The day my partner and I bought our first home was amazing, no more renting, we were on the property ladder! Well let me just say the whole being a home owner thing is great, but it’s certainly not all sunshine and laughs like people would have you believe. Now I would never tell someone not to buy a house, but there are some things that come with being a home owner that you need to know. These may all seem small things, but these are all things that have made me want to pull my hair out. Hopefully by sharing them with you guys you will be better prepared than I was!
Moving Day Is Brutal
I was giddy like a 12 year old at a 1 Direction concert when we got the call that we could go and pick up the keys for our new house. We had a van hired and all the stuff from our apartment in a storage locker and I estimated that it would take about three maybe four trips to get all our stuff. We were ready to move. And when I say we I mean me, my partner, my father in law, brother in law and my brother. Moving day was one of the most stressful and horrible experiences I have had with my family. It seemed like every one of us was a moving expert and knew the right way to do things. And then we had people telling us how to decorate and stuff like that. In general moving day is no fun at all and if you can afford it I cannot suggest highly enough that you pay a moving company to do it all!
Your House Is Your Responsibility
When we rented when we had an issue (which to be fair we did not have that many) I would just call the landlord and he would come and fix it for us. I would call up with things like the shower is not working and he would sort it. As a home owner if your shower is leaking then it’s your problem and you are the one who either needs to fix it or pay for someone else to do it. When you own a home, things go wrong and more often than not at the worst times! So let me say again something goes wrong either you fix it or you pay someone else to do it!
Learn DIY
I am not a DIY expert by any means, but when you buy a home one purchase that you need to make is a tool box with a multitude of tools. Nothing too fancy, just make sure you have a few screw drivers, wrenches, hammers and other basic tools. You can get tools for next to nothing these days. You simply must learn to be able to fix little things around the house. You may just think you will pay a person to fix it, but that can cost a great deal of money. Learn how to fix little things yourself. These days I am more than willing to tackle most things that go wrong in my house before I call in a professional.
It’s Your House. Your House
Everyone will have an opinion on how to decorate or where you should put your furniture. Do not listen to these people! Decorate your house the way you want it done. One of the best things about owning your own home is that you can really make it your own. Many rental properties these days are not keen on tenants changing things like wallpaper and carpets. But your own home is like your own canvas that you can work on. Do not let friends or family member talk you into things you do not like.