Typical Repairs for Your New Home 

You’re ready to close on your new home and move in shortly. However, unless your home is new construction, it will probably need some repairs or sprucing up when you move in. While the home inspection catches any major repairs that the seller needs to complete before closing, there are always minor fixes that the homebuyer needs to make as well. Here are some of the more common ones:

Change the locks.

At the closing, the previous homeowner is required to turn over all the house keys to you. But what about the key they gave their friend years ago and forgot about? Or the one that they gave to their housekeeper who no longer works for them? The fact is, you have no idea who has additional keys to the house. Chances are, the other people who have a house key will either do nothing with it or throw it out. But why take that risk? Immediately after the closing contact a local locksmith to come to the house and re-key all the locks. This should include the locks on any sliding doors or patio doors as well as the main door and back entrance. If the garage has a keypad entry, make sure to change the code on that right away as well. 

Repaint as needed.

Over time, sunlight fades the paint or wallpaper in a room. If there were pictures on the walls, when the previous homeowner removed them, the paint behind the pictures is probably a different shade than the rest of the room since those areas were not exposed to the sun. There are also going to be holes in the walls from the hardware used to hang the pictures. The best time to patch and paint the walls is before you move in. This will prevent any damage to your furniture and avoid the disruptions that painting while living in the house can cause.

Deep clean or replace all carpets.

Carpets hold dirt, bacteria, food crumbs, even bed bugs – yuck! If your budget allows it, the best option is to replace all the carpeting and padding. If this is not possible, then, at a minimum, hire a professional to deep clean the carpets. As with painting, the best time to do this is before moving in.

Update wall plates.

This is especially important for older homes. Wall plates are a small detail that you often don’t think about, but contribute to the overall look of a room. Over time, wall plate styles change. Having old wall plates can make the whole room feel old-fashioned. You can purchase new wall plates inexpensively at any home or hardware store. Just be sure to turn off the electricity before installing them.

Choice Mortgage Group is here to support you throughout your home buying experience. Contact us today to learn now we can help you finance your next home.

Since 1995, Choice Mortgage Group has been providing homeowners with the best real estate financing programs available. As a licensed lender, we offer a wide variety of services and programs that satisfy the unique needs of each of our clients.

Specializing in residential mortgage lending for over 25 years, our programs include conventional and government lending, purchases, and refinances. We also offer portfolio lending for self-employed borrowers and borrowers with complicated tax situations. South Florida is where Choice Mortgage Group started, and we like to call it home. We are devoted Florida Atlantic University Owls fans and are proud to be the official mortgage lender of FAU Athletics. We also support numerous other local organizations. For more information about Choice Mortgage Group, visit www.choicemortgage.com.

Choice Mortgage Group

2424 N Federal Hwy, Suite 100

Boca Raton, FL 33431

(561) 395-6900

info@choicemortgage.com