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What To Do After Closing: Real Estate Expert Brett Ehart Provides You With A Useful Checklist

By
Real Estate Agent with New Century Realty

What To Do After Closing: Real Estate Expert Brett Ehart Provides You With A Useful Checklist

When you have just closed the sale and became a new Phillips Ranch homeowner, you will probably be very happy with your purchase and looking for ways to help protect your new investment. This is not a difficult task if you follow some basic tips, many of which are simple common sense.

The first thing to do when acquiring a new house is to change the door locks. Even if it is a newly built house, you have no way of knowing who may have a key in their possession. It is better to have all the locks in your home changed at the same time. A locksmith can even key all the locks to work with one master key.

The documents that you have received when closing the sale on your Phillips Ranch home are very important. Ensure that they are kept in a safe place that is easily accessible should you ever need to refer to them. If an issue arises where you need to refer back to them, having these documents readily accessible can avoid you many headaches.

Approximately two to three weeks after the sale, get in touch with the county records office to verify that the title has been recorded under your name. In some cases it may take a bit longer, however you should be in touch with them until this issue is confirmed.

Be sure that the utilities are worked out completely. If you bought a house in Phillips Ranch  from another person, transferring the utilities to your name instead of having them disconnected and then reconnected can avoid delays and interruptions in service. It can also save you money, as many companies will not charge you a fee to transfer utilities. If you bought a new house, builders can often arrange for this transfer if you inform them prior to closing.

You should document all your belongings after you have moved in. Instead of simply making a list, you should make a video of everything in your house as well as the building itself. This can be very useful should something happen, such as a fire, burglary or natural disaster. You should keep a copy of the list of your possessions and of the video outside of your home, such as in a safe deposit box at the bank.

If you need more advice on having a smooth closing, get in touch with Phillips Ranch real estate expert Brett Ehart with Villa Group Real Estate & Mortgage at (909) 868-1955.  And for more information about the Phillips Ranch Real Estate market, inclucing current homes for sale, property values, foreclosures, short sales, and more, please visit the Phillips Ranch Real Estate information website.

Karen Crowson
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage - Rancho Bernardo, CA
Your Agent for Change

Good information Brett, especially for those first time buyers.

Nov 28, 2010 05:33 AM
Brett Ehart
New Century Realty - Corona, CA

Hi Karen,

Thanks for leaving a comment.  I am new to Active Rain and I would like to know how you found my post.  Do monitor everything that comes up, or just in CA, or did you just happen to look at the time it was posted?

Just curious about how all of this works.

Dec 05, 2010 07:54 AM