If you're buying your first house, or at least once you've bought it and lived there a few months, you'll quickly get the shock of just how much time and money it costs to maintain the structure you worked so hard to buy.
It can be maddening to discover all the little things that need attention, things that the seller didn't tell you about as they moved on to their next place.
There are some thing you need to pay attention to and do on a regular basis in order to keep the bigger bills at bay.
Here is a smattering of some of those things.
While this is certainly not all of them, we hope it will spawn your brain into thinking of a few others not listed here.
1.
Ventilate your attic so the moisture doesn't collect.
Be sure to keep your attic vents open and the screens closed and without holes so you can keep insects, birds and animals out of there.
2.
If you have a driveway you need to clean and repair any cracks and fissures you see at least yearly.
In colder parts of the country that get snow seal the concrete with a coat of concrete sealant to prevent damage from weather and chemicals.
3.
Keep your doors and windows sealed with proper weather stripping and check the rubber for fraying and cracking.
Replace worn seals.
4.
If you have a yard, store your garden and lawn tools in proper places out of the elements, don't leave them lying around the yard to rust.
Garden storage sheds are great for this, but even just a basement or good garage storage will do, too.