Many people dream of moving out of their cramped apartments where they can hear everything their neighbors do through the paper-thin walls and into a big airy house of their own. But there are a lot of differences between living in an apartment and a house. Make sure you don’t overlook any of these differences. Here are some tips to help ensure the transition from apartment to house is fun and affordable.


Make a furniture inventory and floor plan
Take a careful inventory of all the furniture you already have and create a floor plan using it in your new house. There are many free apps and programs online which will let you do this. Houses are usually a lot bigger than apartments so chances are you will need to buy more furniture.


Don’t buy everything at once
It is tempting to go on a shopping spree to buy stuff to fill your new larger house. But, if you do this too quickly you can end up making decisions you don’t like and spending a fortune on things you will just change later. Focus on the priority rooms first. You can save the less important rooms (like guest rooms and formal dining rooms) later.


Budget for yard work
In an apartment, you didn’t have to worry about cutting the grass, pruning bushes or mulching trees. These are all things you will probably have to do after moving into a house with yard budget for lawn tools or to hire a landscaping company to do the work for you.


Familiarize yourself with neighborhood association rules
Some neighborhood associations have strange rules that you might not like. Make sure you understand these rules so you don’t get stuck paying any fines or getting on bad terms with the new neighbors.


Renovate before you move-in
It is easy to say, “I will paint when I move in,” but it is a lot harder to do any work in your new house once you’ve moved in. Get the keys early so you can paint and make any small renovations which are necessary. Otherwise you will be stuck with that ugly shag carpet and green paint.


Know where to save and where to splurge
Renovating and furnishing a house is a big expense. There are some areas where you may be able to save but other areas are worth the investment. The saying goes “I don’t have enough money to buy cheap stuff” – so don’t pay money for things you will just have to replace in a year or two.