When you buy your first home you initially need to focus your efforts solely on making the purchase and your finances. Once you have actually moved in then it can be easy to think that all you now need to do is enjoy your new pad. While it is important to have lots of fun and good times in your first home, you should also bear in mind the importance of maintaining it. By taking steps as a first-time buyer to look after your house then you will keep it in great shape and avoid any costly problems that could otherwise occur.
The importance of keeping your home in tip-top shape is not limited to preventing things going wrong or cutting back on repair costs. Houses are like people and they get old, which can lead to issues that actually pose a health risk to you and your family. By making sure you regularly check your house over and by looking after it properly you are helping to make it a safe and enjoyable place to be.
Tips on maintaining your first home
Of course, the problem for a first-time home owner is knowing exactly what they should be keeping an eye out for. If you have not owned a home before or lived away from your parents, then you may simply not know the essential things to bear in mind.
If this applies to you then there are some key home maintenance tips to know about as below.
- Tackle small jobs before they grow into big ones – making sure your house is in the best condition it can be not only ensures it holds its value but also avoids any big problems. One crucial thing to do is keep an eye out for damp problems that are caused by missing tiles, cracks in walls, leaking pipes, etc. Make sure you tackle these right away when they are still small issues and it will save you spending lots of money on repairs further down the road.
- Test smoke and carbon dioxide alarms regularly – as we have noted above, keeping your home in good condition is vital for keeping everyone in it safe. Perhaps the most important maintenance task to carry out every few months is testing your smoke and carbon dioxide alarms. That will ensure the batteries in them are still working and the alarms themselves are in good order. Doing this will make sure that your home is fully protected, and early warning can be given of any problems before it is too late.
- Keep the gutters clean – a massive issue that some houses can suffer with over time is damp or mold. While this can have a few different causes, including poor ventilation, a major one is rain water running onto outside walls from broken or blocked gutters. Over time, this water can cause mold or damp issues. To avoid this and keep your house in top shape, regularly clear your gutters out and repair any broken sections.
- Keep the paintwork up to date – a great tip for making sure your first home stays looking good for years to come is by regularly updating the interior decorations. A good tactic that some home owners use is to refresh the paint in a different room every year. That makes it a relatively small job at the time avoiding a lot of work later if the whole house needs redecorating.
- Look after the garden – maintaining that new home is as much about what you do outside as on the inside. Your garden should be well maintained at all times, with trimmed lawns in the summer and bushes pruned back. There should be no wild or overgrown sections due to lack of care as this will degrade the overall look of the property.
Find the best home warranty to cover you
Home warranties are trusted by many first time buyers to help them maintain their properties – it is definitely worth trying to find out more about home warranties and what they offer. For the cover you pay an annual fee to protect your home with a professional warranty provider. The warranty would then cover the cost of any unexpected repairs or replacements to key appliances in your home. However much you do to maintain your home and everything in it, sometimes things do just go wrong, which is why this kind of cover is a wise investment.
Have fun keeping your new home in great shape
The best way to go about looking after your new home is to make maintenance a task you do regularly. After all, you have spent a lot of money on buying the property, so you want to make sure it is looked after properly.
Leave a Reply