by Joanna Burns August 19, 2015
There is much truth in the statement that a home move is a costly endeavor. New homeowners however should be warned that once they have arrived at their new place, the expenses do not end. You might think that you have considered your household’s budget well, but wait until you read about all those unexpected and often quite unpleasant expenses that new homeowners have to meet:
Changing the locks. That should be your top priority, no matter whether you move in a newly built home or an old one. In any case, you cannot possibly know how many copies of your keys flow around, so it is better to play it safe and call the locksmith – or if you are confident enough, do the job on your own. In any case, even if you pick up the cheapest set of locks (which is unadvisable) you will still have to dig into your pocket.- Rubbish removals. What about the council service? Well, the present day British waste management policies and services delivered by local councils are nowhere near good. Did you know that there are places out there where collection is done once every two weeks? If you want a junk free property, you will have to call a professional rubbish removal company. But have no fear, they are not as expensive as it may sound.
- If your house has a yard, then the lawn maintenance and gardening is another hole to fill with money. You should either buy a mower or hire a contractor to do the job. In either case, there goes another thing to spend money on.
- Updating the windows by addition insulation etc. thus improving the energy efficiency of your home – when you come to think of it, it is not so much an expense than rather an investment in the future.
- Window treatment is another thing that you should buy – if you are moving into a fresh new place, because you won’t have one, and because it is likely to be severely outdated if the house is old. In any case, be prepared to spare some cash to that too.
- Cosmetic updates of any sort. If you don’t like the color of the walls in some of the rooms, or you want to add some sort of decorative pieces, it will come at a price, depending on the nature and scale of the update you are about to make.
- The rising property taxes. Now, that’s an unpleasant turn of events. Property taxes have been on a gradual rise for years, and even if you think that you are prepared for them, it is not late to be surprised.
Before you get scared away from the idea of even getting your own home. Breathe deeply and don’t worry – good budget management is not something impossible to achieve. All you need is a little discipline and proper preparation. Do your research, go over the to-do list with a cool head and you will see that it is all quite manageable.