I’m officially moved in, semi-unpacked and getting back into my “normal routine.” I will admit I have driven the wrong way home from work a few times just out of habit but quickly realized…oops I don’t live here anymore.
One of the feelings I hadn’t expected was the huge since of pride that comes along with owning my first home. A year ago, I didn’t even think this was a possibility but now that I’m in it, living it, I am so happy I took the leap. I may have a few extra grey hairs but that’s nothing my hairdresser can’t fix.
I also feel like more of an adult, that seems silly to say out loud, but right or wrong, I do. Spending my Saturdays wandering the aisles of Home Depot or sketching out my elaborate backyard Spring DIY projects, it’s been a fun and exciting experience.
In meeting my neighbors, so far I have received rose bush pruning tips by the retiree on the next block over, and I’ve even met several of the neighborhood dogs – Jack has approved and is looking forward to his next playdate with his new furry friends.
Here are a few lessons I learned after move in…
Ask friends for help. One of the best moving decisions I made was to invite friends over to help unpack. Now they may not see it that way, but it was a huge time saver when it came to my kitchen. We had the entire kitchen unpacked out of boxes and in cabinets in an hour. I always think organizing a new kitchen is hard because you’re not sure how to set it up. But having five women help organize the kitchen was a life saver. It was also just a lot of fun having friends come over and hangout. We played music in the background, ate sandwiches and unpacked – I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
I should have taken notes. This is a little bit like taking your first college exam and flunking it. When you are in a high stress situation or receiving a lot of information for the first time it’s easy to forget half of everything. From the final walk through on my house all the way to closing I received a lot of information… most of it started out something like this “Don’t lose this paper, it’s very important.” Or “You will want to fill this out and mail this to ______(fill in the blank).” So don’t be afraid to take a pen and paper and ask clarifying questions every step of the way. Here’s your second chance to be the straight A student you never were in college.
Make lists. After moving in I had created a mental list of all of the items in the house of what needed to be fixed or still needed to be done. This list swam around in my head for days and even kept me up at night. It’s just good to write it down or create a digital list on your phone or computer.
It doesn’t have to ALL be done today. I really like to knock things out… give me a list and it will be done before noon. I’ve always been that way, I like to just get stuff done even if it kills me or I have to spend the next week catching up on sleep. After I finally stepped back and made my list of “to dos”, and prioritized them, it really helped me feel more relaxed and I could enjoy my house more.
Change of address. Someone needs to create a button or magic wand for this. I recommend making a list of all of the places you need to change your address starting with the most obvious mail forwarding with USPS. Others would be your employer, bank accounts and credit cards, updating your driver’s license and most important your Amazon Prime account.
Hopefully a few of the lessons I learned will help you with your home purchase. With home ownership comes new responsibilities, new challenges and new adventures. I’m excited to see where it takes me. I’m excited to be home. – xx Jennifer
