Bought a New Home? These 3 Simple Steps Could Save You Major Headaches Later

After the lengthy process of shopping for a new home, having an offer accepted, and closing on a loan, many new homebuyers think that they will finally have some downtime to kick back and enjoy the house they worked so hard to buy.

However, one real estate agent on TikTok says that the days immediately following the purchase of a new home could be some of the busiest.

That’s because she says that there are a few key things that new homeowners need to do immediately after closing that will set them up for a smoother time in their new house. Not only that, but she says that these three simple things could also make it easier when it comes time to sell. 

Best of all, some of these tips don’t cost a thing. That will likely make @lizbrownrealtordaily’s advice sound like music to the ears of anyone who feels like they were put through the financial wringer while closing on their home.

Here’s what she says every homeowner should do the moment they get the keys to their new home.

Create a New Email Address

@lizbrownrealtordaily Just bought a house? Congratulations! Now go do these three things before you forget. 1. Create an email address just for your house. Send every receipt, invoice, warranty, and record of improvements there. When it’s time to sell, you’ll be glad you kept everything in one place. 2. Find your main water shutoff valve. Not when water is pouring across your kitchen floor. TODAY. And make sure you know how to turn it off. 3. Change your locks and reset your garage door openers. You have no idea who still has a key or a code to your house. BONUS: Buy a plunger. Seriously. This is not something you want to discover you need at 11 PM. None of this is complicated, but you’d be surprised how many homeowners forget these things. Know someone who just bought their first house? Send this to them. They might thank you later. #FirstTimeHomeBuyer #NewHomeowner #HomeBuyingTips #VirginiaRealEstate #HomeownerTips ♬ original sound – Liz Brown Real Estate

The first step on Brown’s list involves creating an email address specifically for the new home. She says it can be just about anything, but her example suggestion included the street number and name, like “[email protected].”

“Then everything you get that has to do with your house goes to that email,” she said. “Every receipt, every invoice.” Not only will this allow homeowners to keep this information from getting lost in their personal email addresses, but when it comes time to sell the home, it’s easy to go back through and gather information for the appraiser.

Find Your Main Water Valve

While Brown says that her second tip sounds like a no-brainer, she said that a number of people don’t do this until it’s an emergency (aka a broken pipe). According to her, the second thing a new homeowner should do involves finding their house’s main water valve.

Change the Locks

Lastly, Brown suggests changing the locks and garage door opener codes. “You have no idea how many people have access to your house,” she explained, noting that the previous owners could’ve given that information out to anyone from family members to dog walkers. 

She says that each of these steps will not only make life easier for a new homeowner, but it could also save them from major headaches down the line (especially when it comes to that water valve suggestion), making each of these an important item to cross off a new homeowner’s to-do list.