Top 5 things to do after you have closed on your Spring Texas home

You have just closed and moved into your Spring Texas home and now you are dreaming of ways to personalize and make it yours. But before you get your paint buckets out, complete the following 5 must dos:

1. Change your locks – at closing you got the keys and the garage door code from the previous owners. They seemed like nice people and for that matter they probably are. But what you don’t know is who has a copy of your house key. Did they give the key to someone to walk their dog when they were out of town? Or what about their maid service, or the contractor who did repairs on the house, or prior tenants, do they still have a key? You have know way of knowing who previously had your house keys in their possessions. So do yourself a favor and get the locks changed and change the garage door code.

2. Collect all warranty documents and instruction manuals – Place them in a box or drawer just by themselves. That way whenever you need any instruction manual or warranty document you know exactly where to look.

3. Complete the change of ownership form from the local taxing authority – To assure that you will receive the upcoming year’s tax bill complete the change of ownership for a real property account from the county in which your Spring Texas home resides whether that be Harris County or Montgomery County. Just like when you were in school and the teacher did not accept the “dog ate my homework” as an excuse, the county taxing authority does not accept “I did not receive my tax bill” as an excuse for not paying your tax bill. They will charge you interest if your tax bill is not paid on time.

4. Collect all your closing documents – File them in a safe place. You will need to be able to locate them when you file your federal income tax return for the year.

5. Locate the utility main disconnects and your home’s circuit breaker box – Educate the adults living in your household on where the gas and water main disconnects for the house are located and how to turn them off. You don’t want to waste time locating them when an emergency occurs and every minute counts. Also don’t forget about locating the home’s circuit breaker box. Make sure you have easy access to the box. You don’t want to have to move 10 boxes in the dark just to get to it.

Congratulations on your new home!!