6 Home Skills Every New Homeowner Should Know
Many first-time homebuyers view the entire process as stressful and confusing at times. But once you’ve bought your house, you become a bona fide homeowner. The home skills you’ll need to develop as a new homeowner are very nuanced, but there are a few that you’ll need regardless of the type of home you move into. Here are the 6 most essential home skills every homeowner should know.
1. Get to know your neighbors
There’s a lot of reasons you should get to know your neighbors. They’re a great resource for general or local information, like when garbage day is, tips for parking, or which are the best local restaurants. They can also be a huge help to you in the event you get locked out or need someone to feed a pet or water your plants while you’re away.
2. Familiarize yourself with the circuit-breaker box
It’s not uncommon for the power to go out in one room of the house, and at first you might be mistaken thinking there’s a power outage. This is quite common in older homes because the wiring wasn’t designed to match the capacity of the more modern electrical systems, and so they get overloaded more quickly. The fix is easy. A good practice is labeling the switches according to the room they control, and if they already are labeled, be sure to check that they’re accurate.
3. Find a reliable handyman
Unless you’re a hardcore do-it-yourselfer, you’ll want to find a handyman who will be able to fix loose hinges, paint a room in the house, repair your deck, or who can perform general outdoor maintenance and yard work. Some handymen confine their efforts to a more specific umbrella of services, maybe only doing yard work or electric work.
It’s going to take some due diligence on your part when it comes to finding a really great handyman. A good place to start is at the local hardware store, they’ll know who’s coming in and buying things for those sorts of jobs and can refer you. And then you just have to check out whatever references they have.
4. Learn how to find a stud
Locating wall studs, the vertical wood boards located behind your drywall, is incredibly important for when you’re hanging or securing heavy things to the walls of your new home. This includes mounted TVs, shelves that support notable weight, even something like a heavy mirror.
It’s become pretty simple to do this, you can get an inexpensive stud finder to help you locate the boards. One more thing to note here, is that studs are almost always spaced either 16 or 24 inches apart, with 16 inches being more common.
5. Learn how to shut off your gas and water
It can be a good idea to shut your water off even if you’re only away for a couple days, because a leak that goes even just days unnoticed will add up very quickly. Similarly, if you smell gas or think there may be a gas problem, after calling your gas company, you’ll want to make sure you know how to turn the gas off yourself if need be.
Both water and gas are fairly easy to shut off. A home inspector or plumber can show you where your main water valve is, and turning the water off is just a turn of the handle. The shut-off valve for your gas is probably located outside at the meter, and you’ll need an adjustable pipe or wrench to operate it.
6. Be equipped to deal with a downed power line
This is as simple as knowing that a downed power line might be live still and that touching it will result in electrocution. Another thing to be aware of in regards to power lines, is that there may be underground electrical power lines in your yard. If you wanted to dig a hole in your yard for landscaping purposes or any other reason, digging your shovel into the ground and into a power line will also result in electrocution. You can find out if you have underground power lines, and if you do, you can have someone come and mark them for you so you can work around them.
Of course, you’ll find yourself developing critical home skills not mentioned here. As you become a seasoned homeowner you’ll learn more and more and get better at handling issues around the house. With anything you’ll encounter for the first time in owning a home, doing your research and due diligence is of the utmost importance in keeping you safe and your home in good shape.
Are there any skills you’ve developed as a homeowner that you think are essential to having a well-run and cared for home? Let us know!
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