You’ve got a new home! Besides drinking champagne, calling all your friends, and choosing the colour palette for your new place, there are a few things you’ll need to do in the coming weeks or months.

1. visit your new home.
Your Buyer Agent has probably helped you get a couple of access visits before the property closes. The first one lets you take friends and family through and measure (you’d hate to get the wrong sized TV). The second lets you into the house a couple days before closing to make sure the condition of the property hasn’t changed.

2. moving day.
There are some advantages to using professional movers. First, you won’t owe your friends a huge favor, and second, good professionals will do a professional job. But not all movers are created equal. Some get the job done with a great deal of care, and others just get the job done. Check our links page for some good Toronto and nationwide movers.

One more thing. If you’re moving into a condominium, you need to book the elevator. Neither your friends, nor a professional company will stick it out if they’re hauling your stuff up 17 flights of stairs.

3. change your address, change you utilities.
In order to send out invites to your housewarming party, you’ll have to change your address online through Canada Post. You also want to transfer the utilities over to your name at the new house, and make sure they’re paid up to the point of closing.

4. sign the mortgage papers.
You’ll need to meet with your mortgage broker one last time to sign off on the mortgage you selected together. Make sure your broker walks you through the whole agreement and that the terms are just as you expected.

5. meet with your lawyer.
Your lawyer will need you to sign a few things to transfer the property over to you. A few days before closing you need to make it official. You give your lawyer a cheque for the purchase price, minus the deposit and the mortgage amount, plus the land transfer tax and any adjustments. This is about as fun as grade 11 algebra class, except you can’t ditch this step to hang out behind the portables. Adjustments can be things like property taxes or condo fees. On occasion, the seller has paid the fees or taxes beyond closing, and is owed some money from you, the buyer.

And as with all things in life, there are taxes and in this case, Land Transfer Taxes. But to take the edge off, we’ve added an easy Land Transfer Tax calculator to our Resources page. Plug in the numbers and calculate. It’s about as close as you’ll ever get to having fun with taxes.

6. closing day.
Once everything has cleared- the title has been transferred, the funds have gone through- the keys are delivered to your lawyer. This usually happens in the afternoon, however, the seller legally has until 6:00 PM to vacate the property. Next you go see your lawyer to pick up the keys. We love this part and so will you. Just try to stop smiling, it’s pretty hard.