Your new home is an exciting purchase in your life and an opportunity to make the property your own. However, there’s a good chance you are on a bit of a budget, especially considering the fact that you now have a mortgage payment to make every month. How do you move into your new home without overspending? You have to move out of your current place, move into your new one, get it furnished and livable without breaking the bank. That’s a tough request and something that you have to plan for if you want to save as much as possible.
What can you do to make it easier and more cost-effective to move in? That depends on your resources, time as well as what the property needs. For example, if it needs a new roof, there isn’t much you can do to save on that because you will have to replace the roof. However, if the roof is having some leaks, you could hire someone to repair it so that you can save on having to replace the roof right now. Getting creative based on what the property needs is a key when trying to save. Yes, you want to make any upgrades that are needed but why spend it when you do not have to?
Little By Little
Can you get all your stuff moved into your new home in one day? Why? Yes, it may work better for you, in theory, but the reality is that the more you can do little by little, the better. Try and focus on bringing boxes over each day, but only what you can carry in your car or truck. Bring what you need to start with and get as much into your house as possible on each trip. More trips may take more time, but they are cheaper than hiring a mover and they can also help you to pace out how much stuff you bring to your new home at once.
Furniture is going to be a big challenge but other than a bed and some chairs, you do not have to worry about getting everything in on the first night. As long as you have a refrigerator to keep your food and beverages cold, consider yourself taking it easy this week and doing little by little as far as moving in. You are not rushing to do anything but pack boxes and get them over to your new house and if it takes you longer, that just means you are saving more money.
Yard Sales, Finance
Have too much furniture or furniture you want to get rid of? Have a yard sale and make extra money. Have a need for furniture or a lot of new stuff for your new house? Why not go to a yard sale or even finance what you need? Financing will keep your upfront costs down and the majority of furniture stores offer affordable monthly payment options. However, one mistake made by buyers is that they finance things before the closing of the house.
Do not finance anything for the house until you have closed on it. This will impact your income-to-debt ratio which can disqualify you from getting the loan. Focus on holding off your purchases until after you have closed and then you can buy whatever you want for the property. Financing is a great option but if you do that, try to do it around times when major sales are going on so that you can save even more.
Friends Are The Best Movers
Yes, it stinks to admit it but your friends are going to be the best movers that you can hire. Using their trucks and their time, your friends can help you move in the same time professional movers can help, and for far less of the cost. Even better, well for you, they can help you pack as well, saving you even more time. Your friends are there to help you with things like this but it’s important that you make sure that you reward them for their help and that you try to do it at a time that works for them.
If they cannot all help at the same time, work with them on their schedule. Yes, you may not be able to get everything done at once, but you will be able to get everything moved within a week and keep things faster for yourself as you have help each time you make another trip. Unless you are buying a house that is ready to move into and you have time to unpack, getting everything moved in quickly may not be to your benefit.
DIY Or Handyman
Does the house need work? If so, then you need to either see what you can do yourself or hire a handyman to do. If the house needs a replacement roof, you need to hire an experienced contractor. However, if you are confident you can fix the sink, then you can do it and save yourself the costs. If it’s something that you are not experienced or confident with, use a professional.
Things like your lawn, painting and other tasks can be done and not only add value to the property, but can also really improve the look and feel of your home. The more you are able to do yourself the better and there are plenty of places to go like YouTube that can teach you how to make simple but important DIY improvements.
Realtor Tips
From experience, realtors recommend that you focus on keeping costs down early on by going with whatever is the cheapest and easiest option for not only moving in, but managing your home in the first several months. The majority of repairs that are needed will be discussed before closing and if you know that you have tasks that need to be completed that will require hiring a professional, those costs should be considered as well. If you are able to make improvements on the property yourself, take advantage of that. However, focus on what is most important at first and leave other tasks for later, if they are not important and necessary for you to move into the house. Work with your realtor on other ways to keep your costs down and see if you have options for financing any repairs that are needed when you work with professionals.
