3 Things You Should Do after Buying Your First Home

It's official. The house is yours! Now what?

Before you pack up everything from your old place and move in, you should put these three tasks at the top of your to-do list:

1. Changing the Locks

That's right, the first thing that you should do after buying a house is change the locks for all of the entrance doors. You have no clue who has a copy of the current keys. With the help of a copied key, a stranger could stroll through your front door in the middle of the day. 

So, you should call a professional locksmith to change your locks and get a brand-new set of keys. You will probably want a spare key to store outside of the house for those frustrating moments when you accidentally get locked out. But be careful about where you put it! Take a look at the worst places to hide your keys outside and avoid them at all costs. Your best bet is to put the spare in a secure lockbox - not under the welcome mat. 

2. Prepare for Surprises

New homes can always bring some expensive surprises. Problems like faulty plumbing and broken-down appliances can throw massive wrenches into your budget. You'll want to make some financial preparations so that you can tackle these emergency repairs without breaking a sweat.

So, what should you do? You should start by taking a look at your budget and seeing how much you can set aside for an emergency fund every month. Those savings can help you cover the costs of urgent repairs and replacements. 

Then, you should apply for a personal line of credit. This will be an effective safety net when your emergency fund is still on the low side. You should go to the website CreditFresh to see if you qualify for a personal line of credit and apply. Then what? Don't touch it until you need it! If there's an emergency, you may make a withdrawal from the line of credit and have that amount deposited into your bank account in a short amount of time.

3. Take Safety Measures

You want to make sure that your new home is a safe haven, not a death trap. That's why you have to dedicate some time and energy into making sure that it's relatively danger-free. Here are some ways that you can do that:

• Get fire extinguishers for every floor. Put an extra one in the kitchen.
• Check the smoke detectors to see if they work.
• Check the carbon monoxide detector to see if it works.
• Learn where the main water shut-off valve is located.
• Learn where the circuit box is located.
• Learn where the gas shut-off valve is located.
• Check your basement sump pump and give it a test-run to see if it works properly.
• Look up emergency repair services in your area for plumbing, roofing, electrical and more. You will want this contact information saved on your smartphone, just in case.

These aren't exciting tasks, but they're essential if you want your first months as a new homeowner to go smoothly. Soon enough, you can get to the fun stuff like moving in furniture and hanging family photos on the walls.