This is the final article in our home buying series.

Hooray, you’ve finished the deal and are ready to move in! The house is yours and all you have to do is take your stuff from your current residence and move it to your new home.

Today’s home buyers have several options available to them when planning to move including:

Use Your Resources — Obviously the cheapest way to move. If you don’t have much stuff, then moving what you have with the vehicles you own will save you a lot of money. Your cost will only be gas and the time it takes to move everything.

Rent A Truck — UHaul, Ryder, and Penske are some of the companies who come to mind when do-it-yourself moving is an option for you. You’ll pay a daily rate, gas charges (ouch), and whatever tolls may be on the roads from your current home to your new home. If you don’t need a truck, consider a small trailer instead.

Opt For A Pod — You’ve seen them all over the place: pods or containers which are delivered to your location for you to fill up. These 5×7 units are then picked up and trucked to your new location where you are given a certain amount of time to unpack everything and the pod retrieved. If you have a moderate size home, then a pod is a good option to using a moving company.

Hire A Moving Company — For some people, do-it-yourself is just not an option. If you have a lot of stuff, many valuables, and you are traveling far, then the services of a qualified interstate mover is the best choice. Do your homework: you want a mover who has a solid reputation, is licensed to move for long haul, and who backs up everything with insurance and a guarantee. Expensive, but not always problem-free.

Save Money And Aggravation

For the second, third, and fourth options, doing your homework will save you money and much grief later on. Search the internet to find out what others are saying about a particular move or service and make sure that you understand the terms of the moving agreement before signing anything.

Above all, enjoy your new residence — you’ll be taking on some special projects in the near future to turn your house into a home.

Resources

Check Your Credit Report

Estimating The Home Value

Home Buying Tool Set

Home Financing Plan

Tags: home buy, Home Buying, home closing, home walk thru, real estate, settlement costs

Closing Your Home

The big day has arrived: your new home will officially be yours once closing has been completed. If you time everything right, you can begin moving in once the papers have been signed and the house keys placed in your hands.

Before you visit with your closing attorney, you’ll want to make sure that the home that you are buying is turned over to you according to the terms of the contract. A final walk through with your inspection report in hand will reveal whether all of the terms have been fulfilled. Usually, these matters are cleared up days or weeks in advance, but there is always the chance that something was missed. A walk through lets you identify unfinished business and gives the current owner time to resolve any problems.

What To Check

Depending on the time you have available for the inspection, you’ll want to make sure that the following items are checked:

• Run the appliances to see if they are in working order.

• Check floors, walls, and ceilings for cracks or other damage.

• Look around the foundation and grounds for drainage problems.

• Make sure that all unused paints, nonworking appliances, or other debris is removed from the premises — you might be surprised what you’ll find left behind in an attic crawlspace, cellar, or other unforgotten corner of the house!

• Inspect the roof, under the eaves, and the home’s siding.

If a serious structural problem arises, then you may have to call off the deal — you’ll need to check your sales agreement to find out what recourse you have in this worst case scenario.

Home Closing Costs

Closing costs are usually associated at the time of taking possession of your home. These include:

• Attorney’s or escrow fees (yours and your lender’s if applicable)
• Property taxes (to cover tax period to date)
• Interest (paid from date of closing to 30 days before first monthly payment)
• Loan origination fee (covers lender’s administrative costs)
• Recording fees
• Survey fee
• First premium of mortgage insurance (if applicable)
• Title insurance (yours and your lender’s)
• Loan discount points
• First payment to escrow account for future real estate taxes and insurance
• Paid receipt for homeowner’s insurance policy (and fire and flood insurance if applicable)
• Any documentation preparation fees

Your attorney will go over the other steps related to your closing and if he or she has everything in order, your closing should be completed within one hour’s time. In some states you don’t even have to be present at the closing, giving your lawyer power-of-attorney to handle everything for you.

See Also

Closing Cost Review

Hud-1 Settlement 

Tags: home buy, Home Buying, home closing, home walk thru, real estate, settlement costs