Buying a House? Here's Why It Pays to Join Costco

Buying a home today is a pretty expensive prospect. The median home sale price in May reached a high of $419,300, as per the National Association of Realtors.

That's why you may find that a Costco membership comes in very handy as a new homeowner. At Costco, you can load up on a host of items you might need to settle into your home and keep it well maintained. Here are a few reasons to join Costco if you've recently purchased a house or are in the process of doing so.

1. You can load up on bulk cleaning supplies

Houses need to be cleaned, both when you first move in and in general. Thanks to Costco, you can load up on your cleaning supplies in bulk. That could mean not only saving money, but saving yourself time by not having to constantly restock.

But it's not just supplies like Lysol and paper towels you can buy at Costco. You can purchase equipment you might need to clean your home, like a new vacuum cleaner. Right now, in fact, Costco has a number of Dyson models on sale for $100 off or more. And if you want a robot vacuum to minimize your personal workload, Costco sells those, too.

2. You can decorate to your heart's content

Costco carries a host of home decor items that could really enhance your new house and make it feel like your own. These include everything from curtains and drapes to mirrors to lamps.

And if you like the idea of having plants in your house but struggle to keep them alive, Costco sells a host of artificial plants that look just as nice as the real thing -- only without the extra work. You can also buy real plants through Costco for your outdoor garden.

3. You can make improvements and get free Costco cash in return

It's not uncommon to buy a house that still needs work after you move in. You should know that you can do a host of home projects through Costco, whether it's putting in new flooring, remodeling a bathroom, or installing a standby generator -- it could pay to seek one out if you've moved to an area that's prone to power outages.

The great thing about using Costco for home installation services is that many of them come with a free Costco Shop Card (the store's version of a gift card) equal to 10% of the cost of your project. So if you're going to spend $8,000 on a new HVAC system and Costco's price is in line with others you're seeing, going through Costco could mean scoring $800 to spend at the store once your project is done.

To be clear, you don't need to own a house for a Costco membership to make financial sense for you. But if you're buying a home, you may find that joining Costco gives you access to the products and services you need at prices you can manage. And that's crucial at a time when you're taking on the expense of homeownership.