What are the first things to do when you buy a new house?

Here are some of the first things you should do when you buy a new home: Protect your home. Buy or review your home warranty. Check smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Use your inspection report as a to-do list for maintenance.

Moving is a very tiring process, so it makes sense that most people (including me) take a while to unpack the boxes. I remember once, when I was 20 years old, I moved to an apartment that had an office. I had several unopened boxes with office supplies there for at least a year. Embarrassing, right?) If you don't already have a safe, now is a good time to buy one.

We have a small safe for fireproof documents that we bought right after having our twins. It holds 12 to 15 hanging files, and is an easy place to store birth certificates, car titles and all the paperwork you get after buying a home. Your closing documents, title, company documents, and inspection report aren't things you want to leave lying around. Ally Servicing LLC, ID NMLS 212403 is a subsidiary of Ally Financial Inc.

Before buying or selling options, investors should read the brochure Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options (PDF 17.8 MB), also known as an options disclosure document. Explain in more detail the characteristics and risks of exchange-traded options. Once you decide you're ready to buy a home, it's time to set a budget. A good starting point is to calculate your DTI ratio.

Analyze your current debts and income and consider how much money you can reasonably spend each month on a mortgage. Along with owning a home comes the responsibility to keep everyone inside safe. One of the first things you should do is make sure you're prepared in the event of a fire and that you have operational smoke alarms in all the right places. Installing utilities in a new home should be at the top of the homeowner checklist.

Not having air conditioning after a long day of unpacking isn't ideal. Utilities generally need to be set up at least 2 or 3 weeks in advance. It is recommended to give utility providers sufficient time to start up their home, especially if they launch each service manually by appointment.