Congratulations on buying your first home!
When you take your first step on the property ladder, you need to be prepared for a new challenge. First-time homeowners have an entirely new set of responsibilities that you’ll need to learn on the go. More importantly, things you may be familiar with as a tenant become different when you own a home.
Mistakes are unavoidable, and they are part of your learning process. Yet, there are some mishaps that you should be avoiding if you want to preserve your sanity. As a first-time homeowner, you don’t need to drive your stress levels through the roof!
Looking for the perfect home
Unless you’re buying a newly built property, you are likely to come across homes that will be in need of repair works. Unfortunately, most properties on the market that have been lived in are deemed to have some levels of wear and tear, even if previous owners were careful.
Additionally, it’s fair to say that every house requires essential maintenance costs that can’t be postponed, such as roof damage, for instance. First-time homeowners will not be able to find a dream home without accepting those extra costs.
Nevertheless, extra costs can be budgeted into your price offer. Say the property needs a new roof, you can deduce the cost of roofing from your offer.
Wanting to decorate it all by yourself
As tempting as it might be to grab a paintbrush and decorate your home by yourself, it is a tough job. If you want a hassle-free move, it can be a good idea to reach out to professional painters, such as the team on this site. You can arrange for the property to be painted before you move in. It will have a variety of advantages.
Firstly, you can feel at home from the moment you walk through the front door. Secondly, painters will get the job done quickly, especially when you don’t have any furniture around.
DIY paintwork may seem, at first, like a smart way to save money, yet decorating an entire property is a time-demanding task that’s best left to experts.
Keeping your old student’s furniture
As you were a tenant until now, chances are that you’ve been keeping your old college room furniture with you. But, the bed and desk from your student’s days are not always suitable for your first home.
Moving in, and especially moving together if you are buying with your partner, is an excellent opportunity to buy new furniture. Now is the time to invest in durable and quality items that will bring your interior decor together.
Trying to save money by using the same old units you’ve been keeping since college will make your home feel like a rental.
Not keeping track of your maintenance tasks
As a tenant, you’ve been relying on your landlord to maintain the property. Now that you own your home, you need to learn more about home maintenance.
Chores such as keeping the boiler insurance and servicing up-to-date or checking your exterior siding panels would have normally fallen under the responsibility of the landlord. As first-time homeowners, it can be helpful to create a list of what needs doing and when you first move in.
Becoming a homeowner is a fantastic adventure! But it can also be a challenging journey with a lot of obstacles and new lessons to learn. You don’t need to make things more stressful for yourself. Avoiding stress-inducing mistakes can help you keep a cool head as you discover your new responsibilities.
