Get a plan in place for all the potential projects and purchases

Call it homebuyer’s adrenaline rush.

Even after the arduous process of purchasing and moving, new owners are brimming with energy and ideas.

“During the first two years an owner is in a home, they spend more than twice as much as other homeowners on improvements,” says Kermit Baker, economist for the American Institute of Architects.

According to stats collected by the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, new owners spend an average of $6,200 on their homes in their first two years, compared to an average of $2,500 for all homeowners in a two-year period, Baker says.

“There is a momentum that new owners enjoy,” Chicago architect Robert Neylan says. That mojo, he adds, makes it an ideal time to tackle tasks that might seem a hassle later.

Still, Neylan cautions that new owners may want to put some plans on hold, until either their budget or their ideas are worked out.

Yes, new owners need a plan, agrees Denise Wenacur, an interior designer in Croton, N.Y.

Problem is, she sees lots of new homeowners who don’t know how to prioritize.

Here is some expert guidance on putting first things first during those crucial primary years:

Take an accountingToday, you can#146;t buy a home without a solid financial profile. But with the pressure of mortgage approval behind them, #147;some owners throw the manual [on money management] away,#148; says Donald Phoenix, a director at NeighborWorks America, a nonprofit that counsels new homeowners.#147;You start thinking, #145;I have to make this place look great for the housewarming,#146; and pretty soon you want to replace everything,#148; Phoenix says.Curb the enthusiasm, he advises, until you know how much money you will have available after paying the monthly bills. Indeed, moving provides an ideal opportunity to lower fixed costs.Try to keep a couple of months#146; salary saved for emergency #8212; a measure your mortgage lender may have required, Phoenix adds.And, if the inspection before you purchased revealed that crucial elements, like the roof, have a limited life span, start budgeting for repairs or replacements, Phoenix says.Chart the next moveWhen Wenacur first meets with clients who ask her help transforming a new home, she always asks: #147;How long do you think you#146;ll be in the house?#148;If the plan is just a few years, she advises consideration of #147;return on investment.#148;For example, buying an expensive piece that must be custom ordered, or may fit only this home, probably has a paltry financial return for short-term horizons.However, that doesn#146;t mean expensive furnishings are taboo, says Wenacur. For instance, she explains, #147;Sometimes it makes sense to invest in something that will last longer: a rug for a high-traffic area, for example.#148;Live and learnAs a general rule, new owners can embark on projects that are upgrades, such as replacing a floor or bathroom sink, as long as they#146;re certain they know what they want, advises Ken Zajac, an architect in Westmont.#147;New models of everything come out all the time,#148; he says. #147;As long as you#146;re aware of that, and are satisfied with your choice now, it#146;s OK.#148;Some patience is generally helpful for any major renovations, especially those changing floor plans. #147;I had a client who had to really use his kitchen before he knew the optimal layout #8212; where he wanted the refrigerator and appliances,#148; Zajac says.