So you’ve bought the house, now you also have the responsibility of being a homeowner.
That can be pretty scary, especially when you do not know exactly what you have let yourself in for, which is why I’ve put together a list of some things that nobody ever tells you about being a homeowner. By being aware of them, they hopefully will not be so much of a shock for you:
- It can get expensive
Yes, you know that buying a home is a huge financial commitment, but chances are, you’re thinking about the mortgage. Homeownership is so much more expensive than the cost of paying back the home loan!
There are property taxes, maintenance, and repairs, security measures, and decor changes and that’s just the beginning. Getting a good homeowners insurance policy, like this umbrella commercial one, will mitigate against some of the costs, but it’s still sensible to set aside an emergency fund for any unexpected repairs and maintenance issues you need to deal with.
- Things will annoy you much more
That scratch on the kitchen countertop or that watermark on the hardwood floor will drive you crazy now that you own it. You’ll become way more obsessed with making everything perfect, and it might work for a while, but eventually, something will get scraped or scratched snd you’ll be driven crazy again.
Learning how to do your own basic DIY is a good mitigator against this, but sometimes you just have to accept that being a homeowner and perfection do not always go hand in hand.
- You can’t always do exactly what you want
Many homeowners are excited about the prospect of carrying out all kinds of major renovations or building the perfect gnome home in the garden, but this is not always possible.
Some buildings are protected and some neighborhoods have pretty strict regulations that you will flout at your peril. Som before you make any changes to your home, consult the relevant authorities or neighborhood association and avoid falling foul of the law, or even worse, a horde of angry neighbors!
- You’ll do much more maintenance than you imagine
Many people think that, as long as they buy a home that is in good shape, they will hardly need to lift a finger at all, The thing is, when houses are lived in, things break or wear down, and you will end up spending way more of your weekends patching up the roof, mending the fence or cleaning the carpets than you ever imagined possible. Prepare yourself now and it won’t come as such a shock.
- You will need to call a contractor
Yes, you can do a lot of maintenance on your own, ut if you think you will be able to do it all, you’re wrong. Things like electrical rewiring and boiler installation need an experienced hand if you want to ensure that you and your family are safe, so you know you are going to want to build a contractor contingency fund just in case.
Now you know, hopefully, you can navigate the choppy waters of homeownership a little more smoothly.
