Homeowning!

[Ducksnort]

Hello! My wife and I just bought our first house! We are super excited, a little nervous, and can't wait for this next chapter. 

I'm looking for advice. Any advice from homeowners out there. What are things that we might not be aware of at the moment that we should expect? What are some surprises that might come up that we should be aware of?

Any other helpful information is greatly appreciated!

Edited May 21, 2022 by ScooterMcGuire

[CentralChamps21]

I still live with my parents so I got nothing for you but wanted to say congratulations!

[The Grinder]

Hey Scooter congrats! Good for you, its common sense to expect unexpected repairs and for those repairs to cost more than you expect. Can I say "expect" one more time! If yr able to do repairs yourself, do it. Property taxes only go up too. 

[Ducksnort]

3 hours ago, The Grinder said:

Hey Scooter congrats! Good for you, its common sense to expect unexpected repairs and for those repairs to cost more than you expect. Can I say "expect" one more time! If yr able to do repairs yourself, do it. Property taxes only go up too. 

Thanks for the advice! Those are things we've been preparing for already, but it's good to hear that from others for confirmation. 

[Kyyle23]

Don't be afraid to make the house yours.  For a year and a half me and my wife just kind of left our house the way we bought it, same wall colors, floors, flower beds outside, everything.  Then one day it was like we both just looked at each other and said this needs to be OUR house now and it's been about 3 years of updating.  It's been some work but it has been fun and the changes are now all very visible 

[shipps]

Congrats! Be prepared to spend money on stuff that wasn't even on your radar when you bought it.

Other than that just enjoy. Its all yours so like Kyle said make it feel as much as like "you" as you can.  

[southsider2k5]

Get yourself some of the zero percent over a period of time credit cards for those kinds of emergencies.  We have Best Buy and Lowe's to cover appliances, house, and yard needs.

[bmags]

I am not amazingly handy so I'd say while it is true that you can save oodles of money fixing things yourself, it is going to take some time to get there. Start small with stuff you are sure you can do confidently, and see how you feel about your quality of work before committing.

There have also been small tasks that by the time I bought all the equipment cost about the same as if I'd paid. That's great if it's something you'll repair a lot, but not so great if it was a one-off.

We handled a lot of the painting when we first moved in. I had done that as a summer job. But slowly I've built more things in the house. 

Youtube is your friend, it's honestly incredible how much product and version specific stuff is out there. One thing I'd say is I was surprised and pleased at how relatively simple and cheap toilet fixes were. That was something my dad always called a plumber for. But there's not that much in there, and the replacement parts are plentiful and cheap.

By contrast, I've completely messed up a bathroom faucet that I tried to replace. Had to get all new hardware.

Anyway I'd say just ask your neighbors for people they trust in terms of handyman and HVAC. Use youtube and plan liberally. Other than that you are just going to figure out for yourself what your tolerance is.

[Harry Chappas]

8 minutes ago, bmags said:

I am not amazingly handy so I'd say while it is true that you can save oodles of money fixing things yourself, it is going to take some time to get there. Start small with stuff you are sure you can do confidently, and see how you feel about your quality of work before committing.

There have also been small tasks that by the time I bought all the equipment cost about the same as if I'd paid. That's great if it's something you'll repair a lot, but not so great if it was a one-off.

We handled a lot of the painting when we first moved in. I had done that as a summer job. But slowly I've built more things in the house. 

Youtube is your friend, it's honestly incredible how much product and version specific stuff is out there. One thing I'd say is I was surprised and pleased at how relatively simple and cheap toilet fixes were. That was something my dad always called a plumber for. But there's not that much in there, and the replacement parts are plentiful and cheap.

By contrast, I've completely messed up a bathroom faucet that I tried to replace. Had to get all new hardware.

Anyway I'd say just ask your neighbors for people they trust in terms of handyman and HVAC. Use youtube and plan liberally. Other than that you are just going to figure out for yourself what your tolerance is.

Great advice.

Years ago doing it yourself turned into a sitcom routine with the repair being completely botched.

Toilet replacement and faucet work is pretty easy as is tiling,

Painting makes a huge difference as it requires a deep cleaning.   ALWAYS BUY GOOD PAINT, NEVER BUY FROM HOME DEPOT/LOWE'S ETC.  GET THE STUFF FROM A STAND ALONE PLACE LIKE SHERWIN WILLIAMS OR DUTCH BOY.  Same with appliances.  Lowe's and Home Depot appliances kind of suck.  Find a good appliance place.  The low interst cards will allow you get those appliances which is what we did but I regret it. 

Find a repair guy/firm that can repair all appliances.

Get your furnace and A/C cleaned regularly. 

Learn how to replace bulbs, wipers and side mirrors in your car. 

[The Grinder]

Plumbing looks so easy but is so frustrating at time. Just connect 2 one inch PVC right? Something always seems to go wrong......

[maggsmaggs]

Start a house fund (somewhere with a decent interest rate; I use an Ally savings account) and contribute to that account monthly to cover unexpected house expenses. Nothing worse than having to get a new furnace, AC or water heater and having to pay for it without some extra savings set aside.   

[Jerksticks]

Super exciting- congrats to both of you!  
 

Hey feel free to post any questions/ideas about home building, remodeling, repairs etc.  I’m one of the probably many construction ptacs on here happy to hash out ideas.  

[hogan873]

One thing all homeowners will say is, "It's always something."  There seems to be always something that needs fixed or replaced or updated, and it can get frustrating at times.  You'll throw your hands in the air when the hot water heater goes out and say, "But we just had the furnace fixed."  In reality, though, it seems much worse than it actually is when something goes wrong.  We've been in our house for almost 19 years and have replaced the air conditioner once, the hot water heater twice (because we got a lemon once), the roof once, and had to replace a couple appliances.  We've made the choice to add a three season room and update the siding and windows.  Sounds like a lot, but over nearly two decades, the majority of the time has been spent on making the house a home and raising a family.

There are people who luck out and have plumbers or electricians or general contractors in their family, but if you don't, find ones you can't count on.  Find a plumber that can respond to a dead water heater on a Sunday morning, an electrician who can fix anything, an HVAC company that's reliable, etc.  We've found that it's better to occasionally pay a bit more for quality and speed than to bargain hunt.

Finally, if you want to make a good investment in your home, add a whole house generator.  We added one after the 2020 derecho knocked out our power for 6 days.  It's a $5000 - $7000 investment, but the piece of mind is well worth it, and it does add value to the house.

[bmags]

1 hour ago, hogan873 said:

One thing all homeowners will say is, "It's always something."  There seems to be always something that needs fixed or replaced or updated, and it can get frustrating at times.  You'll throw your hands in the air when the hot water heater goes out and say, "But we just had the furnace fixed."  In reality, though, it seems much worse than it actually is when something goes wrong.  We've been in our house for almost 19 years and have replaced the air conditioner once, the hot water heater twice (because we got a lemon once), the roof once, and had to replace a couple appliances.  We've made the choice to add a three season room and update the siding and windows.  Sounds like a lot, but over nearly two decades, the majority of the time has been spent on making the house a home and raising a family.

There are people who luck out and have plumbers or electricians or general contractors in their family, but if you don't, find ones you can't count on.  Find a plumber that can respond to a dead water heater on a Sunday morning, an electrician who can fix anything, an HVAC company that's reliable, etc.  We've found that it's better to occasionally pay a bit more for quality and speed than to bargain hunt.

Finally, if you want to make a good investment in your home, add a whole house generator.  We added one after the 2020 derecho knocked out our power for 6 days.  It's a $5000 - $7000 investment, but the piece of mind is well worth it, and it does add value to the house.

Terrible advice ?

[Texsox]

Preventative maintenance saves you headaches and money.

Water is your enemy. Avoid making holes in anything that keeps water out like your roof. 

Don't clutter. Empty spaces is fine. You're bank account will thank you. The house won't feel too small. It will be easier to maintain. 

I love @Kyyle23 comment. Make it yours. 

Pick a trade and become an expert. Electric, plumbing, carpentry, doesn't matter which one. Once you master one the next one is easy.

Congratulations. Generational wealth starts with a home. 

 

[Dick Allen]

On 5/20/2022 at 9:55 PM, ScooterMcGuire said:

Hello! My wife and I just bought our first house! We are super excited, a little nervous, and can't wait for this next chapter. 

I'm looking for advice. Any advice from homeowners out there. What are things that we might not be aware of at the moment that we should expect? What are some surprises that might come up that we should be aware of?

Any other helpful information is greatly appreciated!

Congrats. Just try to be prepared as well as you can be prepared. It is a great investment, the only problem is stuff goes wrong occassionally. I don't have kids, so mowing lawns, snow removal that stuff is on me. . I'm not very handy, but am one who can figure it out if I have to. But sometimes that is just not practical. Hopefully you have someone you trust or can fix things, because they do break. .I wussed out, and after 5 years went back to condo living. Pay the assessment and be done with it is very appealing to me.  

I agree with the earlier posts. Make the house yours. My wife changes everything every few years anyways, so when we moved it, 3 months later, everything was different and ours.

[raBBit]

Re-check your hot water heater, furnace, etc. and put together a schedule of when they may need to be replaced and budget for it.

Furnaces have filters that need to be changed monthly. Washing machines have also have filters that need to be cleaned. 

[Ducksnort]

Yall are seriously THE BEST. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

This community is fantastic.

Edited May 24, 2022 by ScooterMcGuire

[Marky Mark]

Tip 1)

Make sure if you ever do plumbing work, that you are 100% confident that things are reconnected before you leave the house. When I was 28 I thought I reconnected the water line to a faucet in an upstairs bathroom, but thought at worst case scenario it drips a little bit while I am gone.

Left for work and a few hours later my wife (who was 9 months pregnant) frantically screaming at me on the phone that the bathroom flooded and the water came busting through an 8 foot whole in the ceiling on the floor below.

As I'm thinking about it, make sure your wife knows and understands how to turn off the main water and power shutoffs.

Tip 2)

If you have a basement, a battery backup for a sump pump is a worthy investment.

[raBBit]

15 hours ago, Markbilliards said:

Tip 1)

Make sure if you ever do plumbing work, that you are 100% confident that things are reconnected before you leave the house. When I was 28 I thought I reconnected the water line to a faucet in an upstairs bathroom, but thought at worst case scenario it drips a little bit while I am gone.

Left for work and a few hours later my wife (who was 9 months pregnant) frantically screaming at me on the phone that the bathroom flooded and the water came busting through an 8 foot whole in the ceiling on the floor below.

As I'm thinking about it, make sure your wife knows and understands how to turn off the main water and power shutoffs.

Tip 2)

If you have a basement, a battery backup for a sump pump is a worthy investment.

Yeah good points here. The battery backup with a double sump pump is peace of mind. 

[bigruss]

Before you remodel/renovate, make sure the infra are good in the house (electrical, plumbing, structural, etc).  Invest in those things first, then do the more fun things.

Save money where you can by doing things in your wheel house, as mentioned there are great videos for things like tiling, basic plumbing (toilet installs, faucets, etc), painting, replacing switches/fixtures.  I've also had buddies come over to help with drywall and I learned a ton from them, I paid them but now it's something I can do some basics with. 

But don't be afraid to pay for the expert when you're uncomfortable or if it's a big job that would take months.  Of course you'll pay for it, but I've found paying someone to do some things were just 100% worth it.  For example, I've always done my own painting but I had a stairway and kitchen that needed new paint, and I had just done my cabinets and didn't want to screw them up.  I had a guy who helped install my flooring who does a good job at a good price and he came over to do those two painting jobs flawlessly and I didn't have to disrupt my kitchen or whatnot for an entire weekend, trying to do ladders on narrow stairs with paint, etc.  Worth the money to me to get it done right without the stress.

[The Beast]

On 5/20/2022 at 9:55 PM, ScooterMcGuire said:

Hello! My wife and I just bought our first house! We are super excited, a little nervous, and can't wait for this next chapter. 

I'm looking for advice. Any advice from homeowners out there. What are things that we might not be aware of at the moment that we should expect? What are some surprises that might come up that we should be aware of?

Any other helpful information is greatly appreciated!

Congrats!

I bought a Speed Queen washing machine from Harry Miller Appliances in Alsip, IL. I would recommend buying from a place that isn’t a mainstream store. I would also recommend buying something basic but long lasting that doesn’t have a lot of gadgets. More gadgets = more things to break in my opinion.

Take inventory of how old everything is so you know what you might have to replace first. You can’t predict everything but I still think it is smart to know how old everything is in your house.

YouTube and people with knowledge are your friends. My dad helped me change an ejector pump and it wasn’t that bad when we expected it to be pretty gross. Use your home warranty if you have it, but consider canceling it after some time since you could just as easily put that money in a rainy day fund.

Question for all of you: For four medium sized trees that need pruning in my back yard, would $700 be a decent price to pay, especially if everything is hauled away? 

Edited May 27, 2022 by The Beast

[Harry Chappas]

On 5/26/2022 at 6:13 PM, The Beast said:

Congrats!

I bought a Speed Queen washing machine from Harry Miller Appliances in Alsip, IL. I would recommend buying from a place that isn’t a mainstream store. I would also recommend buying something basic but long lasting that doesn’t have a lot of gadgets. More gadgets = more things to break in my opinion.

Take inventory of how old everything is so you know what you might have to replace first. You can’t predict everything but I still think it is smart to know how old everything is in your house.

YouTube and people with knowledge are your friends. My dad helped me change an ejector pump and it wasn’t that bad when we expected it to be pretty gross. Use your home warranty if you have it, but consider canceling it after some time since you could just as easily put that money in a rainy day fund.

Question for all of you: For four medium sized trees that need pruning in my back yard, would $700 be a decent price to pay, especially if everything is hauled away? 

I buy all my appliances from there from now on.  Fridge from Lowes and stove/micro from Home Depot are garbage.

Bought the speed queen washer from there site unseen.  Thing is a piece of machinery for sure.

Tiling if surface is flat and a good wet saw is actually easy and very self satisfying. 

[Tony]

Im going through this right now and actually have a question for the group if anyone has dealt with this.

We just moved into an older home on the North Shore, believe it was built in the 50’s and a couple has lived there for over 40 years. Most of the outlets in the house are two prong. I want to upgrade a number of the outlets to 3 prong like in my office and the family room. Installing a new outlet that needs to be grounded can be more costly and difficult. I know they have the GFCI outlets that don’t need to be grounded but offer a little more protection, but I’m still not crazy about have 3 prong outlets that don’t have a ground wire. Anyone else dealt with that?

[Kyyle23]

8 hours ago, Tony said:

Im going through this right now and actually have a question for the group if anyone has dealt with this.

We just moved into an older home on the North Shore, believe it was built in the 50’s and a couple has lived there for over 40 years. Most of the outlets in the house are two prong. I want to upgrade a number of the outlets to 3 prong like in my office and the family room. Installing a new outlet that needs to be grounded can be more costly and difficult. I know they have the GFCI outlets that don’t need to be grounded but offer a little more protection, but I’m still not crazy about have 3 prong outlets that don’t have a ground wire. Anyone else dealt with that?

My electrician buddy said it really doesn't matter if you put GFCI outlets anywhere around the house, it's most important near water for the breaker.  I have an older house with an old school screw in breaker box, old wired house so I had to replace all my outlets when I moved in.  So fun