HI GUYS- the above picture was taken before we had our new floors or light fixtures & man have things changed since that pic! Can’t wait to share with you guys our full kitchen transformation (coming as soon as my new runner rug arrives) & the flooring journey will be shared on the blog this week…. but for today I wanted to drop in & share with you guys what I’ve learned so far as a homeowner.
We are only 4 months in but I have already made enough mistakes to share with you guys some CRUCIAL lessons that I have learned so far being a homeowner. The journey has been a rocky one & we are NO WHERE near done, but I wanted to share with you guys a few things that I wish someone would have told me before buying a home. If buying a home is in your future, bookmark this for future reference & if you already own a home I AM DAMN SURE YOU CAN RELATE. K, let’s go.
10 Things I’ve Learned From Owning a Home
1. Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day & Your House Won’t Be Either.
When we first walked through the house I had SO many ideas & looking back, I was ambitious AF. Then we got the inspection & learned- we had to put some of our ideas aside to get the more important stuff done (read more about our offer here to understand!). Even so, I was living in a dreamland where I thought we’d be done by now. HA HA HA. We are barely scratching the surface over here & if this whole home owner thing has definitely taught me to be patient, not everything has to be perfect RIGHT AWAY, & to not be so impulsive. Every single decision needs A LOT of thought/research/planning/etc.
2. A Dollar in the “Real World” is like $500 in the World of a Homeowner
Maybe this sounds like a “NO SHIT SHERLOCK” situation, but you really have no idea costs until you’re IN IT so I am telling you now, everything is expensive. VERY EXPENSIVE… & once you realize costs, it sure slows things down a bit. I don’t want to get into a situation where we are house poor & spend every dollar on this house. We don’t plan on this being our forever home & there is a lot to consider when putting money into your house. Will you price yourself out of your neighborhood? Will these pricey things positively or negatively benefit resale value? Is this is a good place to invest the money?
3. Take Prioritizing to a Whole New Level
Which brings me to PRIORITIZING. When we moved in my priority was to make this house look like something straight out of architectural digest. That priority shifted very quickly. We are prioritizing & reprioritizing on a weekly basis over here. First thing we did when we moved in was create a ginormous list of things that HAD to be done ASAP based off of the inspection reports, then we created a “want” list which was the things we wanted done but weren’t crucial. I honestly think the most important lesson in homeownership is to learn to effectively prioritize to keep yourself organized & to be realistic.
4. Get Quotes, Quotes, & More Quotes
I am the kinda person who likes to say “okay, great, let’s do it!” probably due to my lack of patience but being a homeowner I have learned so much about patience & getting quotes is EVERYTHING. I had someone come over & quote me 14k to re-do the pergola- we got a second quote for 2k. IMAGINE IF I WENT WITH THE FIRST?! We are not doing the pergola now cause *PrIoRiTieS*, but if there is one thing I can say is to get a ton of quotes.
Get on Thumbtack, inquire to 10 different people, & GET REFERRALS!! Ask your homeowner friends who they use or get on NextDoor to ask your neighbors & throw them into the mix too. This has been our process & we have found some GREAT affordable people to get the jobs done.
5. know when to hire a pro & when to DIY
SPEAKING OF HIRING PEOPLE… we went into this thinking we were gonna do SO much ourselves. Another way I was ambitious AF. We tried for like a minute, but in many cases learned hiring someone would be the best bet. DIY works great on painting a wall or refinishing a cabinet- but when it comes to the big stuff (floors, landscaping, repairs, even mounting TV’s) you’re gonna spend more trying to DIY it & then having to hire someone to fix your mess & get the job done right. Also, time is money people!!!
6. what to do BEFORE move in:
Okay so I think the biggest mistake we made so far is doing the floors while we lived there, so here are a few things I suggest doing before you move in (if you’re planning on any of these things):
+ any painting jobs should be done before. We did all of our walls & all of our cabinets prior to moving in. You don’t want to smudge anything nor do you want to breathe in paint fumes.
+ Plumbing or electrical work should be done before move in as well- our toilets were out of commission & we didn’t have water/electricity while they did this work so it’s good we weren’t there.
+ & of course- the FLOORS! Why oh why did I choose to do this while we lived there?! Well, I just didn’t know what an upheaval this would be. The house was covered in dust, construction workers were here all day, the dogs & I had to be locked in a room, we were breathing in the worst shit ever, & it was just a total nightmare!
I know sometimes it’s not possible because you need somewhere to live, but ask to stay at a friends for a few days or get an AirBNB. It’s worth it for your sanity, TRUST ME!!! We ended up getting a hotel last minute when the floors were being worked on which for that price could’ve given us atleast three days at an AirBNB.
7. having a yard is a bitch
When we first saw the house the beautiful HUGE backyard with three layers of grass, rose bushes, & trees were the upsell. Now, I am wishing the yard was a third the size. All of our grass is dead, two sprinklers broke, mowing the yard is an actual nightmare, & now we want to replace everything with rocks.
8. OfferUp & Facebook Marketplace are your new BFF
Did I mentioned owning a home is REALLY expensive? WOW! I am now a regular visitor of OfferUp & Facebook Marketplace and LOVING IT. There is SO much stuff you can get on there that is either in perfect condition or needs a little work to be in perfect condition. It’s also a great place to sell stuff you no longer want in your new space to make some extra cash. We posted an interior door & it sold that night, we used the money to buy our barn door. WHAM BAM THANK YOU MA’AM. It’s the modern day garage sale & I love it.
9. I have a whole new appreciation for my previous landlords
Were you ever rude to your landlord? I have been in the past & I regret that now. Maintaining one home is a lot of work. I can’t imagine maintaining multiple peoples home. I def. took having a landlord for granted. Our washing machine had a hiccup two weeks ago in which it flooded our kitchen. How nice it would have been to call our landlord to have that fixed… but no, that’s on us now. We are the landlords & if something breaks it’s all us. The damage is on us, the repair is on us, EVERYTHING IS US. It’s great that I have no landlord emailing me the upstairs neighbors are complaining about my heels, but shit… I really miss having someone to call to fix everything.
10. it’s rewarding AF
& although this post headed down a semi-negative path because, if we’re being honest, I AM SO STRESSED…. it is all very rewarding. Remember when we finished our hall bathroom? The reward I felt from wrapping up that one room, the only finished room in the house, made all the struggles so worth it. Seeing it come together, room by room, is just such a great feeling.
Sometimes we will come home around 7pm & over our house we get the MOST epic sunsets. I will just stand there, looking at our cute black & white home with this beautiful sky overhead & I will feel an overwhelming sense of accomplishment/pride for this beautiful little work in progress we now own. Is it hardwork?! FUCK YES. Is it worth it?! ABSOLUTELY. Do I recommend it? 100% YES! If I can do it, you can do it!!