You’re a New Homeowner!! Congratulations!
Overwhelmed yet?
We bought out first home 2.5 years ago and it’s a lot. Going from a renter to an owner is an awakening, but no one really tells you what to do next…
Here are the Top 5 things we did, and what I wish we had done before putting the furniture in.
1| If you aren’t the first owner in a new build, and you have carpet – hire a carpet cleaning service. Before you assemble one bed frame, get it cleaned. I waited 2.5 years to get our stairs cleaned (gross) because I assumed that it would cost an arm and a leg and keep me farther from my decor dreams. I regret that. After having the stairs cleaned and getting other peoples filth off my floor, I wish I didn’t have furniture in every room. I want to make sure I get the rooms cleaned, but now it’s a process. Don’t wait. Deep clean that baby. It’s yours now.
2| Paint. If you are looking for suggestions, my favorite paint colors are listed HERE. There is something about a fresh coat of paint that feels like a signature on your walls. Again this would be ideal to do before you move in, but you can go slow and DIY it for sure. Sherwin William ProMar200 is the best paint in all of the land. It’s pricey, but you can see a difference between the rooms I used it and the rooms I went with cheaper paint. Start with neutrals to work your way into the home. You can always add a navy room (I did in my office). But start fresh with a coat of paint.
3| Get quotes. All of them. It is easy to be lifted up, up, and away with ideas. Pinterest is a dark glorious place that will spend all of your money. So start an excel sheet asap. One tab to write down all of the cost and fixes you’ve done so far. And one tab to start to budget out everything you want to do. Then snowball that list.
4| Speaking of lists, get referrals. You are going to need a bug guy, and a plumber, and an electrician, and a painter, and a lawn weed guy… all the people. Start a 3rd tab on that excel sheet and list out all of the referrals and who referred them. One night your roof WILL leak and you will need a number you trust ASAP.
5|Sit down and pick where to spend and where to save. All of our furniture in our bedroom is either handed down from Jeff’s family or DIY’d. But we have a really nice Pottery Barn couch. There will be times to thrift, times for IKEA, and times to bite the bullet and invest. If you are using it every day, like a couch or a dinner table – invest. If you are looking at a full length mirror, or a storage basket, or patio furniture that may rust in the elements… head to Home Goods. And don’t you dare spend a million dollars on throw pillows, my friend… especially if you have kids. It’s pretty. Pet it. Put it back.
Bonus
Get to know Dave Ramsey. If you haven’t discovered him yet, get into it now. He took me a long time to get used to. I felt like he was yelling at me. And you know what? HE WAS. Sometimes we need to be put in our place, just like toddlers. If you are a first time home owner, sh*t gets real, real fast. And if you aren’t being aware of where you money is going, it’ll be long, long gone. Download The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness (and heck, even The More of Less by Joshua Becker ) NOW.
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