I was talking to a co-worker recently who had just bought her first house. She was loving her new home, but was surprised that a week off of work was not enough time to get settled.
“You’re never done,” I told her.
I had been in my house for 8 months and still had boxes to unpack, artwork to hang, items to donate.
And I still do. In fact, I always plan to have furniture to arrange, bedding to buy, closets to organize.
That is because a home is never done. There is always something to decorate, refresh, update.
As the house ages, there will always be a repair to make, a major appliance to replace, a bathroom to remodel. And just when you think you’re done with the last room, the first room needs attention again.
It’s a vicious cycle. But a necessary cycle, if you love your home. The best plan of attack it to stay on top of everything as best you can.
Strike a balance between staying stylish and maintaining the major systems, such as the roof and HVAC.
Build routine maintenance into the budget so that you’re not in fix-it mode, which can be more costly in the long run.
If and when the time comes to sell the house, most of the major updates will already be done. I had to pump $7,000 into my condo in order to sell it and never got to enjoy the improvements.
This is the boring stuff, I know, but well worth it. Think of it this way, it’ll give you more money to spend on the fun stuff.
Designing Goldilocks 