Buying Your First Home? Our Tips on How to Furnish It
Congratulations on becoming a first-time homeowner!
If you’re younger, it’s a major part of adulting. If you’re older, it’s a satisfying goal reached. You’re probably ready to assume the expenses and obligations involved, but you may not have thought much about how you’ll fill your new spaces.
Furnishing your new home is a bit more complicated than assuming you’ll transfer everything in your current home, to your new one. To start, you’ll likely have more space than you’ve had in the past, which can be intimidating.
Read on for tips on how to furnish your first new home.
Inventory what you have
Well before you move, go through your current furnishings and household necessities. Determine what’s moving with you, and what should be donated, discarded or recycled.
If you’re like most of us, you know what you can’t wait to drop kick, and what you’ll always keep. If you’re unsure about an item, imagine where it will fit in your new home or how you’ll store it. If the imaginary closet or drawer in your mind quickly overflows, now’s a good time to eliminate stuff.
But don’t stall out during the inventory process. You’ll waste time and keep unnecessary things. Stay focused on the donate-discard-recycle mantra and rely on your first, truest instincts.
For example, those threadbare couches from your college-era likely need to go.
Figure out what you need
Now that you know the items you’re ditching, you should plan to replace them at your new home. The key is
knowing this before you move. Hence, the inventory.
For example, if you’re not having custom shades installed in your new home, a few days with bed sheets tacked over its windows will suffice until you clear some moving-box chaos and shop.
However, you probably can’t live without bathroom necessities, towels, or the cat’s litter box.
Go room-by-room and make a list of NECESSARY items you don’t currently own, or will need to replace once you move in. Fun, attractive things like new artwork can wait until your bedroom windows are clothed.
Prioritize those necessary items
Current furnishings in good shape can continue to serve until you acquire more critical items such as an actual dining table and chairs.
And if the kids really need a toy box, by all means. It’ll buy the adults a little peace.
Budget for new or replacement items before you move
Most of us can’t drop substantial coin on new furniture and accessories at a moment’s notice. The earlier you plan, the more ready you’ll be to furnish your first new home in a timely fashion.
Another factor: many first-time homeowners are on the young end of the age scale. They are starting their careers. They may also be starting families, and many of these same younger mortgagees also are paying off student loans.
If you’re among this group, budgeting to furnish your first new home is even more important. Living with old stuff, like the bed sheet example above, is doable for a while. But eventually, you want your furnishings to reflect the same vintage as your hard-earned new home.
knowing this before you move. Hence, the inventory.
