You’ve done it. You’ve signed the papers, received the keys and the house is yours. Now what? There are still many things to keep in mind. Below is a list of seven skills that every new homeowners should know.
We recently came across an article about some necessary skills every homeowner should know and it got us thinking…what skills should we put on such a list for all those clients who we just helped become homeowners. Well here is what we came up with.
- Keep all warranty, assembly, and operating information for each appliance or item in your house neatly filed, this way when something goes down you know where to go to find a solution.
- To locate a stud, knuckle the wall starting in a corner to compare a hollow sound to a firm sound, and then use some simple math to guide you to others as most studs are at 16 inch intervals.
- Unclogging a drain typically will mean using a plumbing snake to pull the gunk out. Nowadays you don’t even need a plumbing wrench to separate the pipes under your sinks to find debris. Of course ensure water is off and you have plenty of towels and buckets ready, or you could use some drainage chemicals to create a small hole in the gunk and save the heavy lifting for later.
- Know where your breaker box is and ensure each is labeled with a permanent marker. To find corresponding plug each switch controls have a friend plug a lamp in to sockets one by one. You will use this information one day.
- Know where your main water and electrical shutoffs are, either by referring to your inspection or asking the employees when they come out to read your meters.
- Have a list of vendors who perform every job that could possibly come up readily accessible so at any time you need help you can get it.
- Every once and awhile your house will need routine maintenance like an oil change for a car…things like A/C units, older appliances, etc…If you always wait for it to break first it will cost you in the long run.
Realtor.com
