New House Expenses

[Anonymous]

It depends on how much you're willing to spend but I budgeted and plan my move. Moving expenses alone within 25 miles radius with minimal things and ill assume 2000 sq ft house 3 beds and 2.5 bath, you should put down $500. Window treatment is $50/blind at lowe's, Home Depot. $60/window panel for drapes/curtain. Paint for the whole interior @ $1000 DIY. if you're planning to change your flooring, engineered wood @ $5.00 per sq.ft and $4.00 for laminate and that's DIY. A basic sectional sofa is $1000 but if you want the bigger one save $2,000. Don't forget dining set, the cheapest nice one is around $1000 for six chairs and a nice table. Bed frame around $300 and bed us from $300 up to whatever you want. You need small things/misc for your house just save $1,000 for that. Trust me, that's not enough, that's like Home Depot, lowe's, Walmart, target products that you need for the house. You might need drawers, go to ikea $150 a piece. You might need accent/console table ($100 each), night Stand($100/piece) accent chair ($100) just to move in for furniture alone assuming you don't have any thats an easy $8000.00 and you're just looking for decents one. If you want tv add $1000 again, if you don't have washer and dryer add $600 and the fridge is around $750.

[Anonymous]

For moving I always use Hireahelper.com then just rent your own uhaul. You can specify for the movers to be bonded and insured and if you feel there is a significant risk of damage you can have them provide the truck and trailer that way their insurance covers it. I paid 400 for 6 hours of packing and moving all my stuff that was not ruined into a storage unit. The guys were very nice and what my insurance had paid for the move far exceeded what I was charged. They have previous client reviews you can check out but I definately plan on using the site to find movers to move my remaining stuff into the new house. 

[ccubedzx3]

We are seperating our "NEEDS" from our "WANTS" ...Our "NEEDS"  are "must haves"

-NEEDS-

• Washer/Dryer
• Window Blinds
• Refrigerator
• Water Softener (we have well water with hard water)
• Water Purifier
• Garage Door openers
• Sod and Sprinklers (Association says we need to have this done within 90 days of closing)
• Lawnmower and landscaping tools (I'll buy used on Craiglist or Pawn shop)

-WANTS-

• 60" Samsung Smart TV for the Family Room
• New Family Room Furniture
• New Kitchen Table and chairs
• Landscaping
• New light fixtures to replace builder's spec in the house
• Paint Interior/Garage/Basement

We got ourselves caught up in the "new home excitement" last time we moved 10 years ago.  I just finished paying all those debts off a year ago.  I don't want to fall into the same trap again, this time with a larger mortgage on our hands.   Last time I checked, my last name isn't Jones, so no reason to to be the sorry sap who appears to have it all, when in all honesty, doesn't technically "own" a thing due to credit and loan balances.  I feel when I buy something, I don't feel full "ownership" until it is paid for.  

[Anonymous]

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@ccubedzx3 wrote:

We are seperating our "NEEDS" from our "WANTS" ...Our "NEEDS"  are "must haves"

-NEEDS-

• Washer/Dryer
• Window Blinds
• Refrigerator
• Water Softener (we have well water with hard water)
• Water Purifier
• Garage Door openers
• Sod and Sprinklers (Association says we need to have this done within 90 days of closing)
• Lawnmower and landscaping tools (I'll buy used on Craiglist or Pawn shop)

-WANTS-

• 60" Samsung Smart TV for the Family Room
• New Family Room Furniture
• New Kitchen Table and chairs
• Landscaping
• New light fixtures to replace builder's spec in the house
• Paint Interior/Garage/Basement

We got ourselves caught up in the "new home excitement" last time we moved 10 years ago.  I just finished paying all those debts off a year ago.  I don't want to fall into the same trap again, this time with a larger mortgage on our hands.   Last time I checked, my last name isn't Jones, so no reason to to be the sorry sap who appears to have it all, when in all honesty, doesn't technically "own" a thing due to credit and loan balances.  I feel when I buy something, I don't feel full "ownership" until it is paid for.  

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+1

[Anonymous]

Thank you Thankfulheart for your input. Yes currently our total expenses come out to be about $7,000. And we are planning to get some of it cash and some on credit. Once my bonus comes in March, I plan to PIF all my cards. This avoids depleting savings while ensuring we have everything we need. I plan to charge the move, trash haul, car towing, and Radon Mitigation System on credit card. That will be total $2220. The 3 TVs (one 57"-60", and two 32") and Home Theater System will cost $2,000, which will be about 60% credit. And then the furniture (casual & formal dining sets, sofa, lazy boy, son's bedroom set, kitchen island bar stools) will cost about $2,000. So in total just over $6,000. The remaining costs up to $7,000 is for the burglar alarm setup, bathroom items, and a few more pieces of artwork. This approach leaves us with a comfortable amount in savings with more savings coming from my bonus in March. The other nice thing is my paychecks are freed up for the entire month of February since our first mortgage payment is due April 1st. so I plan to start paying my cards down with that. The thing is, I have never spent so much money all at once in my life, which makes me nervous. I have already spent $3100 just for inspection, earnest money, and closing costs. So the running total is over $10,000.

Our home comes with a 1 year warranty but my realtor called yesterday and told me as a gift, he was buying us an additional 4 yr warranty! I didn't know realtors did that! I have to bring $70 to cover the 4 year warranty for the AC unit but my realtor is paying for everything else. The house is brand new, yes, but anything can happen even with newer homes so I am very excited about the additional peace of mind.

We still need some other things like new rugs and drapery but I plan to get those a little later. The house already has high quality wood blinds so it is not a rush.

I can't believe we are really moving tomorrow afternoon! And the final walkthrough is this morning with closing in the afternoon. :-)

[tooleman694]

These last few months sitting waiting for the house to get built, we have been buying things we need here and there and storing them.

Got the new TV, had a couch made, set money aside for the fridge, been collecting le creuset pots and pans. Plus a bunch of little stuff that we know we will need. just sitting in the garage waiting for the new house.

[playboy]

These costs can add up.  I have a spreadsheet that lists everything that I want.  Fortunately, the home I'm building has the window coverings, upgraded appliances, sprinkler system and garage door opener included.  The cost of that package was removed from the sales price bc it's an inventory home that is still being built and the builder wanted a buyer.  It's being pre-wired for an alarm so I'm just going to have a alarm company do a "take-over".  I'll have to pay $200 for the two motion detectors but I'll get the rest of the equipment for free.  I'll be able to remotely disable and arm the alarm and monitor it from my smart phone, Nexus 7 tablet or any computer.  I'm paying a moving company $320 to do the move from my apartment to the new home which is 10 miles away.

My wants will be paid for with cash but I don't have it all upfront.  In my current apartment I have a JVC 1080p projector, 108in screen, 47in 1080p tv, Ikea tv stand, surround sound processor, surround sound amp, 6 speakers, two subwoofers, a blu-ray player and xbox 360.  I like my home theater stuff.  But the problem is that I have wires running all over the place.  In my new home I'm going wireless.  I'm keeping  the same equipment but I want to buy:

1.  Wireless HDMI Kit (for the projector): $200; without wireless I would have to run a 30ft hdmi cable to my surround sound processor, which is what I'm currently doing in my apartment

2.  Wireless speaker kit (for the 3 surround speakers): $420

3.  Bookcase from Target so that I can sit the project or on top of it at the back of the family room: $110

4.  Enclosed tv stand from Target so that I can hide all of the equipment: $249

5.  Wireless subwoofer kit for the subwoofer that will be at the back of the family room: $150

I also would like to buy a ceiling fan for the master bedroom and family room so that I can at the minium have lighting in those rooms.  The fans I want are $110 from Home Depot.  I will get two night stand lamps from Ikea for about $30 apiece.

My home comes with a Nexia wireless door lock with keypad on the front door, Trane Comfortlink thermostat so that I can control and manage the air conditioning system remotely and the Nexia control router.  I would like to automate the entire home with smart light switches and door locks that all tie into the Nexia system.  By doing that I can set scenes in which the wall lights on the garage, kitchen lights and the hallway lights leading from the garage come when I I'm about to turn the corner to enter my neighborhood while also disarming the alarm.  Or if I hear a bump in the night I can open up my Nexus 7 and please a button that will turn on certain lights.  All of the additional home automation items that I have to buy will cost will $350.

Then I need to get a flat panel wall mount for my 32in tv that I currently have in my  bedroom that is sitting on top of the chest of drawers.  I plan on moving the chest into the walk-in closet and will mount the tv on the wall.  Fortunately, the wall mount is only $40.

[Anonymous]

That is so nice tooleman! That is a great way to do it. I wish I wasn't in limbo with potentially buying my landlord's property for so long. If I knew I would be here today about to close on a brand new home, I would have budgeted accordingly. We would have had a lot more cash flow if I bought the property I was renting, so I knew I would have the funds to get everything I needed and I spent according to that. Ugh! So frustrating but we are still very happy with our decision.

[Anonymous]

Playboy, your house sounds very similar to ours. We are also buying a brand new inventory home that has the Nexia system on the front door with optional keypad entry. Did you know your Nexia system also allows you to give different codes to different people, like a babysitter or cleaning lady that only works on specified days and times? You can also setup a camera at the front door that you can use to give certain people access to the home when you are not there. Like if you are at work and your mom comes by to drop off stuff, you can see her at your door online and then proceed to unlock the door remotely for her. The Nexia system is very cool! We also have the Trane thermostat as well that can be controlled with the Nexia system. The builder gave us a starter kit that has a camera and one light switch mount that connects to the system so that we can turn the lights on and off remotely. We are really excited to get that setup. The master bedroom comes prewired for a ceiling fan that we really want installed soon and the family room is all prewired for a 5.1 Home Theater System. It has a place for all the wires to run inside the wall so that it looks neat and tidy. Our home came with $51,000 in upgrades and all stainless steel GE appliances plus washer and dryer. We also want some solar powered lights to light the driveway up at night. The home has a super quiet garage door opener along with remotes. And the sprinkler system is fully installed and the landscaping is fully covered in the purchase price but the sod won't be laid until spring as the home was finished in the fall/winter of last year. We are so excited! And this is why we want to pay for the $2000 in home entertainment now because I won't be able to stand looking at the wall coverings that are screaming to have a home theater system connected to it. LOL! :-) And we need to call the solar panel guys to get solar panels installed on the roof. It is zero down for a 20 year lease and when the lease is up, we own the solar panels! It will be nice because we will only pay $70 a month for the solar panels and the Sun will provide full electricity to our home. The home is 3700 sq ft so cooling the home in the summer would be expensive. So if you are getting a larger sized home, I highly recommend getting solar panels installed. It will save you a lot of money! Even for smaller homes, it is a good idea as most companies install it for free and you pay for it through your monthly payment.

[playboy]

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@Anonymous wrote:
Playboy, your house sounds very similar to ours. We are also buying a brand new inventory home that has the Nexia system on the front door with optional keypad entry. Did you know your Nexia system also allows you to give different codes to different people, like a babysitter or cleaning lady that only works on specified days and times? You can also setup a camera at the front door that you can use to give certain people access to the home when you are not there. Like if you are at work and your mom comes by to drop off stuff, you can see her at your door online and then proceed to unlock the door remotely for her. The Nexia system is very cool! We also have the Trane thermostat as well that can be controlled with the Nexia system. The builder gave us a starter kit that has a camera and one light switch mount that connects to the system so that we can turn the lights on and off remotely. We are really excited to get that setup. The master bedroom comes prewired for a ceiling fan that we really want installed soon and the family room is all prewired for a 5.1 Home Theater System. It has a place for all the wires to run inside the wall so that it looks neat and tidy. Our home came with $51,000 in upgrades and all stainless steel GE appliances plus washer and dryer. We also want some solar powered lights to light the driveway up at night. The home has a super quiet garage door opener along with remotes. And the sprinkler system is fully installed and the landscaping is fully covered in the purchase price but the sod won't be laid until spring as the home was finished in the fall/winter of last year. We are so excited! And this is why we want to pay for the $2000 in home entertainment now because I won't be able to stand looking at the wall coverings that are screaming to have a home theater system connected to it. LOL! :-) And we need to call the solar panel guys to get solar panels installed on the roof. It is zero down for a 20 year lease and when the lease is up, we own the solar panels! It will be nice because we will only pay $70 a month for the solar panels and the Sun will provide full electricity to our home. The home is 3700 sq ft so cooling the home in the summer would be expensive. So if you are getting a larger sized home, I highly recommend getting solar panels installed. It will save you a lot of money! Even for smaller homes, it is a good idea as most companies install it for free and you pay for it through your monthly payment.

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Hey.  Yep I our houses sound similar.  The difference is that mine is only 1,700 sqft.  Yep, I knew that the Nexia systems allows for different codes for various people.  My alarm allows for the same thing.  That's good for me bc I'm single and if I gave a girl who is a friend a code for the door lock and a code for the alarm, I could revoke those at any time and I can also see what time she entered.  My builder didn't give me the camera, but I've been looking online for IP cameras bc I want one at my front door and one at the door that leads to the lanai that is on the side of my house.  The family room, master bedroom and the remaining two bedrooms ad well as the lanai are pre-wired for ceiling fans.  They finished laying the sod at my home last week after they put in the sprinkler system and the rain monitor.  I live in FL so you can lay sod throughout most of the year.  It's really nice.

I wish that the walls in my family room had the pre-wires for the home theater, but going wireless isn't going to be bad.  I'll have no wires and it'll be a clean look.  Much cleaner than what I currently have.  My builder also included GE applainces but mine are the Clean Steel models in terms of the side-by-side refrig, dishwasher and microwave, which aren't bad.  They look nice.  The builder also included GE washer and dryer.

I was thinking about solar panels but I haven't looked into it.  Fortunately, the home comes with double paned, low-e windows and a 15 seer air conditioning unit.  I don't suspect that my electric bill will be much more than what I currently pay in an ineffiecient apartment.  And my builder has shown me electric bills of homes in the same area with similar square footage and those individuals in the dead of summer are paying less in cooling costs than I currently pay in my apartment.