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From the moment you started thinking about buying a house, you knew you’d need to start saving. Even though you have a 401(k) that you can use for your down payment, you still have to cover your closing costs and have a little extra put back in case something goes sideways on you right away. Unexpected home repairs are terrifying when there’s nothing in the bank and no home equity to draw from yet.
You’re a homeowner now, you can kiss bland uniformity goodbye the moment you turn your apartment keys over to your now former landlord. The world is your canvas -- at least, that part of the world that you now are obligated to pay a monthly mortgage payment on -- and you’re the artist that’ll mold it into a shape that tantalizes and delights the senses.
So, you’ve closed on your house and it’s time to figure out what the next step is. Don’t load up the moving van just yet -- this is the perfect time to do a real deep clean on your new home! After all, you have no idea when the last time the place was cleaned or what the prior owners may have done inside or what residues remain. Without furniture or boxes in the way, deep cleaning will be a cinch, so let’s get to it.
Icicles hanging from power lines, trees and other people’s homes can be absolutely gorgeous, but when those delicate frozen water daggers are hanging from yours, it may make your stomach do a barrel roll. Why? Well, it’s just one of many signs that your home is at risk for ice dams.
Standing under the giant gold umbrella of foliage that covered your majestic shade tree this fall was like wandering into a painting, but now that the leaves have all fallen and the stately guardian is beginning its winter rest, it’s time to consider the clean up. You’ve already mulched the leaves on the lawn, but that’s only the beginning. Your gutters were also gracious receptacle of those golden flags -- they’re going to need a good cleaning to keep working like they should.
Jennifer just closed on her very first home, a cornflower blue and white bungalow with a big front porch on a tidy cul de sac. She’s ecstatic as she thanks her Realtor for all his help, he opens the lockbox from her home for the very last time and gives her the key. Her key to her own house. After work, Jennifer loads up her car with some small items to take over to her new place. Her mind is racing. Is she really ready to be a homeowner? Her parents always seemed to know how to fix things and who to call if there was a problem they couldn’t handle -- everything just seemed like it came to them naturally. How did they know all this stuff? How was she going to learn it all at once?