 You’ve purchased your first home… jumped through all the hoops and had lots of people tell you what to do and how to do it. They handed you the keys and left. Now what? What they don’t tell you is that you will need a few tools to help with moving in and the future maintenance and repairs you will need to do to your home. Of course you will want to hire professionals to do the big stuff like plumbing repair or electrical work, etc. But there are those little things that you will need to do and CAN do like hanging pictures or other décor, or fixing those dings and bumps you made moving in. Here is a handy list of some “get started” tools that are inexpensive but quite handy.
Don’t forget…
About some way to organize your tools so that they are accessible for future uses. Most will fit in a handy inexpensive 5-gallon bucket or plastic tool box. Get a couple of hooks to mount on the wall in the garage or utility closet for your broom, dust pan and extension cord.  Are Home Inspections Worth It? - Price vs. Value
By Andrea Davis, HomeAdvisor.com Home inspections are an important part of determining whether a home will need additional repairs or maintenance before it’s sold or bought. But are they always worth the investment? It depends on whether the benefits of home inspection outweigh the cost. This information will help you decide. Why Get a Home Inspection? Home inspections are used to provide an opportunity for a buyer or seller to identify any major issues with a home prior to closing. Realtors are also known to include home inspection clauses in some situations, such as new home construction. What is Covered in a Home Inspection? In new home construction, inspections generally cover:
Home inspections are limited. Even with an inspection, you may end up with undiscovered issues you’ll have to fix down the road. Home inspections only find the “visual cues” for problems. A foundation crack, slanted floors, doors that don’t properly close -- these are signs of bigger problems. However, problems without visual cues -- pests, radon, lead -- may crop up after the inspection. Some inspectors offer radon testing as an add-on; some will recommend asbestos testing services if your home appears to be at risk. Some areas inspectors won’t look at include:
The cost will vary depending on a variety of factors. Ask ahead of time how an inspector charges. The average inspection will last three hours. Always accompany your inspector on an inspection, asking questions throughout the process. Compare this cost against the value of the home inspection. If you’re a seller, an inspection will help you understand exactly where there are problems in your home that could make or break a sale (i.e., cost you a lot of time and money and keep your home on the market for longer than it should be). If you’re a buyer, this inspection is crucial to understanding how much money you may need to spend on a home after the sale. For new home construction, it’s an imperative part of the building and finishing process. Either way, addressing issues early through a home inspection can save you tens of thousands of dollars down the road. The views reflected within are solely those of HomeAdvisor and their Authors.  Everyone can use a little encouragement from time to time. And a little accountability. For the past few months, I’ve been feeling a little overwhelmed. I’ve struggled with some of my deadlines (which I never have in the past). I’ve had a hard time saying no. Occasionally I think about all the “need to-dos” and “want to-dos” and “should dos” and wonder how the list got so big. So, last week, instead of focusing just on my to-do list, I also did something I haven’t tried before. I made a “done” list. Anything I did during that day — no matter how big or small — I added to the done list. At first, I thought I was being kind of silly … and maybe wasting time. But by the end of the day, I was a big fan of the done list. Three really good things happened because of the done list. First, by the end of the day, I had a record of everything I’d done. Often, when I reach the end of the day, I wonder how much I really accomplished. (Sometimes — usually — it doesn’t feel like as much as I’d like.) With my done list in hand, I was able to review everything I’d achieved during the day. And honestly, it was not insignificant. I could see that even though I hadn’t crossed a couple of bigger things off my to-do list, I’d made good progress and that they would be getting the coveted line through them soon. That was a nice feeling. The second thing I noticed is that when I was tempted to waste some time — surfing Facebook or playing WordTwist — I didn’t. Because I didn’t want to add it to the done list. Instead, I did something else I’d feel good about seeing on my list at the end of the day. It wasn’t always work-related. At one point, when Facebook was calling my name, I opted to play the piano for 15 minutes instead. While I wouldn’t have liked seeing “Facebook — 15 minutes” on my done list, I did like seeing “Played the piano.” And the third thing I noticed was that my momentum built throughout the day. Toward the end of the day when I’m usually looking at my to-do list and thinking, “What’s the point … I’ll just start fresh tomorrow,” I was thinking, “How much more can I add to my done list before I knock off at five?” What a difference! Now, I probably won’t use a done list every day. But if I’m feeling overwhelmed, discouraged, or unfocused, the done list is my new go-to tool. I hope you’ll give it a try to see if it works as well for you! by Heather Robson, blog writer for Wealthy web writer
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