The 10-year battery smoke detectors are worth the money.
In Maryland, the 10-year smoke detectors are the law as of this year.
Yeppers, I am of the opinion that the standard one-year home warranty is a scam. Basically it is a tool to get you to call them if something goes wrong, and they send out low end repair people who first tell you whatever it is isn’t covered, and then that they can fix it, but their quote is always 4x what you could get from someone reputable. Just be forewarned.
Regarding projects: any capital project should be looked at first in the light of “Does doing this project increase the value of my investment?” Putting in a hot tub, probably not. Updating a bathroom or kitchen, probably yes. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t get a hot tub if you want one and can afford it, but you likely will never get your money back out of it.
Price a new roof.
Very good advice so far. I have a few more.
Landscaping is one of the things that will increase the value of your house. Don’t wait for years to do it or have it done. It takes a while to grow from little potted stuff to beautiful. Think about where you’d like a tree or two. You don’t want to look out there in 10 years and say, “A big tree would have been nice there.”
Got a sump pump? Test it. If not, get one.
me and my cousins bought a house off the hud repo list in the early 90s recession together it wasn’t too bad but we didn’t know the dishwasher was clogged
#rd time we used it backed up the pvc pipes under the sink and they blew apart …… no one else but me was home …. So I picked up the phone to call management to come fix it ……. it dawned on me who that was ………. I learned how to turn off the water via phone call to cousin in law
I’ve been a homeowner for nearly 30 years. Repairs haven’t come anywhere near that. In that time I’ve used plumbers maybe 4 times, roto-rooter 3 times. 10K to replace a roof once (on a house that needed it when we bought it, so we considered that part of the initial price of the house). We just spent about 3k on a new AC in our current house, but it was again something that we knew needed replaced when we bough the place, so we consider it part of the initial cost of the house (it was a repo, and we got a really good price for it.)
And also regarding home projects: I heard Bruce Williams say years ago that the primary consideration for improvements is not will it increase the value of your home, but does it add enough to your enjoyment of your home to be worth it to you.
You don’t have to make a profit for it to be worth it. You only have to pay less in the long run than you would have for rent.
If there is the slightest doubt in your mind such as “What does THIS handle do?”, then find out for sure, and then label it. Pencil is more durable than ballpoint ink, unless someone is going around erasing the pencil marks on purpose. Especially things like the main shut-offs for water, gas, and electricity, showing where they are and how to operate them - remember, you don’t know who might have to find and use those one day. Sometimes, something “blows” when you’re not even home.
Well, that depends. To be precise, it depends on the details of each individual’s full answer to “Why do I own this house?”.
There are things you can do to a house that will substantially DEcrease its market value. The majority of people (other than the fabulously wealthy) need to at least take care to not do any of those.
Any fixin’ you can do before the move, do. Repainting and ripping off carpet are sooo much easier when there is no furniture to move and cover, no gizmos and books and clothes to move from room to room.
Make sure that you find every switch and valve. I have a small laundry room which did have a ceiling light but… where is the switch? I finally found it two months ago, hidden behind the apparently-built-in shelves (they weren’t built-in, they were plastered-over melamine).
And, if you try to sell a home with unauthorized construction, the City will either make you take it out, or get all the repairs approved and up to code.
The last thing you want to do when selling a house is to be unable to get a new Certificate of Occupancy because of unauthorized and/or unapproved construction.
And if you have a fireplace, like virtually all the single family houses in my area have (if they don’t have a wood stove instead), get it professionally cleaned before you ever use it. You don’t want to wait until the power goes out and find you need to rely on it for heat without knowing if there’s fire hazard waiting to happen in there.
If your financial situation is not flexible, or you live on a mostly-fixed income, consider an appliance warranty. I’m not saying it will be cheaper than paying for repairs or new appliances as needed in the long run, but it can give you a peace of mind to know that if the furnace fails in the dead of winter, you don’t have to reach into your pocketbook or savings to keep warm.
Appliance warranty firms make their money in the long term, so even reputable ones will sometimes cover existing appliances with known problems. If you bought the house through an agent, he should have offered this coverage to you. As a real estate agent, I often can provide coverage to a house sight-unseen by the insurance company, sometimes paid by the seller, for all appliances, even without an inspection. It may be too late for this, but it might be worth a look.
A Certificate of Occupancy or equivalent is not used in all areas of the country, and there is no mandatory inspection of any kind upon transfer of property here. The only one that used to apply locally was a septic inspection, if applicable. This changed last year when the state legislature made such a requirement illegal.
I have lived where such an occupancy permit was required, but it’s not universal.
Clean the duct work, deep clean the carpets, check for radon in the basement, install smoke detectors, for carbon monoxide too.
Wait and watch the yard for a couple seasons for blooming plants you may want to keep.
congrats!
As a multiple home owner my advice is to be ready for the obligations of home ownership. That means be ready to fix, or pay to have fixed, the myriad things that are associated with home ownership, including your landscaping. As others have already stated, many tasks will be well within your grasp, if you are willing to learn. If you are not, be ready to pay for them.
This is not intended to be a slam on your achievement. Indeed, kudos. But I have neighbors who simply do not grasp the idea that there isn’t a landlord around to fix all the problems that crop up in their home. What did they expect? They are homeowners?
Congrats!
My tips:
[ul]
[li]Label your electrical circuits at the circuit breaker and make a map/list of every outlet, switch, and light[/li][li]Recognize the repair/remodel jobs that are too big or too impractical for you to do yourself and hire them out[/li][li]Do not call me to help you remove wallpaper[/li][/ul]
Good luck!
mmm
If you end up upgrading your oven at some point, get a convection oven. I was surprised at how much better it cooks than a standard oven.
If you’re fine with appliances that may be floor models or cosmetically imperfect but otherwise fully functioning, look at Sears Outlet. We got our dishwasher and refrigerator from them at less than half the list price.
https://www.searsoutlet.com/
They used to have one near us which closed and now the nearest one is over 2 hours away 
https://www.searsoutlet.com/br/stores