New Housing Tips: Tools that First-Time Homeowners Need
Jan. 13, 2014
If you’re lived in rentals all your life, then the apartment managers took care of all the landscaping. If a light switch didn’t work or the faucet started leaking, you called the landlord to schedule a fix. Now that you own a new house, you’re responsible for the maintenance and repair of your property. To do that correctly, you’re going to need to buy the following tools:
Gardening Equipment
Your subdivision’s management company can take care of your front landscaping but that still leaves you in charge of the backyard. If you have any kind of a grassy area, you’re going to need a lawnmower. A small yard can make do with an electric version while larger expanses need a gas-powered version. Even if your backyard is hardscaped, you need pruning shears and garden shovels to take care of container plants. Unless you have a sprinkler or drip system, your plants need water from a garden house or watering can. If you have a tree that drops its leaves seasonally, get a rake and outdoor broom to clean up.
Maintenance Tools
You can still call professionals for large repairs, such as if your garbage disposal breaks down or all the power in a room shuts down. But you can fix minor problems if you have some basic tools. A hammer, saw, and a carpenter’s level can handle repairs involving wood, while electrical work typically involves pliers, screwdrivers with different types and sizes of blades, and a wire stripper. For plumbing, buy a wrench. You can organize your tools in a small chest with a carrying handle.
Painting Equipment
Your management company takes care of exterior colors. Painting a room is something you can learn to do or contract out to professionals or do yourself. However, touching up a worn spot on the wall, covering up a stain, or painting a repaired area is too minor to hire someone else to do. To tackle these jobs yourself, you first need the paint that matches the area you’re fixing. You can get the exact brand and shade from your subdivision’s management office. Then, you’ll need brushes, mixing sticks, a roller and paint tray for larger areas, dropcloths to protect adjacent areas, and sandpaper to smooth out rough spots.
For more information on what you need when you own a new home, or if you want help in buying a new one, please contact us.
