Buying a home is one of the largest investments you are likely to make in your lifetime. Choosing the right home takes a series of painstaking decisions.
However, the decision-making does not end once you’ve bought your home.
In fact, homeownership is really just a series of never-ending decisions regarding maintenance, renovations, and budgeting.
Unfortunately, despite their best efforts to make the right choices, many homeowners end up with serious regrets.
We’re going to go through some of the most common regrets felt by homeowners, so that you can avoid having them yourself.
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Putting Off Routine Maintenance
Many homeowners don’t think about the parts of their house until something is broken. This is a mistake. Air filters, fireplaces, furnaces, and more all require routine maintenance.
When this maintenance is ignored, it can lead to extremely costly damage. While you may not want to pay for routine maintenance, it is almost always cheaper in the long run.
You should create a home maintenance checklist to ensure that you stay up to date on all tasks that need to be done around your house. The National Association of Homebuilders provides an extremely helpful and thorough guide to get you started.
Choosing the Cheapest Contractor
Oftentimes, when moving into a new home, renovations or other projects must be completed.
Since most of their money was just used buying the house, many new homeowners go with the cheapest contractor to save money.
Unfortunately, as is so often the case, you usually get what you pay for. Cheap contractors often use cheap materials, aren’t properly licensed, or take shortcuts.
All of this can lead to major headaches down the road. When choosing a contractor, don’t make the decision based on price alone. Look at each contractor’s experience, licensing, offered warranties, and the quality of their workmanship.
Ignoring the Roof
Roofs can last for decades, and this leads many homeowners to not even think about their roof until a leak or other issue develops. In reality, for a roof to last decades, it needs a serious amount of care and maintenance.
Ignoring this maintenance can lead to needing to replace the roof well before its maximum lifespan. Inspect your roof regularly for missing shingles, moss, leaks, and other damage.
When damage is found, it is usually best to hire professional residential roofing services. This will ensure that repairs are done correctly and that your roof will last for years to come.
Underestimating the Cost of Homeownership
Most people use a majority of their savings to purchase their home. This leaves them with very little in the way of funds to use on upkeep of that home. A house takes a steady stream of money in order to keep it in top shape.
There’s unexpected repairs, routine maintenance expenses, utility costs, emergency repair funds, and more to think about.
Before buying a house, you should ensure that you have enough money to keep up with the required maintenance. Making a maintenance budget can be a huge help.
Taking on DIY Projects Beyond Your Skill Level
DIY can save a massive amount of money when compared to calling in a professional.
However, without the proper skills, DIY can go wrong very quickly. One mistake and it can quickly end up costing more than if you had just hired an expert.
Before attempting any DIY projects, be honest with yourself about your skill set.
Only move forward on your own if you are confident in your abilities and knowledge.
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