How to Make Homeowning Surprisingly Painless

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Homeownership can come with a thousand headaches, and adulting as a homeowner has the potential to be totally overwhelming. Now that we’ve owned our home for almost 15 years, we’ve been through plenty of challenges — renting, renovating, burglary, and more. As we’ve come up against each of these challenging, scary, and often confusing moments, we’ve learned plenty of ways to simplify the complicated. We’ve also learned the ropes when it comes to smart ways to save money, preventative measures to keep your home running smoothly, and lots more. Long story short, we’re figuring out how to make homeowning surprisingly painless. Here’s what we’ve learned.

Get Smart Initially, I was totally anti-smart-home. Ryan is all about the gadgets and slowly but surely has broken me down so that I’m totally on board with a smart home. We have smart locks, a smart thermostat, a smart sprinkler system, and more. But what I’ve really found is that they’re more than just gadgets — they’re smart ways to save money. Our energy and water bills have shown huge improvement since we implemented the smart tools, because they cut out waste. From our cooling system to our home security, smart tools are also like little assistants, so you don’t have to remember so many things at once. Forget to turn off the air conditioning before you left for your trip? Just do it from your phone.

Protect It All Insurance is one of those homeowner-type things that just perplexes me. Try as I might, it’s not something that I readily understand the ins and outs of. But if you can find a way to simplify the complicated, do it. A great option for just that is Esurance. You can get a quote in minutes online, and it’s all simple, fast, and straight to the point. I love that their site is clean and uncomplicated, and I especially love that they have an app where you can manage your policy, file claims, and more. Need car insurance? They have that too. Whether you’re owning, renting, or need driver’s coverage, I can’t stress enough that you just make sure you’re covered! When we were burglarized a couple of years ago we were so grateful to have coverage that returned us all of our belongings. So don’t be scared! Esurance is surprisingly painless (not to mention another smart way to save, with their affordable coverage).

Go Easy On Yourself When it comes to creating your dream home, make things easy for yourself. If you don’t like working in the yard, don’t plant a yard that’s super high maintenance. If you hate dusting, don’t get a home with built-in shelving in every room. You’ll save yourself time and headaches if you think about the future when you’re selecting the things that you fill your home with.

Do Your Research Every neighborhood and city has its own intricate (sometimes confusing?) set of ordinances or guidelines. As you get settled into a new place, make sure to do your research and know those guidelines like the back of your hand. It may just save you from getting a $300 fine from watering your lawn on the wrong day. Or it might come in handy when you know the number of the local police patrol if someone shady is in your neighborhood. Get to know your neighbors. Go to city council meetings. Stay updated on the latest local news. Being informed will make all of those confusing ordinances much easier to understand.

Keep Records I can’t tell you how many times I’ve painted a wall, tossed the paint chip, and wished to the heavens I had written down the name of the paint. Write. Everything Down. Write down the paint colors. Write down the name and numbers of repairmen or contractors, and what they fixed and the date they fixed it. Write down your regular maintenance like changing the air filters or the batteries in the smoke detectors. Write down the date that your washing machine breaks (because it will break). This way, you have a little black book of knowledge about your house and you’re armed with information about what it’s gone through and what it needs.

If you’re a homeowner or thinking of diving in, I promise you can make it surprisingly painless! A home gives back what you put into it, which is an awesome thing. If you have any other tips for fellow homeowners, let’s hear it! xoxo

This post is sponsored by Esurance. All ideas and opinions are my very own. Coverage not available in all states. Thank you for being supportive of the partners who help keep Lovely Indeed rocking!

 

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