We have been home owners now for almost 2 and a half years. In that time I must admit we have learnt quite a bit. To be able to afford our own home we had to relocate from Bedfordshire to Lincolnshire and we have no regrets as we love the area and we are a train ride away from bigger cities such as Lincoln, Leeds and Sheffield.
Our house is a 2/3 bed terrace house with a good size living/dining space, small kitchen, average sized bathroom and a small yard.
So what have we learnt so far? Well read on and I'll tell you:
1. Owning a home comes with extra costs
When renting we didn't have home insurance which is one of the things that is 100% important to have as a home owner. It's important to also factor in utility costs for us we are now heating a 3 storey home not 2 bed flat for example. Then you need to factor in if you need new appliances for us we had to budget to get a fridge freezer, a washing machine and a dishwasher. Furniture as well is something you may have to consider we got a new sofa as we needed a bigger one and luckily we were passed on a dining table and chairs set.
2. It's important to have a fund for repairs
Our home needs quite a bit doing to it as it's a sort of fixer upper. It's important to have money saved for doing bits and bobs around the home. Our first big thing we did was get a new front door as it was essential as the previous one wasn't in the best condition. We also had our yard sorted so that we have a safe and fun space for Blake outside.
3. An emergency fund is essential
As well as having money aside for repairs around the home an emergency fund is important too as you don't know what may go wrong big or small. We've had to get a plumber out twice now for example.
4. Do it yourself when you can
You can save money by doing things yourself. Hopefully we can start to do some decorating this year and it's something we plan on doing ourselves instead of paying someone to do it for us. If there is something that needs doing then you can save a ton of money doing it yourself. However don't always which leads to...
5. Some jobs are worth hiring out
We want to get our roof looked at this year. For us they are things that we feel is best done by someone who knows what they are doing and worth paying out for.
6. Plan and prioritise
As a home owner there is always going to be something that needs doing. It's important to list your needs vs wants. For example I'd love to decorate the whole house but there are some things that are more important to get done first such as the roof. Once these are done we need to look at what is important to us to be done next.
