How Can You Help Your First-Time Home Buyers After Purchasing?

Louisiana REALTORS • August 9, 2019

The homebuying process is a long one.  The culmination of all of this hardwork is seeing your client through their final walkthrough.  While the dotted line is signed and the ink is dry, it’s little steps like this that can turn a satisfied customer into a return client that is eager to recommend you to their friends and family.  Here are a few tips and tricks you pass along to your newly satisfied clients as they begin to make their new house a home.

Start with Painting and Repairs

Look for any updates, upgrades, or repairs that can be made before moving in.  Taking these actions while the home is empty will be much easier.  Whether it’s a new coat of paint, touching up scuffed up floors, or hanging new fixtures, take care of it before you have a house full of stuff.

Have Your New Home Professionally Cleaned

Hiring a cleaner to freshen up every square inch of your new home is great way to get off on the right foot.  This will allow the house to be thoroughly cleaned.  It may seem small, and is an added expense, but it can take quite a load off from the stress of moving.

Remember to Change the Locks

After moving in, changing the locks is a prudent idea.  Remember to address all of the access points to your new home.  This isn’t to say that there is a reason to distrust the seller, but you also aren’t aware of anyone else who may have a key to your house.  There are also new options for doors and locks.  Smart locks and home automation features may be an update you’d like to make, this is a great opportunity.

Be Familiar with the HOA

If your new neighborhood has an HOA you can save yourself a lot of time, money, and headaches if you are familiar with their policies.  You can get off on the right foot by having the right paperwork ready and anything else you may in your neighborhood.

These are only a few tips that can go along way in making for a smooth transition.  Another helpful suggestion for going the extra mile is to put together an easy to use reference guide, especially if your clients are new to the area. Include local takeout menus, automobile service companies, attractions and more. 

2026 Legislative Session Scoop - Week 3 Recap

By Louisiana REALTORS® • March 27, 2026
Week three of the Regular Session kept real estate issues in the conversation, even as lawmakers continued to focus heavily on workforce, tax and insurance policy. On the property tax front, measures to reshape assessments and exemptions, including proposals for a new blight rehabilitation exemption and additional relief for seniors, remain parked in the House Ways and Means Committee as stakeholders work through fiscal and local government concerns. These bills matter because they will influence long-term carrying costs, redevelopment incentives and how tax burdens are shared across residential and commercial property. Homestead related legislation, including parish level authority to increase the exemption amount, is also in the queue, signaling that the broader structure of Louisiana’s homestead system is officially on the table, not just the dollar figure. For homeowners and buyers, this debate goes directly to affordability. For local governments, it raises revenue stability and service delivery questions. There also has been movement on several identical pieces of legislation that would instruct parish assessors to develop a process for homeowners to permanently register for the homestead exemption for the duration that they own and live on the property. We are actively tracking legislation that will directly shape how investor activity and non-traditional transactions are recognized and regulated in Louisiana’s real estate market. This includes HB 468 by Troy Hebert , a key component of the Louisiana REALTORS® legislative package that targets the wholesale of residential real estate, which was heard in the House Commerce Committee on Monday. The bill is currently positioned for a floor vote early next week. As drafted, HB 468 represents a major step in the right direction for consumer protection in Louisiana, advancing needed guardrails through potential disclosure, registration, and practice standards that could redefine how assignment contracts and “off-market” transactions intersect with licensed brokerage activity. In parallel, HB 292 by Delisha Boyd passed the House on final reading, 86-3, and is on its way to the Senate. Together, these measures represent a coordinated policy effort to bring greater structure and transparency to emerging transaction models, while preserving the integrity of the traditional brokerage framework. Finally, the broader policy backdrop remains important: the Governor continues to push income tax changes and cost of living relief, while business and industry groups are prioritizing insurance, workforce and energy — each a key driver of long run housing demand and investment. As these debates evolve, we’ll keep you updated on what moves, what stalls and what it all means for your clients, your pipeline and private property rights across Louisiana. Please view the weekly bill tracking report provided by our lobbying team over at Harris, DeVille and Associates.

Webinar Recording - 2026 Tax Season Updates from Greg Kennedy, CPA

By Louisiana REALTORS® • March 26, 2026
Tax Questions & Updates for 2026 Webinar Recording Now Available

Consumer Guide Update: Staging Your House For A Sale

By Louisiana REALTORS® • March 20, 2026
NAR is pleased to share the latest consumer guide that explains the concept of home staging, offers DIY staging tips and missteps and shares the latest NAR member sentiment on how staging can help buyers better visualize the property as their future home and potentially net sellers a higher price. As a reminder, all guides in this series are available for download—in both English and Spanish—on facts.realtor . Please allow up to two weeks for the Spanish version of the latest resource to be translated and uploaded. For ease of reference, below is a list of the most recent guides: NEW: Staging Your House for a Sale Spotting Deepfake Scams in Real Estate Are You Ready to Invest in Real Estate? Thinking of Selling? 7 Factors to Consider How to Make Your Home More Energy Efficient Thank you for your continued engagement with the “Consumer Guide” series and for sharing the resources with prospective clients to ensure they have the information they need to find success in their home buying or selling journey. Remember that these guides are for informational purposes only and are not meant to enact or change any existing NAR policy. Be on the lookout for the next consumer guide, which discusses home mortgage options that allow buyers to fold in renovation costs.
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