As you guy know, I just purchased my first home in December 2018. There are so many emotions that come with such a big purchase like excitement, nerves, and yes, even panic. While you’re sorting through all the emotions, it can be difficult to figure out what to do next to get ready for the big move.
This ISN’T going to be the actual process of buying a house, like getting a home inspection and an appraisal. Someone else far more experienced can give you advice on that ha! This is what I did to help get ready to move in and make sure that I was making smart decisions with my purchases.
1.Take pictures of everything
And, I mean E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. Don’t rely on your memory or the photos posted to the listing. From the time you’re in there for the inspection to the time you close could be a couple of months. I found myself wondering about things I never thought of like, “Is there an outlet there? What do the wind sills look like? Is there a door stopper? Where are the air vents?” These seemingly small things did influence my purchases like not being able to put a lamp where I wanted because there wasn’t an outlet.
2. Measure everything
Again, you might not be able to run over and measure the living to make sure the couch that’s on sale right now will fit. You’re going to want to know how big of an area rug you should get, or what size your windows are. I also taped out the size of my furniture before purchasing so I could get a feel of how much of the room it would take up.
3. Pinterest is your best friend
I set my boards up by room. It’s so much easier to search for a photo rather than digging through a home board that houses all your faves.
4. Create an Excel doc for things your need to buy
I had one doc with a tab for each room. Every time I thought of something I needed, I added it to the doc. Then, when I would find different furniture pieces I liked, I would drop the links into the doc next to the list. That way, I could keep track of the links and compare them. The last thing I did was prioritize them.
5. Keep a list of things you already have
A lot of my things had been in storage for months before I bought my house. I couldn’t remember what I had in there, and what I needed to buy. One day, I went over and made a list of what was in there. This is also especially help if you’re moving in with a roommate or spouse, and you’re both bringing things into the home.
After doing these things, I felt like I could confidently make some purchases. To see how I saved a lot of money shopping online for home items, check out this post.
xx,
Nicole