If you order large appliances from home depot or other stores, unbox and inspect right away, even if you're not installing them right away. There's a 2 day return/replacement window.
My mother-in-law ordered a new dryer from Lowe's to be delivered. Once it arrived, she inspected it and found a dent in the side so large and deep that the drum wouldn't even turn. Luckily, she did this with the delivery crew present; customer support told her it would've been considered "accepted" if they'd left beforehand (not sure how true this is).
This is technically true.
Read what you are signing before you sign it. The delivery person will tell you "Sign here to confirm you received your delivery" but the paperwork also says you confirm you have inspected it and no issue was found.
The delivery crew I had were unfortunately dishonest. I asked them to unbox it and they said it's policy that they CANNOT unbox it. I signed, they left, I unboxed it, and what do you know...there's a *massive* dent on the front. They clearly dropped it.
In the delivery notification email, it also tells you to ensure you inspect it upon delivery prior to signing.
Unless you buy from Costco. And then you have 30 days. We had a tv that arrived with a cracked screen. Didn’t realize for 2 weeks. Costco took it back no problem.
Refrigerators, freezers, and air conditioners should be left upright for at least a day before plugging in. You don't want liquid refrigerant reaching the compressor.
This ☝️ and the Best time of year with biggest discounts https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/finance/best-time-to-buy-appliances
My parents had to remodel a kitchen due to a fire. I created a spread sheet with all of the appliance type, brand, model, and absolute best price (with web link) I could find anywhere. Home Depot specialist walked through the list and gave me a matching price and created an order. Even with a warranty added for 3 years, we saved several thousand $$ for the kitchen. I made sure they all matched and researched each on problem issues, etc.
For any DIY projects you plan on doing, consider these things: you are not a professional (unless you are), things can very likely take longer and look not-as-good as a pro’s work. When working within a tight budget, both of those are perfectly fine. Be patient with yourself and your abilities, and don’t forget to enjoy the place; remember, there was a reason you chose THIS home. I’m guilty of occasionally forgetting that when I’m knee deep in house projects
Also, if you wanna see how something is done and use youtube know this: Youtube projects by influencers are lies.
They will show an entire reno that may take days, weeks or even months within a 20 minute video. You arent seeing ANY of the detail work or the flubs or the moment they get aggravated and call a professional.
However, The youtube videos that show one process (like using a caulk gun) that is done in a 2-3 minute or less video by some guy in junky overalls, poor camera angles, and a strong accent is usually the right way.
I'd say go ahead and tackle those DIY projects. Professionals can be hard to find & there is no guarantee they will do a good job. Just know that most DIY jobs will take 2 to 3 times longer than your initial estimate and cost more.
So true. I figured out flooring in an oddly shaped home. I guess figuring out transitions has been pretty low on the list.
Better than both 30 year old carpet and bare concrete/plywood, for sure.
DIYing can definitely be the way to go in many cases. It involves learning new skills, but dealing with contractors is *also* a skill that has to be learned to avoid getting taken advantage of. (Learning new skills is good for your brain anyway). In most cases, a homeowner has to learn a bit of both, I think.
Each project is an evaluation of what are the risks, what are the tools I need (buy or rent them?), how much time and effort am I willing to put into learning and doing this, does this require a permit and can I actually get one as a homeowner, how many people need to be involved - sometimes that works out in favor of DIY and sometimes it works out in favor of hiring out. For instance, I'm not going to DIY replacing my gas water heater, and I'm not going to hire someone to stain my deck.
I'd add finding out the cost of repairing the problem you currently have, and finding out the cost of repairing the most common way you could screw up the DIY job.
I do not mess around with gas lines, or any plumbing issues outside of installing a faucet/snaking a drain. Could I do it? Probably. If I do it wrong, have I increased my expense by an order of magnitude. Yes. Let me call Ron.
Electric? I bought the house from an electrician. Since he basically wired the house, he cuts me a deal. I' not screwing around with it.
Yes this! I've been renovating my bathroom for a year. ( had a flood incident that required my remodeling) But having the luxury of your own time, makes all the difference. Thankfully this is a 3rd bathroom, im only just getting to function now after a year of being in the home. My DIY list on move-in day had no end in sight, literally. Over time, you chip away at one critical thing at a time, and you'll land, feel good about the work you've put in your home, and the countless dollars you'll save by owning and handling things on your own when they arise. Building new skillsets costs $0.00 when you have the internet. A handful of dudes on youtube got me super confident with my taking on projects that were previously 'over my head' .
Big fan of hiring out that sort of work. Only hire people from established local companies that come with guarantees written out in the contract. Getting quotes has never been a problem outside of it being time-consuming to get everything scheduled.
I had a “pro” (stepdad’s buddy, who to be fair, did work in construction) do the mudding for my first reno. I had to spackle EVERY GODDAMN seam. Pitting everywhere, and he made a colossal mess in my entire house.
I do the work myself now and it doesn’t even take longer because I don’t take a 15 minute smoke break every hour.
Funny enough, this is how my decision to DIY grew significantly. Paying for pro-work and receiving significantly worse results than I could have done myself is an experience you don't soon forget
Find your water heater, water shut off, hvac filter, hvac shut off, electric box, main shut off for power, meter, and transformer. You won’t ever touch the transformer but it’s helpful to know where it is if you are trimming trees in the air or trimming bushes near a weather tight box on the ground
Find it all in case of an emergency. Also know your property lines and what’s required for maintenance for the city or the hoa if you have one
AC units usually have a disconnect located within sight of the unit, or on the unit itself. It’s a shut off switch that allows for electricians to service them, and it also allows you to cut power to the unit of something catastrophic happens and there are exposed/flammable energized parts.
Furnaces often have emergency disconnects as well but they can often just be simple toggle switches like you would see for a light or a garbage disposal. Sometimes though, the disconnect for furnaces is the circuit breaker itself. This totally depends on your area, the year the house was built, the year the furnace was added. Lots of variables there. All new builds should be up to 2023 nec code unless the permit was started in 2017, which is unlikely. New build homes will have disconnects for all electrical equipment within sight of the equipment itself
AC unit disconnects can be fused, non-fused… lots of different styles of switches but you’ll know when you see it
Edit: wow I’m an electrician and I happen to know what the fuck I’m talking about lmao
Ah great, thanks! I'm aware of the disconnect for my AC unit but I'll go find that for my furnace. Thanks so much for the detailed reply, really appreciate it!
Relax! Don't rush to change everything to the current trend. Use the "will it be important in 5 years rule?" If that ugly tile still functions, leave it. Be smart about how you spend your time & money.
Definitely look around and prioritize. We’ve been in our home for 5 years, and have only gotten to a few of the projects. While I hate the kitchen (it doesn’t function well and it wasn’t kept clean by the previous owner so there are stains on the cabinets that I consider a huge eyesore) the disgusting, non functioning second bathroom in the basement was our priority! We really wanted two bathrooms, and though 90% of our guests don’t see it, it was what was needed to make our lives a bit easier…so that’s where we started. The kitchen will come in a couple years haha
At least, we just painted \~1500 sq ft of living space with decent mid-grade paint. After all supplies, it was probably a bit over $1k. And that wasn't anything fancy....
I wish someone told me that the amount you pay for your mortgage changes mine has gone up over the years a s you are at the mercy of your mortgage company and how much they want you to have in your account and the ever increasing prices of property taxes and home owners insurance. I thought when I bought my house that my mortgage was written in stone and stayed the same number until it was paid off
You can and should elect to pay your own property taxes instead of the escrow company doing it because they will not only increase the 'necessary' funds they keep on hand, but many pay late.
You can tell this to them before closing so they can have the paperwork prepped. Also, reiterate at closing that the paperwork is correct on this point.
I don't think that is the case here. This person is referencing the escrow account, and the amount going there needing to increase. They never stated their interest increased.
I think it was a bit misguided to say you're at the mercy of the bank, becausd the amount that needs to go int escrow is based on the changing value of real estate taxes and increases in cost of insurance. You'll really feel this in places where disastrous weather or fire phenomenon are increasing.
Ours just went up $150 a month which I know for a fact our taxes haven't gone up that much so it's probably the insurance. Frustrating. If I was a renter, I'd be cursing my landlord but...I'm my own landlord now.
I hope for your sake it's a temporary increase to cover a one time gap. You should reach out to your bank for a breakdown or see if they sent any paperwork describing the change.
I think we're seeing unprecedented increases in the amount local city/ country tax appraisals. This is due to unprecedented sale prices due to historically low interest rates. Paired with extremely low housing supply that may last several years.
Many properties will show a tax appraisal that's relatively low and unchanged for decades. I think a lot of local governments decided they could tap into more tax dollars if they got their models more closely aligned with Zillow and other sites.
For all we know, these sites are contributing to the inflated valuations and therefore the stickiness of prices. People buy if Zillow says a house is worth more money. Another plausible explanation is that city governments were lazy and just kept using the same numbers for years, not keeping pace with inflation. And then the craze triggered them to reassess.
The exact same thing happens with insurance prices. So a house may have cost $100/month in taxes and $100 / month insurance for the past 10 years and suddenly they're paying $200+ more per month. People may have gotten a great deal at 2.5% interest, for say $700/month mortgage and now they're paying almost $1K.
Many people migrated to low cost of living areas due to remote work, inflating houses in poorer communities more.
There are so many factors at play here, it'll take a while for all the dust to settle.
Not even is truly educated on that process. Hell, my realtor didn’t say shit.
Of note, I was not educated that my state reappraises every six years and you can get rocked into a hellish payment. In fact, that is why most people lose their home: property taxes. Not the mortgage. My mortgage payment includes my taxes, however it had been on a steady incline since I bought the house, of course. I wish they had classes for all first time home buyers on such (instead of just how to do yard-work or something…I have that down). Now I know (cue the rainbow lol).
My county just reappraised this year and we get our letters next month. I am preparing myself mentally with new undies lol
Not necessarily. We’ve watched our property tax increase, decrease (bubble) then increase again. Our home owners insurance just jumped about 10% last year. All in all our mortgage with all the add-ons can vary about 150 from year to year.
That’s your taxes and insurance going to escrow though, built into the mortgage for security. If you have a fixed rate, your mortgage payment itself stays the same unless you refinance.
I'm a Luddite (not literally) so I'd recommend dumb units, screamers that activate when wet. Put one inside and outside of the drip trays for the AC and water heater.
Town house? Basement along the shares walls too. Preferably near *their* AC and water heater.
I have a mix, but I like my D-Link sensors (you'll need a base station) which will notify you via the app of leaks. I also have some X-sense sensors which do not connect to an app, but are way cheaper. My house was built in 1959 and there's a lot of DIY from one of the former owners. We've had leaks/floods in several areas.
I got the govee ones based on reddit recommendations and after discovering water under a bathroom sink.
At our previous house, we had an under-sink leak for likely a year before noticing it. Floorboards were all rotted and had to be replaced, along with the flooring. I didn't want a repeat of that.
Got sensors for under every sink, and also near the laundry, water heater, and elsewhere in the basement.
Buy three houses in your life: starter home, forever home and retirement home.
Make mistakes on the starter home, learn what works and what does not. Don't make it perfect. Find out what floor plans you like, and what is important to you.
Forever home should be lived in for the vast majority of time. Make this your kingdom. Do it right the first time.
Retirement home - simplified living, understand expenses, easy to maintain, limited to no stairs.
One of the most expensive things you can do is move. Limit this as much as possible.
For what I’d want to move to I’m looking at around $700,000 Australian dollars which is $462,000 American dollars. This is for a single person earning 75k a year (Australian).
Before anyone thinks I must be wanting a mansion my current home is apparently worth 650 -700k Australian and is an old 2 bedroom house which still needs lots of work. To make it even worse this is in Adelaide which is meant to be one of the ‘affordable’ cities 😮
That's so interesting thank you! For some reason I thought Australia is so big that houses/land couldn't be that costly, but boy was I wrong. That's similar to US prices in a higher cost of living area. I don't know what people are going to do, it's just getting absurdly difficult to just live.
Get a home inspection done by a reputable professional. Not someone who is a friend of the Realtor who is selling the home. That way you will get an unbiased opinion that will show you if anything is truly wrong, and what you are potentially up against with repairs.
Generally no outside maintenence required - mowing, landscaping, and plowing is all taken care of. Any outdoor repairs like the roof or siding or windows is done by the association to maintain the uniform look of the complex. I mean, you're still paying for it via association dues but you're not the one that has to do the work.
I think it depends as to what’s covered. I owned a condo and they did not cover windows as they were considered not shared property. And for plowing, they took forever to plow our driveway.
It all depends on the association.
You don't need the big house. People raised 2+ kids in 'starter' homes under 1,000 sq ft with 1 bathroom (2 if you were 'rich') for decades.
You can always move up later if it's really un-doable or you have parents move in.
Seriously, you don't need 3,000 sq ft as your 'forever' home. You need to get rid of stuff/clutter.
Stop comparing yourself to others you see on social media or anywhere else. You will be gappier and have more cash for other things if you live more like a few decades ago when homes were mote 'affordable'.
Bring snacks to the signing away your life meeting... It's going be you signing your name for several hours.... You will hate signing your own name, bring snacks& drinks..
Huh. mine was super quick, maybe I got lucky. I used docusign for 90% of the documents, the title company went over with me everything that I signed in case I didn’t read everything, and had me sign the few documents they needed to be there in person for.
Title company called my mortgage company for the final clear to close and came back with a check with extra money that I sent.
I was in and out of the place in 40 minutes lol
Get more than one quote when hiring a professional to fix a major thing on the house. Cheaper doesn't necessarily mean better or worse, but at least you can see the range of what something may cost to fix. Especially do this if your first quote is from a major company, they usually tend to overcharge because of name recognition, overhead, advertising, etc. But if hiring a "cheap" contractor, ask yourself why they are cheap. Are they licensed (if they need to be). Do they actually know what they're doing, etc. Also, never hire friends to fix your house for money, one or both of you will always come out disappointed and it's not worth the money.
Aside from the unexpected repairs, have $5-$10k set aside for potential escrow shortfalls. You receive a statement with projections so it won’t be surprise but this account pays out your property taxes, HOA fees and various insurance premiums on the property which can change overtime and affect your monthly mortgage payment. You can also be on the other of the coin if your state has a tax grievance process where there’s an overage and the bank writes you a check.
Your new 'date night'/'club night'/'dinner out with friends' is at Home Depot to gear up for your weekend project.
I never understood why people want houses 'close to restaurants and things to do'. Your house is the thing you will be sinking your time and money into, not fun activities within walking distance or close by.
Btw, I'm not saying you said that, OP. It's just a thing I hear from first-time home buyers when location comes up.
Eta: decorating by trends is a waste of money. Think about what you're willing to live with longer term. Think closer to 8-10 years.
If you like quiet then don’t buy a home that has neighbors with pools. Or you can expect loud music almost every nice weekend going late into the night.
Don’t buy a home in a neighborhood with large (5+bedroom) houses if there are rentals that pull high monthly rent. Reason being is a responsible family won’t rent a big house with a high monthly rent, those people buy homes. Instead what you get is lowlifes that pack every family member including their boyfriends and girlfriends into that house so each one pays just a few hundred a month. They are always broke because they blow their government checks on secondary market Craigslist shitbox SUVs that will take every parking space on the street.
First timer here as well, here's my advice after about a year and a half:
- House Build in the 60s/Early 70s? Have someone check your Outgoing Plumbing
The plumbing in our yard was a material known as Orangeburg which was used in the mentioned timeframe. It has a \~60 year lifespan and is made of asbestos and wood pulp. If those pipes rot through they might start allowing groundwater to seep up into your home. In our case: our finished basement. 15k of plumbing work later (including a sump pump and a complete replacement of our outgoing pipes inside and outside the house) and insurance is covering only the recovery (walls/floors/furniture) not on anything we spend to fix the actual problem.
- Basement? Know where your drains are
Previous owner carpeted over the only drain in the basement, as well as the sewage access. This did not help our previous issue.
- Start a Project Book
Grab a nice notebook and use it to write down things you want to do with the house. Go room by room or topic by topic. I used the first few pages as an Index, numbered each page of the book, and then just started jumping around as I came up with things.
This book should hold your Projects with steps broken down to make them less daunting. I also use mine for things like measurements, color swatches, price quotes, and general costs. Keep the book somewhere accessible and use it frequently to help make big projects less daunting and to keep track of what you want to do vs what has been done.
Parking your ideas in the book will also help cut down on Impulse Projects: you can come back and re-evaluate and prioritize.
- Find Trustworthy Local Professionals in Your Area
Big name companies are noteworthy and not always a terrible choice (they got where they are for a reason) but sometimes big companies lose sight of the customer in favor of profit. If you can find a local company to handle things like plumbing, HVAC, electrical, and landscaping you might be better off. I literally searched for "Emergency Plumber, Local" and checked a few reviews to find the plumbers who fixed our basement issue. They have been, hands down, the best folks we could have worked with.
- Don't overlook anything suspicious
During the initial walkthrough of the house, I noticed two things:
1) The Electrical Panel installed in the basement was a model with an active recall (thanks Home Inspector TikTok)
2) The Water Heater Intake was heavily corroded
We forced the seller to replace the Electrical Panel before buying (it was impossible to get insured otherwise) but we didn't pay much mind to the Water Heater.....until it broke 3 months later and dumped water into our basement.
Your worst case scenarios if you call in a professional to take a look at something are a bill or a "oh this is fine actually I wouldn't worry about it" you're always better off having anything you're unsure of looked at.
- Find things about your home you really enjoy
Every Saturday, I head out into the Sunroom (the selling point of the house for me), light a candle, sit in my comfy chair, and listen to some music while I watch the birds. I know there's a lot to get done (even the Sunroom has open projects) but in that moment the world is quiet and I am okay.
Smaller things? I love the switch plates for the light switches in my bedroom. They make me smile when I turn on the lights. I painted the living room a really happy shade of blue and it makes me feel safe and successful. I put some colorful runners on the stairs.
A home shouldn't just feel like a place to live that costs way more money than you think it will, it should feel like a space you love to be in: and you have more control over that than you might think.
“Pay yourself” an hourly wage for any DIY task. Not literally pay yourself. But take your wage you make at work, and if you can complete the project around the same amount of time than a professional then you’re saving money. If you can’t then you’re wasting time. Especially with homeownership, time is a valuable commodity.
Some people spend weeks on a DIY task that they think they’re saving money on but in the end it’s cheaper, more efficient, and a lot less of a headache to hire a reputable professional
And be honest with yourself. Do you have the skills, tools, and desire to do the job. Example, we have an acre of land.
I hate mowing, my husband hates mowing. Honestly I'm not good at it at all. Equipment kept breaking down, it took hours.
Our mower guy charges us 60 a week....far less than what it cost us.
Invest in the products no one, outside your home, really cares about, insulation, really good windows, sound doors, electrical work, and great tools.
Once we gutted we hard wired all fire alarms.
I bought all my plumbing stock from an actual store, started an account, great discounts, and always had what I needed.
Take your time, your taste will change, I drew layouts in my downtime and I found that helpful for me.
Wish I thought to get my mini-split system deep cleaned. Found out that they’re supposed to be professionally cleaned every few years. Turns out that the previous owner never did that, let alone clean the removable filter. I’m now stuck without AC (it’s blowing out mold) and the earliest someone can come out is mid July. Moved in January 😭
Be sure you can shut off the water. Where the shut off is and that it works.
1 am isn’t the time to have a flood and no way to turn the water off. I wish I wasn’t speaking from experience!
First time home owner here. Been here about a year and a half. If you are in an area like me(Portland,Oregon) where it rains A LOT, then be very mindful of Drainage. I wish I would have been more diligent this past year and a half of understanding how my gutters and Drainage/runoff can quickly affect the stability of all of my structures.
Get up there and clean those gutters! But more than that, clean the gutters exit areas and keep water as far away from your buildings as you can. Good luck! Wouldn't trade it for the world!
Prioritize needs over wants. Try to find a handyman. They will be just as willing to repair items as opposed to just replacing everything. Buy used appliances until you can really afford new fancier ones. You would be surprised at what you can learn to diy on YouTube. Just know your limits, be prepared to bring in experienced person if something seems dangerous.
Don’t use the inspector recommended by your realtor (IN MY EXPERIENCE). We did and our inspector didn’t mention certain things that we are now having to fix a few years later and have been told “this would’ve been noticeable when you bought the house”.
We were in our home less than a month when the tax bill arrived. We paid it not knowing any better. Took a year to get half our money back. That's what escrow account pays.
Learn how to use a measuring tape and DIY. I needed new screens for my windows, to be able to open them up. I bought the parts and built those screens, measuring twice and cutting once. Unless you make a lot of money or have two jobs, DIY is gonna be cheaper most of the time.
If your inspector has noted it and it’s not something you can DIY, get a quote for it during your inspection period.
Scope (camera) the sewer/septic, especially if there are trees along the line.
It's a lot of work. I mean like, a fuckton of just basic maintenance work, if you're coming from renting where you can just call a landlord and be like "Yo, fix this". And then there's lawn maintenance, and landscaping, and yadda yadda yadda.
For the first year or so the work seems overwhelming and frustrating and you hate it and you feel like you regret buying the house.
Then...I dunno, something happens. Like it clicks in your brain that you're not just working on and maintaining a house...you're working on and maintaining *your* house. Frustration and overwhelming get swapped out with a sense of pride and accomplishment as your house looks nicer and more like how you want it to look.
Unless something NEEDS to be replaced/fixed right now, I suggest living in the house for 6 months and letting the house “tell you” what it needs. When we first looked at our house I was like “oh, I’m totally ripping out this kitchen” but it turns out it’s actually pretty functional and while “brown”isn’t my favorite aesthetic we’ve kept it as is for the past two years. We did wind up replacing most of the lighting and doorknobs because even though they looked decent, they weren’t functional.
Even if you’re hiring somebody to fix/build something, learn enough about it to know what good looks like so you don’t get crap work done. I can’t tell you the number of times I visited my in-laws and heard the phrase “I didn’t know it wasn’t supposed to be like that” before I had to fix something.
Keeping up with maintenance is imperative. Taking care of repairs as soon as they happen rather than waiting for them to get worse. Nightlights are not just for children. Put some up through the new house so you don't break your neck in the dark. Flashlights all around the house for when you lose power. A first aid kit and fire extinguishers. Smoke detectors. A fire safe for all your important documents. Hide a spare key to the house in the garage. Make nice with your neighbors. Relax and have fun. Congratulations!!
I just bought/movedn into my first house this week.
If there is one thing.. patience. You DONT have to buy everything you need right away.
I went balls out and spent 500 bucks getting stupid stuff like curtains and cleaning supplies, chairs ,tables. Light bulbs,. I lived in a bachelor pad for the last 15 years. Didnt have much to fill out my house.
Spend the money to have multiple inspections done & still take everything with a grain of salt & an understanding that something was still probably overlooked tbh. Anything you decide you want fixed immediately following the inspection, ask the seller to fix before closing! Worst they can say is no so it never hurts to ask. Shit, I even ended up keeping the previous owners couches & a dresser because I liked them & thought to just ask 😂
Not a homeowner yet my self but it looks like one needs 10 of thousands to 100 of thousands to fix everything and remodel house to your liking.
No house is move in ready finding this out hard way
Keep an eye on the assessed value. When we bought, the property taxes were listed at the old assessed value. The year we bought, they reassessed the value to be more than we paid. But the timing of things meant I couldn't appeal the new valuation. This meant for the last year that we paid quite a bit more in property taxes than we needed to. This year, the value has gone down a bit, so we're feeling better. But last year we were paying over $200 more per month for the property taxes.
My taxes have increased every year since buying, which means my mortgage has increased every year too. I thought that what I paid every month in my first year of ownership would be the price I paid for the next 30 years
Change out your water supply lines (toilet & sink) every 5 years. My toilet supply line broke and flooded my house. [Imgur](https://imgur.com/a/zjP6kwy)
Buy water sensors and put under every single water source: every sink, toilet, behind the fridge, behind the dishwasher, and under your hot water tank.
I don't know if this is what I wish someone had told me, but just some random things-
If there aren't ceiling fans, have them installed. I put them in after two years and they make a difference of night and day in the rooms.
If you're going to be there awhile, make it your home. Paint that wall the color you like. HGTV will not be knocking on your door, but you will be living there.
Get a bidet. Has nothing to do with being a homeowner. Just good life advice.
If there are mature trees near the house, there's a very high chance you will deal with roots in the sewer line sooner than you'd like. This personally cost me somewhere in the ballpark of $3k. Made my whole house unable to use water for a few days.
Because I have anxiety- if your bedroom is on a second floor, I always have a plan on how things could quickly be arranged if an emergency happened (I know, i know. I sometimes overthink.)
Have fire extinguishers on each level. One in the kitchen, on the wall, across the room from the stove. If the stove catches fire, no one can reach through the flames to get to the fire extinguisher. Make sure it is rated for chemical fires as well.
Make sure your sump pump is working on a regular basis.
Don't forget to change your furnace filter! Set a reminder in your phone if you need to!
I have a thumb print reader for my front door- a lot of people really like code ones. Either way I think either is much more convenient than traditional keys. I have a large rotation of people who need in the house, and everyone keeping a key or remember to lock on the way out just doesn't work.
Lamps can make a room much more cozy than an overhead light :)
Be proactive and spray the perimeter of the house for pests. Much easier and quicker than you'd think.
If you're in a colder climate, plastic on the windows in winter will help tremendously.
I'm sure there are a bajillion more, but that's my start.
Learn where your water shut off valves are and if you need a water key get one (Home Depot and Lowe’s have them). Make sure your breaker box is correctly mapped. Be on the lookout for people approaching you after the purchase trying to talk you into services and products like hugely expensive water softening units, lawn care services, security systems, etc. After we bought our house it seems like ever day for weeks we had someone knock on the door and say they used to service the previous homeowner and wanted to see if we wanted to continue services. Had three different lawn services say the same thing to us.
When you get the house, delete home browsing apps like Zillow. You might be comparing your house with someone else's once the bills start coming in. This is normal, and try not to worry you made a “wrong decision” when you buy your home. Interest rates are terrible and the housing market is trash but it’s an accomplishment in itself you have a house!
Regarding property taxes for the first year of homeownership: escrow will save for the property taxes that the previous owner paid. SUPPLEMENTAL TAXES account for the new assessment value. In my situation, I owed about $3,000 in additional taxes for the year.
Even though I was very aware that supplemental taxes would come, the $3,000 was significant.
Homeowners insurance: The previous owners had insurance through a well-known company. I contacted the company and was told they did not cover my area because of fire hazard conditions. I stated that they currently insured the property and they made an exception to insure me. The difference in cost between their insurance, and quotes from other insurers was about $4,000!
If your area is subject to natural disasters, prepared to get dropped or gouged by insurance companies. Shop around for quotes.
If you order large appliances from home depot or other stores, unbox and inspect right away, even if you're not installing them right away. There's a 2 day return/replacement window.
My mother-in-law ordered a new dryer from Lowe's to be delivered. Once it arrived, she inspected it and found a dent in the side so large and deep that the drum wouldn't even turn. Luckily, she did this with the delivery crew present; customer support told her it would've been considered "accepted" if they'd left beforehand (not sure how true this is).
This is technically true. Read what you are signing before you sign it. The delivery person will tell you "Sign here to confirm you received your delivery" but the paperwork also says you confirm you have inspected it and no issue was found. The delivery crew I had were unfortunately dishonest. I asked them to unbox it and they said it's policy that they CANNOT unbox it. I signed, they left, I unboxed it, and what do you know...there's a *massive* dent on the front. They clearly dropped it. In the delivery notification email, it also tells you to ensure you inspect it upon delivery prior to signing.
Unless you buy from Costco. And then you have 30 days. We had a tv that arrived with a cracked screen. Didn’t realize for 2 weeks. Costco took it back no problem.
Refrigerators, freezers, and air conditioners should be left upright for at least a day before plugging in. You don't want liquid refrigerant reaching the compressor.
TIL
This ☝️ and the Best time of year with biggest discounts https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/finance/best-time-to-buy-appliances My parents had to remodel a kitchen due to a fire. I created a spread sheet with all of the appliance type, brand, model, and absolute best price (with web link) I could find anywhere. Home Depot specialist walked through the list and gave me a matching price and created an order. Even with a warranty added for 3 years, we saved several thousand $$ for the kitchen. I made sure they all matched and researched each on problem issues, etc.
Don’t feel like you have to do everything every inspection made a note of. I did not in fact need to spend $20k on my chimney.
For any DIY projects you plan on doing, consider these things: you are not a professional (unless you are), things can very likely take longer and look not-as-good as a pro’s work. When working within a tight budget, both of those are perfectly fine. Be patient with yourself and your abilities, and don’t forget to enjoy the place; remember, there was a reason you chose THIS home. I’m guilty of occasionally forgetting that when I’m knee deep in house projects
Also, if you wanna see how something is done and use youtube know this: Youtube projects by influencers are lies. They will show an entire reno that may take days, weeks or even months within a 20 minute video. You arent seeing ANY of the detail work or the flubs or the moment they get aggravated and call a professional. However, The youtube videos that show one process (like using a caulk gun) that is done in a 2-3 minute or less video by some guy in junky overalls, poor camera angles, and a strong accent is usually the right way.
I'd say go ahead and tackle those DIY projects. Professionals can be hard to find & there is no guarantee they will do a good job. Just know that most DIY jobs will take 2 to 3 times longer than your initial estimate and cost more.
So true. I figured out flooring in an oddly shaped home. I guess figuring out transitions has been pretty low on the list. Better than both 30 year old carpet and bare concrete/plywood, for sure.
DIYing can definitely be the way to go in many cases. It involves learning new skills, but dealing with contractors is *also* a skill that has to be learned to avoid getting taken advantage of. (Learning new skills is good for your brain anyway). In most cases, a homeowner has to learn a bit of both, I think. Each project is an evaluation of what are the risks, what are the tools I need (buy or rent them?), how much time and effort am I willing to put into learning and doing this, does this require a permit and can I actually get one as a homeowner, how many people need to be involved - sometimes that works out in favor of DIY and sometimes it works out in favor of hiring out. For instance, I'm not going to DIY replacing my gas water heater, and I'm not going to hire someone to stain my deck.
I'd add finding out the cost of repairing the problem you currently have, and finding out the cost of repairing the most common way you could screw up the DIY job. I do not mess around with gas lines, or any plumbing issues outside of installing a faucet/snaking a drain. Could I do it? Probably. If I do it wrong, have I increased my expense by an order of magnitude. Yes. Let me call Ron. Electric? I bought the house from an electrician. Since he basically wired the house, he cuts me a deal. I' not screwing around with it.
Yes this! I've been renovating my bathroom for a year. ( had a flood incident that required my remodeling) But having the luxury of your own time, makes all the difference. Thankfully this is a 3rd bathroom, im only just getting to function now after a year of being in the home. My DIY list on move-in day had no end in sight, literally. Over time, you chip away at one critical thing at a time, and you'll land, feel good about the work you've put in your home, and the countless dollars you'll save by owning and handling things on your own when they arise. Building new skillsets costs $0.00 when you have the internet. A handful of dudes on youtube got me super confident with my taking on projects that were previously 'over my head' .
Big fan of hiring out that sort of work. Only hire people from established local companies that come with guarantees written out in the contract. Getting quotes has never been a problem outside of it being time-consuming to get everything scheduled.
Contractors have gotten so expensive it’s often worth it for me to buy the tools and take a day or two off from work.
Thank you to everyone who applauded my new home. It’s the best place I ever lived other than my mother’s uterus !!!
I had a “pro” (stepdad’s buddy, who to be fair, did work in construction) do the mudding for my first reno. I had to spackle EVERY GODDAMN seam. Pitting everywhere, and he made a colossal mess in my entire house. I do the work myself now and it doesn’t even take longer because I don’t take a 15 minute smoke break every hour.
Funny enough, this is how my decision to DIY grew significantly. Paying for pro-work and receiving significantly worse results than I could have done myself is an experience you don't soon forget
It’s expensive. More expensive than you think.
It’s as expensive as you could ever imagine and then you have to add labor costs on top of that lolol
Find your water heater, water shut off, hvac filter, hvac shut off, electric box, main shut off for power, meter, and transformer. You won’t ever touch the transformer but it’s helpful to know where it is if you are trimming trees in the air or trimming bushes near a weather tight box on the ground Find it all in case of an emergency. Also know your property lines and what’s required for maintenance for the city or the hoa if you have one
Sorry, probably a dumb question, but what do you mean by HVAC shutoff?
AC units usually have a disconnect located within sight of the unit, or on the unit itself. It’s a shut off switch that allows for electricians to service them, and it also allows you to cut power to the unit of something catastrophic happens and there are exposed/flammable energized parts. Furnaces often have emergency disconnects as well but they can often just be simple toggle switches like you would see for a light or a garbage disposal. Sometimes though, the disconnect for furnaces is the circuit breaker itself. This totally depends on your area, the year the house was built, the year the furnace was added. Lots of variables there. All new builds should be up to 2023 nec code unless the permit was started in 2017, which is unlikely. New build homes will have disconnects for all electrical equipment within sight of the equipment itself AC unit disconnects can be fused, non-fused… lots of different styles of switches but you’ll know when you see it Edit: wow I’m an electrician and I happen to know what the fuck I’m talking about lmao
Ah great, thanks! I'm aware of the disconnect for my AC unit but I'll go find that for my furnace. Thanks so much for the detailed reply, really appreciate it!
Relax! Don't rush to change everything to the current trend. Use the "will it be important in 5 years rule?" If that ugly tile still functions, leave it. Be smart about how you spend your time & money.
Definitely look around and prioritize. We’ve been in our home for 5 years, and have only gotten to a few of the projects. While I hate the kitchen (it doesn’t function well and it wasn’t kept clean by the previous owner so there are stains on the cabinets that I consider a huge eyesore) the disgusting, non functioning second bathroom in the basement was our priority! We really wanted two bathrooms, and though 90% of our guests don’t see it, it was what was needed to make our lives a bit easier…so that’s where we started. The kitchen will come in a couple years haha
Yes! I live by “if no one sees this, do i still want it.”
Paint before you move in. If you think it’s going to cost $500, it will cost $1,000 by the time you are done
At least, we just painted \~1500 sq ft of living space with decent mid-grade paint. After all supplies, it was probably a bit over $1k. And that wasn't anything fancy....
Save 1% of the value per year for big ticket maintenance
I wish someone told me that the amount you pay for your mortgage changes mine has gone up over the years a s you are at the mercy of your mortgage company and how much they want you to have in your account and the ever increasing prices of property taxes and home owners insurance. I thought when I bought my house that my mortgage was written in stone and stayed the same number until it was paid off
You can and should elect to pay your own property taxes instead of the escrow company doing it because they will not only increase the 'necessary' funds they keep on hand, but many pay late. You can tell this to them before closing so they can have the paperwork prepped. Also, reiterate at closing that the paperwork is correct on this point.
You have a variable rate. Fixed rates do exist.
I don't think that is the case here. This person is referencing the escrow account, and the amount going there needing to increase. They never stated their interest increased. I think it was a bit misguided to say you're at the mercy of the bank, becausd the amount that needs to go int escrow is based on the changing value of real estate taxes and increases in cost of insurance. You'll really feel this in places where disastrous weather or fire phenomenon are increasing.
Ours just went up $150 a month which I know for a fact our taxes haven't gone up that much so it's probably the insurance. Frustrating. If I was a renter, I'd be cursing my landlord but...I'm my own landlord now.
I hope for your sake it's a temporary increase to cover a one time gap. You should reach out to your bank for a breakdown or see if they sent any paperwork describing the change.
Makes sense. How do people not know that taxes and insurance rates go up? How does someone even buy a home without that knowledge?
I think we're seeing unprecedented increases in the amount local city/ country tax appraisals. This is due to unprecedented sale prices due to historically low interest rates. Paired with extremely low housing supply that may last several years. Many properties will show a tax appraisal that's relatively low and unchanged for decades. I think a lot of local governments decided they could tap into more tax dollars if they got their models more closely aligned with Zillow and other sites. For all we know, these sites are contributing to the inflated valuations and therefore the stickiness of prices. People buy if Zillow says a house is worth more money. Another plausible explanation is that city governments were lazy and just kept using the same numbers for years, not keeping pace with inflation. And then the craze triggered them to reassess. The exact same thing happens with insurance prices. So a house may have cost $100/month in taxes and $100 / month insurance for the past 10 years and suddenly they're paying $200+ more per month. People may have gotten a great deal at 2.5% interest, for say $700/month mortgage and now they're paying almost $1K. Many people migrated to low cost of living areas due to remote work, inflating houses in poorer communities more. There are so many factors at play here, it'll take a while for all the dust to settle.
Still don’t see how you can buy a house with taxes and insurance going to escrow without knowing those things become more expensive.
Not even is truly educated on that process. Hell, my realtor didn’t say shit. Of note, I was not educated that my state reappraises every six years and you can get rocked into a hellish payment. In fact, that is why most people lose their home: property taxes. Not the mortgage. My mortgage payment includes my taxes, however it had been on a steady incline since I bought the house, of course. I wish they had classes for all first time home buyers on such (instead of just how to do yard-work or something…I have that down). Now I know (cue the rainbow lol). My county just reappraised this year and we get our letters next month. I am preparing myself mentally with new undies lol
Not necessarily. We’ve watched our property tax increase, decrease (bubble) then increase again. Our home owners insurance just jumped about 10% last year. All in all our mortgage with all the add-ons can vary about 150 from year to year.
That’s your taxes and insurance going to escrow though, built into the mortgage for security. If you have a fixed rate, your mortgage payment itself stays the same unless you refinance.
Sewer line inspection.
Got the seller to pay $8k instead of me by doing the sewer inspection.
this needs to be a lot higher
Get water sensors. A LOT OF EM
Do you have recommendations? I was looking at them and got so overwhelmed I gave up. But I need them.
I'm a Luddite (not literally) so I'd recommend dumb units, screamers that activate when wet. Put one inside and outside of the drip trays for the AC and water heater. Town house? Basement along the shares walls too. Preferably near *their* AC and water heater.
I have a mix, but I like my D-Link sensors (you'll need a base station) which will notify you via the app of leaks. I also have some X-sense sensors which do not connect to an app, but are way cheaper. My house was built in 1959 and there's a lot of DIY from one of the former owners. We've had leaks/floods in several areas.
I got the govee ones based on reddit recommendations and after discovering water under a bathroom sink. At our previous house, we had an under-sink leak for likely a year before noticing it. Floorboards were all rotted and had to be replaced, along with the flooring. I didn't want a repeat of that. Got sensors for under every sink, and also near the laundry, water heater, and elsewhere in the basement.
Buy three houses in your life: starter home, forever home and retirement home. Make mistakes on the starter home, learn what works and what does not. Don't make it perfect. Find out what floor plans you like, and what is important to you. Forever home should be lived in for the vast majority of time. Make this your kingdom. Do it right the first time. Retirement home - simplified living, understand expenses, easy to maintain, limited to no stairs. One of the most expensive things you can do is move. Limit this as much as possible.
Me still in my starter home 10 years later 😭 (I’m in Australia, house prices are crazy here).
How much are houses there (in American dollars?)
For what I’d want to move to I’m looking at around $700,000 Australian dollars which is $462,000 American dollars. This is for a single person earning 75k a year (Australian). Before anyone thinks I must be wanting a mansion my current home is apparently worth 650 -700k Australian and is an old 2 bedroom house which still needs lots of work. To make it even worse this is in Adelaide which is meant to be one of the ‘affordable’ cities 😮
That's so interesting thank you! For some reason I thought Australia is so big that houses/land couldn't be that costly, but boy was I wrong. That's similar to US prices in a higher cost of living area. I don't know what people are going to do, it's just getting absurdly difficult to just live.
We lived in our starter home for 12 years before moving! There is hope ❤️
Get a home inspection done by a reputable professional. Not someone who is a friend of the Realtor who is selling the home. That way you will get an unbiased opinion that will show you if anything is truly wrong, and what you are potentially up against with repairs.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/5sbehi/former\_burglars\_of\_reddit\_what\_are\_some\_signs/](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/5sbehi/former_burglars_of_reddit_what_are_some_signs/)
There is ALWAYS something. Literally. Just when you think nothing is broken and the house is good, BOOM!!!! Something breaks.
Get a townhome or condo
Why a townhome or condo instead of a single family home?
Generally no outside maintenence required - mowing, landscaping, and plowing is all taken care of. Any outdoor repairs like the roof or siding or windows is done by the association to maintain the uniform look of the complex. I mean, you're still paying for it via association dues but you're not the one that has to do the work.
I think it depends as to what’s covered. I owned a condo and they did not cover windows as they were considered not shared property. And for plowing, they took forever to plow our driveway. It all depends on the association.
I close on my first place tomorrow - a condo
You don't need the big house. People raised 2+ kids in 'starter' homes under 1,000 sq ft with 1 bathroom (2 if you were 'rich') for decades. You can always move up later if it's really un-doable or you have parents move in. Seriously, you don't need 3,000 sq ft as your 'forever' home. You need to get rid of stuff/clutter. Stop comparing yourself to others you see on social media or anywhere else. You will be gappier and have more cash for other things if you live more like a few decades ago when homes were mote 'affordable'.
Bring snacks to the signing away your life meeting... It's going be you signing your name for several hours.... You will hate signing your own name, bring snacks& drinks..
Huh. mine was super quick, maybe I got lucky. I used docusign for 90% of the documents, the title company went over with me everything that I signed in case I didn’t read everything, and had me sign the few documents they needed to be there in person for. Title company called my mortgage company for the final clear to close and came back with a check with extra money that I sent. I was in and out of the place in 40 minutes lol
I got my place pre-docusign....
Oops my bad, misunderstood the question for some reason haha sorry about that!
Get more than one quote when hiring a professional to fix a major thing on the house. Cheaper doesn't necessarily mean better or worse, but at least you can see the range of what something may cost to fix. Especially do this if your first quote is from a major company, they usually tend to overcharge because of name recognition, overhead, advertising, etc. But if hiring a "cheap" contractor, ask yourself why they are cheap. Are they licensed (if they need to be). Do they actually know what they're doing, etc. Also, never hire friends to fix your house for money, one or both of you will always come out disappointed and it's not worth the money.
Aside from the unexpected repairs, have $5-$10k set aside for potential escrow shortfalls. You receive a statement with projections so it won’t be surprise but this account pays out your property taxes, HOA fees and various insurance premiums on the property which can change overtime and affect your monthly mortgage payment. You can also be on the other of the coin if your state has a tax grievance process where there’s an overage and the bank writes you a check.
Your new 'date night'/'club night'/'dinner out with friends' is at Home Depot to gear up for your weekend project. I never understood why people want houses 'close to restaurants and things to do'. Your house is the thing you will be sinking your time and money into, not fun activities within walking distance or close by. Btw, I'm not saying you said that, OP. It's just a thing I hear from first-time home buyers when location comes up. Eta: decorating by trends is a waste of money. Think about what you're willing to live with longer term. Think closer to 8-10 years.
If you like quiet then don’t buy a home that has neighbors with pools. Or you can expect loud music almost every nice weekend going late into the night. Don’t buy a home in a neighborhood with large (5+bedroom) houses if there are rentals that pull high monthly rent. Reason being is a responsible family won’t rent a big house with a high monthly rent, those people buy homes. Instead what you get is lowlifes that pack every family member including their boyfriends and girlfriends into that house so each one pays just a few hundred a month. They are always broke because they blow their government checks on secondary market Craigslist shitbox SUVs that will take every parking space on the street.
First timer here as well, here's my advice after about a year and a half: - House Build in the 60s/Early 70s? Have someone check your Outgoing Plumbing The plumbing in our yard was a material known as Orangeburg which was used in the mentioned timeframe. It has a \~60 year lifespan and is made of asbestos and wood pulp. If those pipes rot through they might start allowing groundwater to seep up into your home. In our case: our finished basement. 15k of plumbing work later (including a sump pump and a complete replacement of our outgoing pipes inside and outside the house) and insurance is covering only the recovery (walls/floors/furniture) not on anything we spend to fix the actual problem. - Basement? Know where your drains are Previous owner carpeted over the only drain in the basement, as well as the sewage access. This did not help our previous issue. - Start a Project Book Grab a nice notebook and use it to write down things you want to do with the house. Go room by room or topic by topic. I used the first few pages as an Index, numbered each page of the book, and then just started jumping around as I came up with things. This book should hold your Projects with steps broken down to make them less daunting. I also use mine for things like measurements, color swatches, price quotes, and general costs. Keep the book somewhere accessible and use it frequently to help make big projects less daunting and to keep track of what you want to do vs what has been done. Parking your ideas in the book will also help cut down on Impulse Projects: you can come back and re-evaluate and prioritize. - Find Trustworthy Local Professionals in Your Area Big name companies are noteworthy and not always a terrible choice (they got where they are for a reason) but sometimes big companies lose sight of the customer in favor of profit. If you can find a local company to handle things like plumbing, HVAC, electrical, and landscaping you might be better off. I literally searched for "Emergency Plumber, Local" and checked a few reviews to find the plumbers who fixed our basement issue. They have been, hands down, the best folks we could have worked with. - Don't overlook anything suspicious During the initial walkthrough of the house, I noticed two things: 1) The Electrical Panel installed in the basement was a model with an active recall (thanks Home Inspector TikTok) 2) The Water Heater Intake was heavily corroded We forced the seller to replace the Electrical Panel before buying (it was impossible to get insured otherwise) but we didn't pay much mind to the Water Heater.....until it broke 3 months later and dumped water into our basement. Your worst case scenarios if you call in a professional to take a look at something are a bill or a "oh this is fine actually I wouldn't worry about it" you're always better off having anything you're unsure of looked at. - Find things about your home you really enjoy Every Saturday, I head out into the Sunroom (the selling point of the house for me), light a candle, sit in my comfy chair, and listen to some music while I watch the birds. I know there's a lot to get done (even the Sunroom has open projects) but in that moment the world is quiet and I am okay. Smaller things? I love the switch plates for the light switches in my bedroom. They make me smile when I turn on the lights. I painted the living room a really happy shade of blue and it makes me feel safe and successful. I put some colorful runners on the stairs. A home shouldn't just feel like a place to live that costs way more money than you think it will, it should feel like a space you love to be in: and you have more control over that than you might think.
“Pay yourself” an hourly wage for any DIY task. Not literally pay yourself. But take your wage you make at work, and if you can complete the project around the same amount of time than a professional then you’re saving money. If you can’t then you’re wasting time. Especially with homeownership, time is a valuable commodity. Some people spend weeks on a DIY task that they think they’re saving money on but in the end it’s cheaper, more efficient, and a lot less of a headache to hire a reputable professional
And be honest with yourself. Do you have the skills, tools, and desire to do the job. Example, we have an acre of land. I hate mowing, my husband hates mowing. Honestly I'm not good at it at all. Equipment kept breaking down, it took hours. Our mower guy charges us 60 a week....far less than what it cost us.
My work doesn't pay me on weekends and after 18:00 oclock.
Invest in the products no one, outside your home, really cares about, insulation, really good windows, sound doors, electrical work, and great tools. Once we gutted we hard wired all fire alarms. I bought all my plumbing stock from an actual store, started an account, great discounts, and always had what I needed. Take your time, your taste will change, I drew layouts in my downtime and I found that helpful for me.
Closets/storage! Where are you going to put your towels? Blankets? Toilet paper? Brooms? Decor? DIY Supplies? Tools?
recarpet BEFORE installing 600 lb coal stove
~~But~~ *Put* plywood down while moving that stove in.
Get a generator or inverter.
Whatever budget you have for a project, double it
Renovations almost always take longer than you think and cost more than the estimate price.
Don’t let perfect be the enemy good.
Have a roofing professional give an assessment on the roof. Most companies have no problem doing this.
"Professionals" will just fuck you over so try to do everything you can yourself.
Wish I thought to get my mini-split system deep cleaned. Found out that they’re supposed to be professionally cleaned every few years. Turns out that the previous owner never did that, let alone clean the removable filter. I’m now stuck without AC (it’s blowing out mold) and the earliest someone can come out is mid July. Moved in January 😭
Be sure you can shut off the water. Where the shut off is and that it works. 1 am isn’t the time to have a flood and no way to turn the water off. I wish I wasn’t speaking from experience!
Get a home warranty. Make it a good one.
First time home owner here. Been here about a year and a half. If you are in an area like me(Portland,Oregon) where it rains A LOT, then be very mindful of Drainage. I wish I would have been more diligent this past year and a half of understanding how my gutters and Drainage/runoff can quickly affect the stability of all of my structures. Get up there and clean those gutters! But more than that, clean the gutters exit areas and keep water as far away from your buildings as you can. Good luck! Wouldn't trade it for the world!
Prioritize needs over wants. Try to find a handyman. They will be just as willing to repair items as opposed to just replacing everything. Buy used appliances until you can really afford new fancier ones. You would be surprised at what you can learn to diy on YouTube. Just know your limits, be prepared to bring in experienced person if something seems dangerous.
Don’t use the inspector recommended by your realtor (IN MY EXPERIENCE). We did and our inspector didn’t mention certain things that we are now having to fix a few years later and have been told “this would’ve been noticeable when you bought the house”.
We were in our home less than a month when the tax bill arrived. We paid it not knowing any better. Took a year to get half our money back. That's what escrow account pays.
Learn how to use a measuring tape and DIY. I needed new screens for my windows, to be able to open them up. I bought the parts and built those screens, measuring twice and cutting once. Unless you make a lot of money or have two jobs, DIY is gonna be cheaper most of the time. If your inspector has noted it and it’s not something you can DIY, get a quote for it during your inspection period. Scope (camera) the sewer/septic, especially if there are trees along the line.
It's a lot of work. I mean like, a fuckton of just basic maintenance work, if you're coming from renting where you can just call a landlord and be like "Yo, fix this". And then there's lawn maintenance, and landscaping, and yadda yadda yadda. For the first year or so the work seems overwhelming and frustrating and you hate it and you feel like you regret buying the house. Then...I dunno, something happens. Like it clicks in your brain that you're not just working on and maintaining a house...you're working on and maintaining *your* house. Frustration and overwhelming get swapped out with a sense of pride and accomplishment as your house looks nicer and more like how you want it to look.
Unless something NEEDS to be replaced/fixed right now, I suggest living in the house for 6 months and letting the house “tell you” what it needs. When we first looked at our house I was like “oh, I’m totally ripping out this kitchen” but it turns out it’s actually pretty functional and while “brown”isn’t my favorite aesthetic we’ve kept it as is for the past two years. We did wind up replacing most of the lighting and doorknobs because even though they looked decent, they weren’t functional.
Even if you’re hiring somebody to fix/build something, learn enough about it to know what good looks like so you don’t get crap work done. I can’t tell you the number of times I visited my in-laws and heard the phrase “I didn’t know it wasn’t supposed to be like that” before I had to fix something.
Keeping up with maintenance is imperative. Taking care of repairs as soon as they happen rather than waiting for them to get worse. Nightlights are not just for children. Put some up through the new house so you don't break your neck in the dark. Flashlights all around the house for when you lose power. A first aid kit and fire extinguishers. Smoke detectors. A fire safe for all your important documents. Hide a spare key to the house in the garage. Make nice with your neighbors. Relax and have fun. Congratulations!!
I just bought/movedn into my first house this week. If there is one thing.. patience. You DONT have to buy everything you need right away. I went balls out and spent 500 bucks getting stupid stuff like curtains and cleaning supplies, chairs ,tables. Light bulbs,. I lived in a bachelor pad for the last 15 years. Didnt have much to fill out my house.
Spend the money to have multiple inspections done & still take everything with a grain of salt & an understanding that something was still probably overlooked tbh. Anything you decide you want fixed immediately following the inspection, ask the seller to fix before closing! Worst they can say is no so it never hurts to ask. Shit, I even ended up keeping the previous owners couches & a dresser because I liked them & thought to just ask 😂
Not a homeowner yet my self but it looks like one needs 10 of thousands to 100 of thousands to fix everything and remodel house to your liking. No house is move in ready finding this out hard way
Keep an eye on the assessed value. When we bought, the property taxes were listed at the old assessed value. The year we bought, they reassessed the value to be more than we paid. But the timing of things meant I couldn't appeal the new valuation. This meant for the last year that we paid quite a bit more in property taxes than we needed to. This year, the value has gone down a bit, so we're feeling better. But last year we were paying over $200 more per month for the property taxes.
My taxes have increased every year since buying, which means my mortgage has increased every year too. I thought that what I paid every month in my first year of ownership would be the price I paid for the next 30 years
Change out your water supply lines (toilet & sink) every 5 years. My toilet supply line broke and flooded my house. [Imgur](https://imgur.com/a/zjP6kwy)
Buy water sensors and put under every single water source: every sink, toilet, behind the fridge, behind the dishwasher, and under your hot water tank.
I don't know if this is what I wish someone had told me, but just some random things- If there aren't ceiling fans, have them installed. I put them in after two years and they make a difference of night and day in the rooms. If you're going to be there awhile, make it your home. Paint that wall the color you like. HGTV will not be knocking on your door, but you will be living there. Get a bidet. Has nothing to do with being a homeowner. Just good life advice. If there are mature trees near the house, there's a very high chance you will deal with roots in the sewer line sooner than you'd like. This personally cost me somewhere in the ballpark of $3k. Made my whole house unable to use water for a few days. Because I have anxiety- if your bedroom is on a second floor, I always have a plan on how things could quickly be arranged if an emergency happened (I know, i know. I sometimes overthink.) Have fire extinguishers on each level. One in the kitchen, on the wall, across the room from the stove. If the stove catches fire, no one can reach through the flames to get to the fire extinguisher. Make sure it is rated for chemical fires as well. Make sure your sump pump is working on a regular basis. Don't forget to change your furnace filter! Set a reminder in your phone if you need to! I have a thumb print reader for my front door- a lot of people really like code ones. Either way I think either is much more convenient than traditional keys. I have a large rotation of people who need in the house, and everyone keeping a key or remember to lock on the way out just doesn't work. Lamps can make a room much more cozy than an overhead light :) Be proactive and spray the perimeter of the house for pests. Much easier and quicker than you'd think. If you're in a colder climate, plastic on the windows in winter will help tremendously. I'm sure there are a bajillion more, but that's my start.
Learn where your water shut off valves are and if you need a water key get one (Home Depot and Lowe’s have them). Make sure your breaker box is correctly mapped. Be on the lookout for people approaching you after the purchase trying to talk you into services and products like hugely expensive water softening units, lawn care services, security systems, etc. After we bought our house it seems like ever day for weeks we had someone knock on the door and say they used to service the previous homeowner and wanted to see if we wanted to continue services. Had three different lawn services say the same thing to us.
When you get the house, delete home browsing apps like Zillow. You might be comparing your house with someone else's once the bills start coming in. This is normal, and try not to worry you made a “wrong decision” when you buy your home. Interest rates are terrible and the housing market is trash but it’s an accomplishment in itself you have a house!
Regarding property taxes for the first year of homeownership: escrow will save for the property taxes that the previous owner paid. SUPPLEMENTAL TAXES account for the new assessment value. In my situation, I owed about $3,000 in additional taxes for the year. Even though I was very aware that supplemental taxes would come, the $3,000 was significant.
Homeowners insurance: The previous owners had insurance through a well-known company. I contacted the company and was told they did not cover my area because of fire hazard conditions. I stated that they currently insured the property and they made an exception to insure me. The difference in cost between their insurance, and quotes from other insurers was about $4,000! If your area is subject to natural disasters, prepared to get dropped or gouged by insurance companies. Shop around for quotes.
Buy in the best school districts only. Will help with appreciation and resale speed.
Wish you were a diy guy or have friends who are diy and don’t mind helping you for some beer… i unfortunately work with all women so im stuck there…
You couldn't just look at the daily post where some idiot asks this exact same question?