Buying A Home---Post Closing Expenses

Whether it is our first home we are buying or relocating to a new area, or downsizing because our children have left or upsizing because our family is growing there are additional costs related to buying a house indirectly that you should plan for. I always here buyers ask me "how much money will I need to close?" Then they make sure they either have it all set aside already or they work on saving it prior to closing. But what do you do once you have closed on the house....It is likely you are going to incur some additional expenses that you may not have budgeted for. First, if you are moving you have to get your furniture and personal items over to the new house. Some people rent a truck and get a few friends or family to help them with the move. Others may rent a truck and need bodies to be hired to pack and move them and then you still have the option of going with a full service moving company...That is an expense that adds up relatively quickly if you are not careful. Second, you will be putting the utilities on in your name. I know when i relocated to the Charlotte area I had to pay a security deposit with the electric company because I had never had service with them before....I was a little shocked and taken back by it since I was never late with any bills. They explained it is there policy if I never had service with them before...There went a few hundred dollars I did not budget for. Third, was the house cleaned to your satisfaction or are you going to clean it or hire someone to do it for you? What about painting or having the carpets professionally cleaned? These are all expenses that start to add up when you close. Fourth, does the house have window treatments? Are there blinds or curtains left over from the seller? If not you will have to go purchase those as well.... Window treatments can get into the hundreds of dollars depending on the windows and type of treatments you are looking for. Fifth, what about alarm systems or pest treatments or maintenance items to the house that you may need to do once you move in... Sixth, changing the locks on the house. I always recommend to every buyer that they change the locks on the house once the closing is done. You just never know who may have a key that the seller forgot to ask for it back from. When you close on a house whether it is your first or tenth house; there are expenses related to the closing after the transaction is done that affect you and you need to make sure you have budgeted money aside for those expenses as well.. Dave diCecco Realtor/Broker Coldwell Banker United www.davedicecco.com