buyer, you can purchase your own home warranty to get access to discounted repair and replacement services on all your home’s major appliances.
After you purchase your home, review the home warranty you have or look into getting one if you want one. Review all the specifications of the warranty so you know what’s included and how you can file a claim in case you need to. While a home warranty isn’t a necessity, it can be helpful in a variety of situations.
If you’re shopping for a warranty, make sure to look around for the best deal. Don’t settle for the first one you find but look for the one that is tailored to your unique needs and preferences. Select a warranty that covers the items in your home most likely to break down or the most expensive to replace. While the price of the plan varies based on the size of your home, what’s included in your home, and what’s included in the plan, the coverage can help you navigate system malfunctions in the future.
Review the inspection report
When you purchase a home, it’s normal to get a professional inspection to know of any home issues that need repairs. While the seller may have resolved some or all of those issues before you moved in, now is a great time to review that report to ensure your home is in the best shape possible.
Treat your inspection report as a guide to repairs and updates, either now or in the future. Rank them in terms of urgency and start checking them off your list. Address any problems that could lead to severe issues down the road if ignored, such as leaks in the plumbing, overflowing gutters, roofing issues, or cracks in the weatherstripping around doors and windows.
If necessary, you can hire a professional to handle all your maintenance tasks for you, and you can even schedule some annual maintenance checks with plumbers, HVAC technicians, roofing contractors, and other professionals to help keep your home in the best shape possible.
Remember that repairing issues now will save you more costly repairs and headaches down the road. Maintaining your home will also help increase the value in case you are ever looking to sell.
Double-check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
When you move into a new home, you want to make sure it’s a safe, secure place for you to live—checking that all the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors work is part of this process. While you may simply need to replace batteries, sometimes you may need to replace an entire unit. Replace all the vital smoke detectors like the ones in the bedrooms and the ones in the kitchen.
Fires are most likely to start in your kitchen or the laundry room. Make sure there are workable smoke detectors in both of these places and that there is a smoke detector on every floor.
Testing and changing out batteries on your home’s smoke and carbon monoxide detectors is a home maintenance task you should schedule every six months. Mark it on your calendar, so you never forget. While it may seem like a pointless task, you don’t want to end up in an emergency!
Tackle renovation projects
If there are any changes or updates you want to make to your home, it’s a good idea to get them started before you move in. Consider any of your updates or renovation projects and get them started if possible.
This could be just refreshing the paint. One of the best ways to make your home look fresh, new, and uniquely like you is to give the interior a fresh coat of paint. Choose colors that work with your preferences, and that will go with whatever furniture you intend to move into your space. If you hire a professional, see if they offer discounts for empty rooms since they can work faster and more efficiently.
If you’re hoping to update the flooring in your home, this is much easier to do when the house is empty. Renovating the flooring you don’t like with new, pristine floors can transform your home.
If you’re planning a kitchen remodel, bathroom remodel, home addition, or even electrical upgrades, the time to get these tasks done is now before you’ve moved into your space. Get quotes from all contractors, including estimates on how long they think the job will take so you know exactly what projects are worth pursuing and when you can move into your new home.
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