Congratulations! You’ve just purchased your first home. Buying a home is a smart investment and offers a lot of benefits for you and your family. But owning a home also comes with a few disadvantages, like not being able to call your landlord when something goes awry.
But don’t worry. I have some homeowner tips and tricks that will help you prepare for those surprises and maybe even save you a few dollars down the road.
Use these new homeowner tips to make your transition to property owner a little smoother.
Create a Homeowner’s Binder
You may have noticed during the purchasing process that there is a lot of paperwork involved in owning a home. Before you move into your new home, create a binder for important documents, such as mortgage and home insurance paperwork.
After your move in, use the same binder to store all of the guides and warranties for your new appliances. Store receipts for any home improvement and moving expenses here as well. You’ll want to hang on to these for your taxes. You can also start collecting contact information for reliable contractors in this binder.
Wait to Start Any Large Projects
One thing every homeowner should know: home improvement projects are expensive. Avoid completing unnecessary projects. Unless your new home is not livable, hold off on any major construction projects until you’ve lived in the home for at least six months.
Waiting a few months to make any huge changes will allow you to get a feel for your home and put your priorities in order. After a few months, you may learn that the floor plan doesn’t bother you as much as expected, but you’ve discovered you can’t live with the current bathroom configuration. Waiting will also give you time to save for the cost of any upcoming projects.
Complete One Project at a Time
Don’t work on multiple home projects at once. You may want to get all your improvements finished as soon as possible, but this isn’t the answer. Not only will you exhaust your finances, but you will also make your new home unlivable and add unnecessary stress to your everyday life.
Learn How to Identify Potential Issues in Your New Home
One of the best homeowner maintenance tips is to detect minor problems before they become huge issues. After purchasing your home, take some time to learn about some of the common issues homes face, especially if you’ve purchased an older home or one that was unoccupied for a period of time. Being able to identify a potential problem early on could save you money later.
Start an Emergency House Fund
You never know when something is going to go wrong, or how much it is going to cost. A great homeowner tip is to start an emergency savings account as soon as possible.
The longer you live in your home, the more likely you are to experience a surprise plumbing, heating or roofing issue. Start saving early to take a little stress out of this typical homeowner experience.
Source: Budget Dumpster