The stress of buying is over — you’ve signed the contracts and are all moved in. You plop down on your new sofa as the adventure of homeownership begins.
It’s understandable to be scared, excited and nervous. Luckily, Starlight Homes is here to guide you through these first few weeks as you settle into your new title of Homeowner.
Study Your Home
Every home is different. Where you’ve lived in the past may not be the same size nor have the same appliances as the home you have just purchased.
Starlight Homes come with new appliances, so they may heat faster than you are used to; the dishwasher settings could be different, or the microwave wattage just a tad higher. Your Starlight Home is equipped with tight windows and programmable thermostats, meaning you won’t need to try as hard to heat or cool the space, and you can customize your heating and air to best fit your needs. Find the settings that work for you to help get the most out of your new home and lower your utility bill.
Organize Your Payments
Depending on your contracts and mortgage, there are several different methods of payment as well as billing dates. An easy way to avoid missing a payment is to set up an automatic bill payment, ensuring that your bills are paid on time and paid in full.
If you don’t want to pay everything at once, you can see if your mortgage lender allows you to pay separately, splitting the payment in half and transferring the money at different times throughout the month. With your household bills, such as electricity, water and gas, you can set up automatic payments for each on separate weeks. That way, it may not feel like so much money is being paid at once.
Know Your Tools
Some of us are innately crafty — maybe you grew up building shelves from scratch, and you always knew where the hammer was. And some of us use command strips like they’re going out of style. Good news: either is acceptable!
We recommend you stock up on a bit of both. You can find a simple hammer and nails kit online or at your local hardware store, along with easy-to-use drills, toolboxes and screwdriver kits. You never know when you’ll want to add a new decorative piece or if a table you purchase will require assembly.
If you like to display your personality outside of the house, invest in some gardening tools and watering cans to help you make your yard pop. There will always be a hook that needs hanging or a weed that needs digging up; it never hurts to have a stock of handy items around the house to stay prepared and ready for the next project.
Prioritize Your Comfort
A home is just that — a home. You probably want to prioritize making it feel like a place where you can relax, host and work. It can be simultaneously frustrating and exciting to purchase new items for a new home.
Try something new by writing out a list of things necessary to turn your house into a home, like that sofa you’ve been checking out, a roomy work desk, a welcoming dining table or an intriguing piece of art. You can create a purchasing timeline, something as simple as a horizontal line on a page or an addition to your Google calendar, to help you schedule the right time to buy the things you love. This will give you something to look forward to every few weeks without breaking the bank.
Prepare to Have Fun
Owning your own home means no more unwanted roommates or pesky landlords. It's a world where comfort knows no bounds. You can stay up all night in your cozy living room watching HGTV or choose to host a party on a Wednesday. There’s no judgment, awkward moments or pressure to wash dishes. You might wake up each morning feeling like it's Christmas, the giddiness never quite wearing off. Relaxation levels could soar.
Sure, it’s scary doing it all on your own, but we can’t wait to see where homeownership leads you, and we will be with you every step of the way! You may be surprised by how good freedom feels.
