After countless showings and probably a few rejected offers, you finally bought a house. The hard part of your housing journey is done and you can relax — or so you thought.
As a first-time homeowner, there’s still plenty of things to take care of: moving, decorating and protecting your investment. During your house hunt, you probably realized that a lot of the conventional wisdom about home buying isn’t quite right. In this next stage of your homeownership journey, you might find that some of the advice for new homeowners is equally suspect.
Here are some of the most common myths you’ll hear as a new homeowner and why you shouldn’t believe them.
Myth #1: You can worry about maintenance costs later
Make room in your budget for home maintenance — even if you bought a sparkly new construction.
Every home is going to require some TLC to get it move-in ready. According to listing site Zillow and home repair marketplace Thumbtack, the average home for sale needs about $27,000 worth of work.
Beyond the costs to get in the door, assume you’ll spend between 1% and 4% of the home’s value on maintenance each year. In general, people will spend more if their home is older and less if it was built more recently, but that’s not a hard fast rule. As soon as you move into your new home, wear and tear are going to start taking their toll.
Taking the steps to keep your home in top shape can help prevent expensive repairs down the line. Gutters get clogged, paint can start peeling and concrete can start cracking. It won’t hurt to routinely walk around the home to make sure the exterior is in good shape. Small paint touch-ups, for example, are easier to take care of than redoing the whole exterior.
Other items may not be as obvious. Change the filters on your HVAC system every 30 days to six months (depending on your system), clean out your septic tank every three to five years and clean the swimming pool at least once a quarter. If your home has a fireplace, it needs to be cleaned routinely — how often will depend on the amount of use you give it. Other items you’ll need to check on include smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Make sure the batteries are in place and that the systems work properly.
Myth #2: It’s best to decorate and buy everything before move-in
New home, new start, new furniture, right?
Not necessarily. You just made the biggest purchase of your life, it’s understandable if you don’t feel financially (or emotionally) ready to spend …….
Source: https://money.com/housing-myths-debunked-new-homeowners/