Closing on Your Home - You'Ve Closed, Now What?

Closing on your new home seems like the conclusion to a long, arduous journey. You've trekked across the stormy wastelands of home searching and you've summited the rocky peaks of the home closing process. After the closing, you're probably sick of signing your name. You own a home now, but you've got to wrap up the last details.

Closing Home, Coming Home

Closing on your new home seems like the conclusion to a long, arduous journey. You've trekked across the stormy wastelands of home searching and you've summited the rocky peaks of the home closing process. You've even sailed the rough seas of home titling and slogged through the desert of home loan applications. After the closing, you're probably sick of signing your name.

Move Home

But you're not home free yet. You own a home now, and you've got to wrap up the last details.

• Move in to your new home! Channel some of the excitement of home closing into the chore of packing boxes and wrapping your fragile items. Don't pack anything too heavy, mark your boxes so you know which room each one is intended for, and enjoy the process. You probably closed on this home with plans to stay for awhile, so this is probably the last time you'll be moving for a long while.


• Call the electric, phone, cable, internet and gas companies to get utility service at your new home, and close down the accounts for your old home. Some of these home services take forever to get set up, so start now.


• You might want to buy some paint that matches your new home and touch up the place while it's still empty. If you don't know the colors of your new place, bring a quarter-sized sample of trim or drywall to a hardware store and they'll use a paint-matching machine to blend the color you need. Allot some time for this process, though, because the paint-matching isn't always 100% accurate. And while you're at the hardware store, you might want to pick up some new locks for home security. You can donate your new home's old locks to a charity resale store.


• Forward your mail to your new home and tell your friends, service providers, employer and other important entities about your new address.


• Measure doorways and rooms to figure out where your furniture will go in your new home.


• Update your driver's license.

Home Closing Followup

Beyond the details of moving to your new home, you should also be aware of some of the responsibilities you have after your home closing.

• You've gathered a significant pile of paperwork after your home closing, all of it important. Make sure those closing papers stay organized and together. You want to file them away properly in your new home. Consider putting copies of your home's title and other critical documents in a safety deposit box, relative's home or firesafe.


• Check your old home or apartment for closing paperwork that may have been mis-addressed.


• Make sure you've got all your home payment coupons and are ready to mail them off when they are due. If you have to choose between bills, always pay your home payment first. If you fall behind, you will destroy your credit rating and could be closing the door on home ownership forever.


• If you know you will have trouble paying your home mortgage, contact your loan company immediately. They may be able to help restructure your loan. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (www.hud.gov) also has several programs to reduce home foreclosures.

Congratulations on closing on your new home!

Visit AustinKW.com for information on Austin home buying and other real estate questions.