Top 5 Tips for New Homeowners
Category Just Imagine Properties Team
The question has been asked throughout the ages: what makes a house a home? Is it a sense of belonging? Comfort? A highly personalised environment? Or perhaps home is, like novelist James Baldwin pondered, "not a place, but an irrevocable condition".
As a new homeowner, you are probably less concerned with the abstract qualities of your newly-acquired domicile than you are with ensuring that what is arguably the biggest investment of your life will work for you over the long-term. Yes, home is much more than bricks and mortar, but, if we're being realistic, it is also something into which you put a huge chunk of your money, so it's important that you make the right decisions right from the start.
Here are five useful tips for you, the new homeowner.
Don't ignore maintenance work
What might seem like a trivial problem when you move in could end up causing you some major headaches - not to mention costing you a considerable amount of money - in the future. That leaky faucet is a minor inconvenience right now, but you'll have to tighten it a little more every time you use it until it strips and you'll have to replace the entire unit. Geyser troubles? Best get that taken care of right away before incurring what is sure to be a major expense when it eventually bursts. If your stove or other appliance is tripping the earth leakage switch, this is not only inconvenient, but also potentially dangerous as it points to an electrical fault. Remember, there is no landlord to call upon when things go wrong. It's all up to you!
Property insurance
Property insurance isn't the same thing as home content insurance, so don't make the mistake of thinking that you are automatically covered for things such as fires and flooding. While most banks and financial institutions will require you to have some sort of homeowners' insurance so that repairs can be made in the event of structural damage and to safeguard you and the institution through which your home is financed, you should still do due diligence to check that your insurance covers you for any eventuality.
Hire qualified, reputable and reliable contractors
Whether it's to take care of maintenance tasks, improve your home's security, for example by installing access control, or doing cosmetic work such as retiling the kitchen or giving the house a new paintjob, it's important to ensure that you make use of contractors that will deliver high-quality workmanship. You can ask major home improvement outlets for a list of recommended contractors, as well as checking out online reviews and testimonials. It's also a good idea to ask the contractor whether they offer some sort of workmanship guarantee.
Give your new house a good clean
While a considerate seller will probably leave the property in as good a state as possible for the new occupant, it's unlikely that the former owners had the house professionally cleaned. As you'll know, the act of moving itself can leave things a bit dusty and highlight areas that have probably not seen a good clean in some time, so be prepared to disinfect surfaces (especially with the COVID-19 pandemic still going on), clean sinks and mop the floors prior to moving in.
Get to know your neighbours
This is more than a courtesy, but can actually enhance your home security as your neighbours can alert you if, for example, someone is lurking around your gate. In addition, you'll have access to more information and resources as your neighbours are probably established and have been living in the area for a while. If you're moving into your new home on your own, getting to know your neighbours will also help you feel less lonely.
Author: Charl Mijnhardt
