Congrats! You are now a new homeowner. Gone are the days when you called your landlord to fix a broken toilet. The truth of having a house is that there are quite a few things you need to handle. It’s not always easy to know exactly where to start to take care of your new property. Here are some easy tips for making homeownership a great experience and helping you in this new chapter of your life.
1. Be aware of the climate
Climate change does have a big impact on where you live. If you are settling in a new area, it’s always best to know what mother nature has in store for you and be prepared accordingly. In some regions, tornados are an issue, but in other places, you need to keep track of possible floods. Make sure your insurance covers nature’s possible surprises that can affect your home.
2. Keep track of your budget
You’ll want to keep records as much as possible of your expenses related to your house or condo. This will be particularly useful if you ever decide to sell your home, as potential buyers may want to see evidence of your home’s history. This includes any renovations, maintenance, repairs and upgrades that you will do. Scanning your receipts and invoices and uploading them to an expense tracker such as Edwix will help you know how much you’ve spent on your home to date.
3. Stay on top of important maintenance tasks
Owning a home comes with its own set of responsibilities, and one of them is home maintenance. Regular maintenance and upkeep of the house are essential to ensure it stays in good condition. This can include changing air filters, cleaning gutters, inspecting the roof, and other routine maintenance. Create an annual calendar for those important checkups and stay on track. Preventing problems before they happen is also key to avoiding the painful process of big repairs.
4. Keep those important documents organized
Create a filing system that works for you. Having a consistent organizing system will prevent documents from piling up and becoming unmanageable. Use cloud-based storage platforms or external hard drives to keep digital copies of important documents. This will ensure that your documents are accessible in case of any damage or loss of physical copies. Use your phone to scan them if needed and store them in an app like Edwix to be able to access them with ease when needed and from wherever you are.
5. Maintain a good relationship with your real estate agent.
This is often a point that people don’t think about but keeping in touch with your real estate agent can be to your benefit. They can help you with advice, referrals, and information on the real estate market and on local services you might need. Additionally, you might want to consider using their services in future real estate deals, such as selling your home or purchasing another property.
Implementing small little routines like uploading your invoices and documents when you get them or creating a task calendar will help you stay organized and make life easier. Especially when you need to find that one document you can’t remember where you’ve put it or know exactly what’ve spent on this new home project.
