What New Homeowners Need to Know

New homebuying can be exciting yet stressful. From the first open house, you've envisioned what you want. You start thinking about how to personalize and make your house feel like home, but you may feel unsure where to begin.

Once you close the deal, projects start to line up in your head. From painting inside and out to finishing spaces, your to-do list will lengthen. But before getting into the fun stuff, here's what you really should know.

What's Actually Important for New Homeowners?

In the midst of excitement, there are a few things to know that could save you from headaches down the road. As recommended, you’ll likely have an inspector go through your home first. Although they catch a lot, they don’t always get it all.

Landry Renovations' New Homeowner Checklist

Here is what you should be checking in your new home...

• Gutters 

First, take a look at your gutters to see if they are clogged and/or draining properly. This won’t be an immediate problem. When your gutters back up, water goes behind and rots out fascia boards and possibly any wooden columns the downspouts are attached to. Catching this early and checking your gutters regularly can keep you from having to replace your fascia boards. 

• Downspout 

Check your downspout and make sure you have extensions at the bottom to help pull away water from the foundation. 

• Sump Pump 

If you have a basement, check and see if you have a sump pump. Making sure this is in good working order could save you from future damage, leading to time and money lost. 

This is how a sump pump works.

• Main Water Shut-off

It is good practice to locate and label your main water shut-off in your home. If you are on city water and sewer, it should be one lever coming out of the wall or floor of your basement. Give it a try and make sure that it turns off the water, because if they are not used for a while, they might seize up. It is better to find this out now than when there is an actual emergency. (When you turn the water back on, open it slowly, not all at once. To be safe, it should take a few minutes. Opening it too fast could cause a water line break.) 

Make sure everyone in the home knows where this shut-off is and how to use it. It could be the difference between a small one-day repair and a full renovation. If a water line does break in your home, turn the main water off and open any faucets that are below the level of the break to help drain the lines. (Meaning if the line breaks on the second floor, turn on all the faucets on the first floor and the basement. If you have a well system, you are able to turn your breaker off to your well pump. You should also turn the shut-off on your pressure tank. 

It will look like this

• Outlets

It doesn’t hurt to take a look at your outlets on your kitchen counters and bathroom vanity.

This outlet is used per code for outlets by water.

• Rotted Wood 

Wood may rot on window sills and door jams. This is good to check every so often. It can be the difference between a small one-hour repair and a day's worth of work for a contractor.

I’m sure most of you have seen a door jam that looks like this. It may look bad, but this is a very simple fix. However, if you don’t address it at this stage, it will metastasize into this… 

…which would be a more expensive fix.

• Exterior Vent Covers 

Checking these is always helpful. If it is a dryer vent, it will need to be cleaned regularly (a few times a year to clear out any buildup). This will prevent fires on the extreme end, but mostly it will help your dryer work better. Many of us have put clothes in the dryer only for them to end up damp; this is most likely due to uncleaned vents.

• Toilet and Vanity Shut-Offs

Knowing where these are and if they work is key to stopping a problem quickly if something were to arise. It will also allow you to repair those specific areas without having to turn off your main water supply 

• Main Power Shut Off

Your main power shutoff will be located in your breaker box at the top. Most electrical boxes are not labeled properly, which can make for a bad day when you are changing a light or a receptacle. If you are not sure which breaker to turn off, it’s a sure thing if you turn the main breaker off.