Buying your own home is one of the biggest milestones in life and it deserves celebrating! But as you do, make sure you’re aware of the responsibility you’ve just taken on. Being a homeowner means you have to stand on your own two feet, as you’ll no longer have anyone like a parent or a landlord to call when things go wrong.
And that usually means learning on the job, which is what we’re here to help with. So, if you’ve never owned a home before, whether it’s an older house or a new build, you’ve got a lot of learning to do! Here are the main things you need to know now you’re entering this exciting stage of your life.
Furniture is So Much More Expensive Than You’d Expect
Buying furniture for a new home is going to cost a lot if you’re not careful. You can expect to fork out around $3000 for furnishing a one bedroom home, with upwards of $5000 needed for two bedrooms. And depending on who and what you want to add to the home in the future, this number is going to exponentially increase.
So if you’re on a tight budget, try to shop second hand above all else. Go round charity shops and vintage stores first of all, and then get onto bargain home furnishing stores. Of course, stores like IKEA are becoming more and more affordable, but a lot of people don’t like the look of their uniform furniture. If you’re such a person, buying used but in good condition is a great way to outfit the living room, bedroom, and hallway.
Emergencies Will Happen!
Emergencies are going to happen every so often, and it’s best to understand that now then be woken in the middle of the night with a burst pipe. If you’ve already got a number for emergency plumbers written down in your diary or on a calendar, your house will have far less time to flood! You’ll have a professional over in a matter of minutes and all because you were ready to face the inevitable whenever it decided to happen.
So take this approach to all elements of homeownership. Get the names and numbers of some local repair companies down, get to know your way around DIY, and the rest much easier. At this point, a home emergency will be scary to face, yes, but it won’t be a disaster no one could have seen coming.
Your Neighbors Can Be Your Best Friends
Get out there and talk to them! You need to make friends with the people who are either side of you, to ensure you’re living in a safe and happy home at all times. And your neighbors can be your best of friends, thanks to just how close they live to you. You’ll have someone to talk to or head out with just next door, and that’s an invaluable connection in the modern world.
This also makes it easier to go away on vacation without worrying about the house. Your neighbor can look in on your home to double check nothing’s wrong, and can even pet sit for you for next to nothing. All in all, if you’ve got a good neighbor, you can worry less about the integrity of your home!
Prioritize Security Above All Else
This is the most important part of being a homeowner. Your home needs to be locked down whenever you’re away and during the night, and some new homeowners tend to seriously underestimate just how much effort that takes.
More often than not, simply locking the door is not enough. You need to have an alarm in place at the very least, even just to act as a visible deterrent to any potential intruders. Many people also line the front garden with gravel to ensure they can hear people coming. And motion lights never go amiss!
Of course, a lot of new Smart home tech is on the market, but it’s up to you whether or not to use these. As long as you’ve got locks on everything and more than one layer of protection on top, your home will be an unlikely target.
If you’ve just recently become a homeowner, this is your chance to show the world how it’s done! Use expert tips like those above to help and take this step into the unknown without fear. Remember, once a home is yours, you can do what you like with it!
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