If you’ve recently bought your first home, congratulations are in order! Being a homeowner is an honor that not everyone in the world gets to experience. This statement may be stressful to learn, but the hard work has just begun.
Houses have a way of becoming an extension of who you are, so you need to keep them in good condition. Homes need tender loving care, just like you do – if you get neglected, you wouldn’t look great either.
To keep your home worth as much and ultimately more than you paid for it, follow these five home improvement tips below:
1. Learn To DIY
Don’t be afraid of doing things yourself. For some plumbing, structural, or electrical projects, you may require the services of a qualified professional. For everything else, there is DIY.
Hardware stores are packed full of items that will make your life easier and almost guarantee that your home improvement projects are successful. Learn how to do things yourself; you will be amazed at how much money it will save you.
2. Add Value
Home improvement projects are supposed to either fix damaged areas or add value to new areas. Most new homeowners have lists of projects they’d like to do on their new houses, but you have to prioritize.
One area you can improve on before you get started is making sure you have insurance like a 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty that covers your appliances too. Adding appliances to the home is a great first move in adding value to the property and protecting your investment when they break. A warranty also may be what pays for those damaged areas you need to fix!
When deciding which project to start with, condense your list of them into a summarized version that ranks them according to the value they will add to your home.
3. Do One Project At A Time
It’s only natural to watch YouTube tutorials on how to do home improvement projects such as tiling, painting, or remodeling. While that is highly recommended, you need to remember that those people have done that job hundreds of times before, so they will make it look easy.
Instead of starting multiple projects simultaneously, learn to do them one at a time. That way you won’t end up with countless half-finished jobs around the house. Those will only add to your stress levels and inhibit your ability to relax in your home.
Florida real estate offers some of the most beautiful houses you will ever see, so take your time to decide what you want changed inside your new home.
4. Wait Before Making Big Changes
When you first buy a fixer-upper house, there will likely be a long list of things you want to do and change to enhance the house. There is nothing wrong with wanting to evolve your home into something bigger and better – you should just wait a few months before making any massive changes.
Take the time to get to know your new house because who knows, you may even change your mind after a few weeks and want to do something completely different.
5. Always Have A Budget For Breaks
While there are undeniable perks of being a homeowner, there are also one or two downsides. When something breaks, it is your job to get it fixed – and at your cost.
As a responsible homeowner, you need to have home insurance and set aside a rainy day fund for when big things go wrong. As tough as it is to be financially disciplined, it is necessary when you own a house.
