Home ownership will likely make you want to pull your hair out at one time or another. Just the process of finding and buying a home can lead to this kind of stress. What size house do you want? How many bedrooms? Bathrooms? Do you want or need a formal dining room? Two stories or one? Buy new or a fixer upper? These questions plague the home buyer. Then obtaining a mortgage is something else altogether. You want the best interest rate. Can you afford closing costs? What is this whole venture going to take out of our bank account? Can we even afford to do this?
Even though the process of finding a buying a home is daunting, it’s still a positive thing. You’re truly making an investment for your future. Your home is where your children will grow up (assuming children are in your plans). It’s where memories to last a lifetime are made. Your home is a reflection of yourself. And once you make the purchase- there will still be things that will make you want to pull your hair out. Let me offer some suggestions that will hopefully help you keep a full head of hair.
Settling In
Even if you’ve been in your home for a number of years, you might not have settled in entirely. I know of people who have lived in their homes for years and still have boxes they haven’t unpacked! While that most likely isn’t going to be you, I know you likely won’t have followed through with some of the plans you had for the home before you moved in. There will likely be small things that need fixing; like that annoyingly loud flood board that rudely squeaks every time you step there.
Part of settling in includes fixing not just the big glaring problems, but the small annoying ones too. That dripping faucet in the guest bathroom needs to be repaired. The flickering light in the dining room will drive you crazy until you make it stop. Don’t do that to yourself. The little fixes that will only take a few minutes to fix should probably be the things you fix first. Then you can feel better about kicking back with that glass of wine after dinner.
Make It a Family Home
Whether or not you have a “family” (a bunch of people you’re related to), everyone has “family.” Or at least I think of my friends as an extension of my family. Now that you own a home, it’s time to have company visit. This doesn’t have to be big parties. Small quiet evenings with friends are also fulfilling. The living room is generally the center of family comfort. It’s important to have adequate seating for several people. This is often accomplished with a sectional type sofa. A sectional provides lots of seating and is usually “L” shaped so having conversations is comfortable. Those corners are also great for snuggling up with a blanket and pillow.
A sectional was the perfect fit for the parlor and I love it. They let me trade out a chaise lounge on the end for a separate chair. I love having that one extra seat in the room. Having throws and pillows also gives such a cozy warmth to the room as well. I have a cute faux cowhide rug to kind of anchor the room and make it feel even warmer and more complete. I actually have a square coffee table on my list of furniture to purchase. This is a great place to show off beautiful books, greenery, and small vignettes. Of course our parlor in in the middle of a renovation and the walls aren’t painted and the trim isn’t installed, I still think you get the idea.
Keep your Cool When Things Go Wrong
It’s easy to want to pull your hair out with stress when dealing with problems in your home. It’s best to just take a moment and breath. Huge stresses can take a toll on your health. Just know going in, there will be issues in your home that will need your time and likely money. You could find yourself having to tackle repair work in all areas of your home. From repairing leaky faucets and roofs to seeking help from specialists in chimney repair . Don’t neglect fireplace maintenance!
One of the most expensive repairs you’ll ever have to make in your home is the heating and cooling systems. We’re just now coming upon winter and we’ve already had to have our heating unit repaired. There’s nothing worse than freezing in your home because of a broken heating unit! I totally bundled up in warm socks, a jacket, and a blanket. Heating and Cooling companies can be called out ASAP to fix your problems however, and that applies to any issues you might have in the summer! We had to have our air conditioning units repaired several times this past summer as well.
You usually don’t notice the problems with your units until the season you need them. Heating going out in the winter and cooling in the summer. Getting a system check up when everything is working right, if probably the best idea. That way there will be no surprises when the weather changes. But because these are the major systems in your home, you need to do your homework. You want to have reliable companies doing the checking and the work. Check companies out by reading reviews online and asking your friends or family for recommendations.
Improve Those Rooms!
Sometimes all it takes is giving your rooms a little bit of TLC to change the way you feel about your home. Turning your spare room into an oasis is such an easy thing to do. A relaxation room will help you see the world in a whole new way. It can double as a guest room and your relaxation oasis by using a convertible sofa. The point is, to fill the room with lovely colors and comfortable places to unwind.
You can easily jazz up your dining room with a few place mats and pretty napkins. Some candle sticks and greenery on your table can make the room feel elegant and homey. I like using different vases and greenery with different heights to make a more visually appealing setting. These things are subtle but can have a big impact.
How Long Have You Been In Your Home?
It’s possible that at some point you’ll feel like it’s really just time to make a move. If you can’t get the house that you purchased up to the standard that you’d like or if there are things you absolutely hate about the house that you cannot change, it’s ok to sell it. It honestly may take a couple of houses until you find the one you truly love. There’s no shame in that. Just be sure the housing market is such that you’ll not lose money if you decide to move. Hopefully you’ll have the luck that we have when selling our last two houses. The market has gone through the roof where we are and we made a substantial amount on each of our previous sales. Maybe you haven’t even considered relocating before because all you can think about with moving home is stress. But if you were to plan your move the right way, it could be far less stressful than you think, and you could find yourself in a home that is much easier to settle into.
In other words, don’t let the stress of home ownership make you pull out your hair. Roll with the punches and take it all in stride.
*Collaborative post
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