Moving into a home you just bought is an exciting time, but it can also be a stressful time with so many things to take care of and living around so much clutter while you get settled in (trust us – we’ve seen plenty of chaos around move-ins and move-outs among all the Tucson garage doors we’ve serviced over the years!) When you’re not in a “routine” yet, trying to figure out what to do first can be overwhelming. Getting a bit of advice from some experts on areas you might want to focus on can make the transition to your new home more enjoyable, efficient and smoother. So let’s hear what some experts from HouseLogic have to say…
Let say I just moved into my new home, it’s day one, what should I be doing?
Well. I would say the first thing is to get up close and personal with your home. So for instance, know where your main water shut off valve is. You certainly don’t to want to waste time looking for it when a pipe burst so the valve could be inside or outside your house and the key is just to turn the knob until it’s off and test it, just turn on any faucet in your house and make sure no water is coming out and then similarly, the other thing you really should say hi to your first day is your circuit breaker and figure out which fuses control what and label them.
The flip side is there anything I should not do as new homeowner?
Well I think a common move in project is hanging stuff. So you want to be aware of careless drilling.
Yeah there are plumbing pipes, there’s duct work, there’s wires, there’s cables. Back there, stud sensor can help you at least check for some of the stuff you can’t see.
Yeah exactly. It’s a great place to start but they’re not always foolproof so a good rule of thumb is to never drill more than one in a quarter inches deep and that way you’ll clear the drywall in the plaster but you’re not going to reach potentially pipes and wires and things like that and then the other thing is don’t drill where wiring runs and that’s typically horizontally between outlets, about eight inches to two feet from the floor and of course vertically above and below the walls switches.
Okay good advice, anything else?
Yeah I mean I think if there’s a tree in your yard that you want to cut down and maybe because it’s dead or dying or there’s a lot of stuff falling out of it, call a pro tree service, don’t do it yourself, even small trees can fall awkwardly and that could damage your house or your neighbor’s.
Right, that’s one of the things an insurance company will look at when they come by your house and check things out so kind of, be prepared for that possibility.
Also be sure you really need to cut it down because just keep in mind that trees help preserve property values and the shade of trees really helps cut your energy bills.
Okay so few weeks, months passed, I’m settling into my new house sooner or later I’m going to run of the my first maintenance issues and how can I be ready for that?
I recommend you set a little aside per month. So that you have a handy maintenance fund and some sources recommend one percent to three percent of your homes purchase price annually but if that’s a little steep, you know do what you can and it just good to have something. You want to have at least a small budget for common repairs like repairing a leaky faucet or fixing the gutters and fixing toilet fill valves.
Yeah in the early maintenance the thing to do is really read that home inspection report you got when you bought the house because they had a lot of heads up in there as to what might need fixing and how soon.
Except that it could be a priority list.
Absolutely, best part of a new home of course is making it your own. Many new homeowners think on remodeling projects in the first few months of home ownership. What are the best improvements for value and enjoyment?
10 #remodeling projects that will increase the value of your #home: https://t.co/vFq4sc83kp
— Gerety Restoration (@GeretyBuilding) November 24, 2015
Whether it’s now or later, I would put a patio on that list. There are really cost effective ways to increase your home’s living space without actually adding on. And it really can be something really simple. In fact I would recommend you don’t go crazy with high end amenities like an outdoor kitchen especially if you would be the only one on the block with one, because when it’s time to sell you’re not going to get back much of any of your investment in something like that those high end amenities.
So keep it simple, functional and someplace you really want to be so you actually use it. So the keys are having shelter from sun and rain so owning canopy, something of that nature if you can screen it in to keep a lid on the bugs even better.
Outdoor lighting, patio or no patio, it’s a great thing because it dresses up your home’s marketability. In fact exterior lighting is buyers most wanted feature according to a recent National Association of Homebuilders study and of course it makes your home safer and you probably want to spend more time outside if you can see what you’re doing.
What’s another great project for adding value?
I would say storage and built in organization and you can create storage out of thin air so maybe you’re like you know “gee, work we’re not going to even add it.” But you can.
Well, where?
You could open drywall and create storage cubbies between wall studs which are a great idea for bathrooms and above interior doors is often a great place to put books or towels or whatever.
There are also all kinds of great additions for the garage to increase your storage capacity in there. And speaking of the garage, another great and simple addition to your home for both the general curb appeal as well as resale value is a new garage door. There are a lot of options to choose from and getting something unique can really make your house stand out from the others in the neighborhood. And the nice thing is that it doesn’t need to cost you a fortune, especially when you call in Discount Garage Door Company.
