If you just purchased a new home in Birmingham, especially here at Ross Bridge, you may be looking forward to warm summer months in the sun and afternoons spent on our Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. Before you settle into your new life on our golf resort community, here in Hoover, Alabama, it’s best to review these top seven tips for new home owners.
1. Stock the Tool Box
As a new home owner, now is the time to fill up your tool box with all the necessary materials you might need. Home projects, maintenance and upgrades are a year-round job so it’s important to invest in the tools you’ll need later to tackle home projects. Everything from wrench sets and pliers to zip ties and a stud finder should be readily available in the household tool box.
2. Gather Your Resources
Create a “home team” of contractors and service people you can trust by networking with neighbors, friends and your realtor for recommendations. Even those of us with a fully stocked tool box may some day need a second opinion from a professional.
3. Learn Your System
Get to know your home operating system. Understand the basics of your new Birmingham home’s mechanical system. Get acquainted with your fuse or breaker box, and know how to turn off your main water line. At the very least have your convenient contact list from step 2 available to call a professional or utility employee that could do this for you.
4. Develop a Schedule
Set a routine for your heating and cooling maintenance, including annual tune-ups by an HVAC contractor. Ensure you keep your fire alarms up-to-date and put together a seasonal calendar of bi-yearly cleanings or updates that need to take place.
5. Maintain Your Home’s Exterior
Maintaining the exterior of your home not only serves an aesthetic purpose, but also a functional purpose. Stay up-to-date with any exterior home maintenance projects that come your way, such as checking your roof’s condition and checking for clogged gutters, etc.
6. Maintain a Piggy Bank Fund
Put aside some money every month to use for any home maintenance projects that come your way. Now you’ll always be prepared!
7. Stay Organized
Create a 3-ring binder to keep warranties and assembly and operating manuals easily accessible and organized. Start by designating a tab for each room and labeling as such. Add a couple pocket folders to your binder, along with a business card folder to keep your home contacts organized—such as plumber or landscaper. As you acquire warranty information, price quotes or important receipts, add them to each section.