When you finally close on your new home, it can feel both exciting and overwhelming. While living in a space that meets your needs can be a relief, moving into some place new can still come with its own set of stressors. We’ve compiled some tips to help you from the moment you close on your mortgage to after you move in.

Before you move in …

If you have a little bit of time before you are required to move out of your existing residence, there are some tasks that are nice to do before you move all your boxes and furniture into your new home. For example, it’s much easier to give your new home a deep clean or a fresh coat of paint if it’s empty. If you’re able to, try and schedule time to paint (or hire painters) before your move date. This way you don’t have to worry about layering tarp over your belongings in addition to the floor and you have plenty of space to work efficiently. Once painting is out of the way, you can clean if it’s necessary!

If you don’t have time to clean or paint before moving in, there are still certain safety tasks you should consider completing first. For example, you should try to either change or rekey your new home’s exterior locks as soon as possible. While it might be nice to believe the best from the previous owners of your home, you never know who they might have given a key to and whether that person made copies—it’s much better to be safe, just in case. The same ‘better to be safe’ principle applies to replacing the batteries and testing other safety devices like smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.

Getting to know your new home

While organizing your belongings and arranging furniture is the obvious first step when you move, it’s important to explore your house and learn where everything is while you unpack. Memorize where important utilities and light switches are, just in case. For example, if a storm knocks out your power in the evening, do you know how to find the circuit breaker in the dark? What about locating the control for your water and gas? Make sure your pathways to reach everything are also accessible and not blocked by boxes. Need a boost before you start tackling your to-do list? Turn on some music like our Moving Motivation playlist.

Reset your budget expectations

If you previously had a landlord or lived in an apartment, keep in mind that you’ll have to pay for any emergency expenses as they pop up. Once you have your own home, it’s important to replenish your emergency fund and keep a careful budget, especially if your savings are depleted from making your down payment. If something happens to your plumbing system or your washing machine breaks, you’ll have to manage those repairs on your own.

Replenishing your emergency fund is also an important step to complete before tackling any big projects. While home improvement plans can be exciting, be careful to not take on too much at once. Completing a DIY project yourself can quickly get overwhelming mentally, physically, and financially if something goes wrong. Prioritize accordingly and don’t be afraid to hire a professional when you have the money saved again.

Get to know your neighbors

Meeting your neighbors can be more than just a social endeavor. If you’re new to your new hometown, they can provide historical knowledge about the community and even give advice for contractors to use (or avoid) for future home maintenance.

Stay organized

Now that you’re a homeowner, it’s a good idea to keep a physical or digital log of what maintenance you’ve completed and when. Don’t forget to write reminders for when an appliance needs an inspection next! Tracking this information can help you take better care of your appliances and prevent bigger problems. Consider storing this log with your insurance and warranty information as well as any contractor receipts. This makes it easy to find again if you need it for future projects and it will come in handy if you decide to sell your home in the future.