Moving from a condo to a single-family home is certainly not without a learning curve. While you used to be able to have the cost of major repairs fall on your landlord if you were a renter, or as a member of a condo association have your sidewalk shoveled in the winter and lawn watered in the summer, as the owner of a single-family home the financial responsibility and time commitment to fix things completely and totally falls on you.
To help you make the transition with ease, here are some tips to stay on top of the sole responsibility of maintaining your home:
Consider All Seasons
A shovel for snow, a lawnmower for the yard, clippers to edge the garden. Perhaps these were all items you didn’t even need to consider in your condo or apartment, as the maintenance burden mostly fell on someone else, but now the appearance of your home, for better or for worse, rests in your hands. Make sure to have tools on hand for minor repairs as well: A hammer, screwdrivers, wrenches, etc, whether you buy them yourself or receive them as a housewarming present. Just as you have organized your kitchen and office to easily locate and reach certain pots and pans or certain important papers, organize your tools to keep everything neat and easily accessible, whether that’s in some sort of shed or your own garage.
Assemble Team [Insert Last Name Here]
The refrigerator’s on the fritz: Who are you going to call? You’d like to renovate the bathroom: Who should you call? The heater went out and we’re still weeks away from spring: Who’s your go-to? Assembling your team of home repair specialists and contractors now saves you a lot of time and headaches in a crisis situation, and can help you get started sooner on making the home you just purchased further align with your goals and dreams. Your Dream Town residential specialist has a comprehensive list of the best in the business, after years of working in real estate, and can put you in touch with someone you can trust.
Understand The Operating Systems
Even if you have a list of pros to call in times of crisis and for major repair issues, you still need to know where your main water line is and how to shut it off. You also need to know where the fuse or breaker box is and what services you could or would shut down should you find yourself out of town for an extended period of time.
Set A Routine
Understand the things you’ll need to do every year: Check the furnace, check the roof’s condition, inspect the fireplace, examine the outside of your home for cracks, holes, etc. Make sure to make a calendar and a checklist for yourself, so that something that would have been a minor annoyance at the time doesn’t become a major issue if you forget about it.
Establish An Emergency Fund
Plumbing leaks, roof leaks, a tree that falls during a storm and damages a significant portion of your home. While your homeowner’s insurance will help you deal with those issues, you always want to have money stocked away to cover a deductible if home repairs become an immediate concern.
