With 33% of renters moving each year, many people are on the move, and some are aiming to buy their own homes. If you’re about to make a move to a new home, you should consider a fixer-upper. Not only is it great on your budget, but it also allows you to fix the home up to your standards.
Safety
Before you move any furniture in, make sure the house is safe enough to live in. Safety concerns include the strength of the foundation, as you don’t want to move into a house that may cave in on you. So check outside for a sagging roof. Make sure any electrical upgrades have been made. If there are any frayed wires, your local electrician can check and repair them before it turns into a bigger concern. Plus you can also look into home security systems, whether it’s CCTV cameras, a Ring doorbell as well as smaller cameras that you can add to your security network.
Roofing
Your roof takes up a large part of your house. It supports the structure of your home and protects it from the elements. Therefore, a roofing inspector should come and check its structural foundation. If your roof is over 20 years old, you have to replace it to get housing insurance. According to Roofers Guild, The average residential roof in the United States is 1,600 square feet. So you have a lot of space to work with when it comes to adding new roofing materials or making installations such as a chimney or even a sunroof.
Plumbing
A healthy plumbing system plays a big role in keeping your home comfortable. Water travels in and out of your home through your pipes, and you want to ensure you don’t have corrosion. Corrosive pipes will create rusty, contaminated water you can’t drink and isn’t safe to bathe in. If your plumbing is old and outdated, it may also have cracks which can cause leaks you may not even see. These little leaks can grow bigger over time and eventually turn into big ones that might eventually flood your home.
Drywall and Ceiling
According to Building.com, roof leaks tend to come from four primary places: holes in flashing, unsealed windows, cracked walls, or a fully pierced roof panel. Is for this reason that you must make sure your foundation and drywall are all strong and secure. You don’t want to wait to make those types of updates once your furniture is inside. It’s easier to knock out drywall and replace it or do ceiling work when you don’t have to worry about messing up your furniture or other belongings. Plus, you may end up having a check for or do remediation work for mold or asbestos insulation.
Flooring
Like the ceiling and drywall, you don’t want to wait until you move everything in to start working on your floors. While you’re home still has a clear space before you fully move in, that’s the time to install your hardwood, stone, or tile floor and then cover it with a nice protective seal of epoxy coating. Once your floors are completed to the standard that you want, then you can worry about furniture and other items coming inside.
You can do amazing things with your fixer-upper while on a budget. In addition to budgeting, time management matters, as you don’t want to have items moved in before making certain updates that can create a mess. Take advantage of this useful advice in managing your new home and getting things up to speed. If you have any questions, contact our local team for assistance.
