10 Tips for New Homeowners

10 Low-cost Tips for New Homeowners

Here are 10 low-cost tips that new homeowners often overlook, sometimes to their own detriment. While some may seem obvious as you read them, it's true that doing the obvious is often the easiest thing to put off until later, or even to ignore it until it's forgotten and doesn't get done at all.

 Following these tips can can help you protect your castle—no moat required!

1

Maintain Your Home

Regular maintenance is essential for keeping your home in good condition. This includes tasks like cleaning gutters, changing air filters, inspecting your roof, and making repairs early rather than later when it may cost more due to inflation or additional damage.
2

Save for Repairs Before They Are Needed

Beyond your routine expenses like mortgage payments and property taxes, create a savings plan for home repairs and improvements. This will help you prioritize necessary repairs and plan for future projects.
3

Prepare for Emergencies

 Know how to shut off the water to your whole house and to individual faucets. You don't want a minor leak to become a major repair. Also, know where your circuit breakers are and which ones shut off which parts of your house.

Smart Move: Be prepared for emergencies like power outages or natural disasters. Make sure you have emergency supplies on hand such as an adequate supply of medicines, food enough for several days, bandages, batteries, etc.
4

Stay Organized

Keep important documents and paperwork related to your home in a safe place and in an organized way. This includes mortgage documents, home insurance policies, and receipts for home improvements, which may have tax benefits.
5

Keep Your Insurance Up to Date

This includes more than just paying your premiums on time. It includes making sure your insurance coverage is keeping up with inflation.
6

Take Photos

Take photos of your home, including the furniture and any expensive items covered by your policy. If your house is broken into or damaged in a natural disaster, having photos to prove your assets can be very valuable in recovering a better payout from your insurance company. Along with the photos, keep an up-to-date inventory of your insured assets, including the prices paid and the receipts for the goods if you have them.

Smart Move: Keep your records in a fire-proof safe or keep a second copy in another safe location. If your house should burn down, you don't want your proof of assets to burn up with it.
7

Be a Good Neighbor

Build good relationships with your neighbors and be respectful of their property. This may seem obvious, but it's often overlooked in our fast-paced world. Doing this, however, can create a sense of community in your neighborhood, making it a safer and more pleasant place to live. 
8

Add Your Own Touch

Adding some fresh paint, updating light fixtures, faucets, cabinet door handles and other other relatively inexpensive touches can make your home feel more like, well, your home. Seriously, add your own style so your home reflects a little more of you and a little less the former owners.
9

Landscape

Along with the previous tip, adding your own landscaping can help make the outside of your new home feel more like you as well. You might consider adding a garden, too. Home grown food is generally more nutritious, better tasting, and costs less than the same items bought at a store.
10

Deep Clean Once a Year

A deep clean can make your home feel like new again. This includes tasks like cleaning windows, scrubbing floors, and deep cleaning carpets. It can also help you locate needed repairs before they become bigger, more expensive problems.

Bonus Tips!

These are on the more expensive side so we include them as a bonus.

11. Invest in Energy Efficiency
Energy-efficient upgrades like insulation, weather-stripping, and energy-efficient appliances can decrease utility costs and increase your home's value.

12. Install Smart Technology
As with the previous tip, smart home technology like a programmable thermostat, a tankless water heater, or solar panels can also increase your home's energy efficiency and lower your utility bills.

13. Keep Your Home and Family Safe
Invest in a good security system and make sure your doors and windows close and lock tightly. This will help keep your home secure and your family safe.

14. Update Your Home
Keep your home up-to-date with modern styles and technology. This can increase the value of your home and make it more attractive to potential buyers if you decide to sell in the future.

15. DIY Projects
Consider DIY projects like building a deck, installing new countertops, or erecting a privacy fence in your backyard. These can not only add a personal touch to your home, but can increase it's value as well.

That's a wrap! We hope you've gained something from our tips. Feel free to share this page with your friends and family. You never know what they might pick up that will help them.

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