The Absolute First Thing You Should Buy for Your New House, According to a Real Estate Agent
If you’re a new or soon-to-be homeowner, you probably have a list a mile long of all the things you’ll need to furnish your new place and make it feel like home. While it’s great to have a plan, it’s also easy to get overwhelmed and overspend. After making the biggest purchase of your life so far, you may want to protect your savings and stick to a budget too. Thankfully, Florida real estate agent Peggy Clemente is here to help you prioritize so you can figure out what to buy first and what can actually wait until your wallet recovers.
After buying a house, many folks want to shop for a new couch or bed right away — and who can blame them? It’s natural to want to upgrade your furniture to fit your new space, but finances can be tight during this time. That’s why Clemente recommends sticking with your old furniture for a little while longer if you can, and investing in something else that may surprise you.
“The first thing you need is a security system because it’ll help you feel safe in your new, unfamiliar neighborhood,” Clemente says. “You can go as expensive or cheap as you want with it, too — a simple Ring doorbell is very effective and doesn’t cost much.” Clemente acknowledges that a security system isn’t exactly the flashiest or most exciting thing to shop for, but she promises that it will be worth the peace of mind.
But before you buy anything…
A security system isn’t the only thing you should consider before shopping for furniture and decor, according to Clemente. If anything urgent came up in your home inspection, you may need to prioritize fixing those issues. Any health and safety hazards should be addressed as soon as possible, and fixes like replacing outdated windows can lower your heating and cooling costs.
Making these fixes can also get you better insurance rates, as Clemente recently told one of her clients. “We are in South Florida, so we are exposed to all those beautiful [natural] disasters,” she laughs. “One of the windows in the home doesn’t have a hurricane panel, but she was trying to do the home inspection right away because we were in a time crunch. We knew it would show up in the inspection, so I told her to install the panel within her first week in the home, then send that picture to her insurance company and they will adjust the policy to save her money in the long run.”
Take your time.
Whatever you decide to do first, remember that buying a new home is cause for celebration. Enjoy your new space and don’t feel pressured to fill it up and decorate it all at once. Clemente also cautions against filling up credit cards during this time. “Buying a house is a great investment, but you have to be prepared,” she says. “You always need to keep some money set aside, so stick to your budget if you have one. Just take it easy and enjoy your new home.”