You've bought your first home. You're driving to your new home. Your agent is meeting you out front with the keys. You arrive. Take pictures. Open the door. Do a quick walkthrough, and admire your new digs. You go to fill your water bottle from the dispenser on the fridge... it doesn't work.
Strange. You go to the sink. It doesn't work either. Uh oh. You didn't have your water turned on. "Uh, oh. I can fix this," you say.
You call. It's July 2nd. The water company is closed until the 6th!
This can happen. It did happen. It happened to me when I bought my first home. Worse. My parents were coming in town to stay with me and help me set things up on the third (and to spend July 6th with me as it was my birthday).
We spent three days finding alternate restrooms and showering at a friend's. And I got the pleasure of spending the morning of my birthday in the waiting area of the New Orleans Sewage and Water Board.
Don't spend your birthday at the Sewage and Water Board. It isn't a good time. Do pay attention to what you can get done before closing or post-closing, and plan ahead.
Before moving into your first New Orleans home, make sure you know:
What creature comforts you need in advance
What it takes to get those creature comforts
How long in advance you can schedule
To help you out, I've pulled together A Guide to Moving in in New Orleans. It's a work in progress, so I welcome other anecdotes and tips to make owning your first home in the Big Easy, that much easier. Keep reading.
Water. Sewage. Trash.
In this city, water, sewage, and trash pick up are all through the Sewage and Water Board. To get all services turned on, you need to show up in person to the Sewage and Water Board offices with your act of sale in hand. The offices are located at 25 St Joseph St, New Orleans, LA 70165, and their hours are Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm.
What does this mean? It means it's best to arrange for the sellers to extend water until one day after your closing. This allows you to avoid having to rush to the Sewage and Water Board offices after your closing to have the water turned on. That way, you can get that new key and immediately go enjoy your new place.
It can really suck when your closing is late on a Friday afternoon or if you arrive in town during a major holiday weekend. The Sewage and Water Board keeps bankers hours and has a generous holiday schedule. Avoid that. Plan things out in advance.
All services are billed monthly in one bill. The meter readers come by each month. They look for that iron circle in front of your home, usually on the sidewalk. They remove that pretty little iron cap with the stars and moon logo (if you're so lucky as not to have a new generic cap) and use a tool to read the meter. You get a bill. Life goes on.
Electric and Gas
Electric and gas are also managed by one company. Unlike the Sewage and Water Board, the company is privately owned, and you can transfer the bill in advance of your closing. You can also do so by phone.
Just like the Sewage and Water Board, you'll receive one bill each month. The meter readers at Entergy check both a gas and electric meter using a device that scans each meter. The meter reader needs access to do so as many homes in New Orleans have the gas meter in their private alleyway and the electric meter mounted on the side of the home.
Note that your gas and electric meter may be on different sides of your home. Two locations means that the meter reader may need access to both sides. If you are not home and they cannot access one or both of your meters, they may make a fuss and leave a door tag on your front door. Consider getting to know your meter reader and providing a key for gate access to one or both alleyways.
Wifi, TV, and Telephone
I'm a cord cutter. If it weren't for Sunday football, my household would run purely off of wifi. If you need one or all three, here are your two options in New Orleans.
Cox Communications - Cox provides wifi, cable, and phone and bundles of all three. In some places, this is your only cable, telephone, and wifi option.AT&T - AT&T has a workaround for the above. If you are fortunate enough to live in an area with fiber optic cable, get it. I've never looked back. If you do not, consider Direct TV which uses satellite dish services in place of traditional cable.
Note that as a new customer, most services offer incentives. At a minimum, have the tech reroute cable wires to your desired location, a free service at installation.
Other Services to Call Ahead On
Security System - If the house already has one installed, find out who the plan is with and transfer that plan. If not, you can arrange an appointment with a sales tech during the inspection and have the technician scheduled for the day of your choosing post-closing.
Exterminator/Termite - You should get both, at minimum, get termite coverage. You may save money by learning how many years are left on the service (generally sold in five-year plans) and jumping on the current plan.
Locksmith - Swapping locks is recommended. You can arrange an appointment to do so in advance.
Insurance - Don't forget to call your insurance provider ahead of closing to get an insurance quote on home owner insurance and flood insurance. Shop around for rates.
Electric, Plumbing, Handywork - Need things rewired? Reworked? Installed? Schedule service ahead of time so you won't be stuck waiting for days after you move in.
Yard work - Planning on having that yard landscaped, maintained, etc. shopping around for a great service provider is also something you can begin doing while waiting to close.
If you are new to shopping New Orleans real estate from out of town it can feel like you're shopping in another country. Everything from our methods to our laws are literally foreign to the 49 other states (more on that in a later post). But don't worry. Your real estate agent, your broker, and your title company will take care of you.
Ask plenty of questions. And, if you're not already working with a realtor, please start this process by asking me. Thank you.
Voted Neighborhood Favorite by Nextdoor, Team Cool Murphy is a top-producing, licensed real estate team based in New Orleans, brokered by Cool Murphy, LLC.
Celebrated for her next-level creative approach to real estate, Elisa Cool Murphy is an award-winning, top-performing agent in New Orleans and the founder and leader of Cool Murphy, LLC.
Contact Her -
email: cool@coolmurphy.com
Facebook: @homeinneworleans
IG: @coolmurphynola
YouTube: @coolmurphynola
phone: 504-321-3194
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