Today I’ll provide you with a checklist of things you need to do before closing escrow on a home in order to ensure a good experience.
1. Book the movers. Once the closing date has been settled on and after you’ve done the inspection, this is the time you should start locking down a moving company. May through September is a busy time for movers, so the sooner you do so, the better, and especially if you’re thinking of moving toward the end of the month.
2. Contractor, floor, and painting companies. If you’re planning on ripping out that avocado-green kitchen as soon as you close, you should start interviewing contractors right away; good contractors are the unicorns of home repair. Get references from friends, make calls, and do online research to get time frames and cost estimates. The same is true of floor and painting companies—these companies tend to get booked up weeks in advance, so book them for some time after your close, but before you plan to move in.
3. Order furniture and appliances. You don’t want to wait 12 weeks for that living room couch you’ve had your eyes on for years. Do you know if the measurements and colors truly work in your new space? Put the order in now so that you’re not spending months sitting on a lawn chair in your living room. The same is true of appliances; these items often come from different warehouses than the actual store you bought them from, and they may take some time to arrive at your home.
“You should resist buying a five-figure living room set until after closing.”
Now, bear in mind that you should be instituting a spending freeze during the escrow period. If you can pay for the new furniture in full immediately, it shouldn’t put your mortgage at risk. However, you should resist buying a five-figure living room set until after closing.
If you have any questions for us, please feel free to reach out. We’d be glad to help.
