1st Time Home Owner Advice

[Peanut]

@Haertig I have to use these timers (cfs). From knowing when to turn pancakes or get beverages out the freezer. When my old one died i ordered 2 replacements. Cheap...

From rm temp to cold in my freezer is 72min for most beverages. 80sec to flip a pancake.

 

[theheathen13]

YES, our house is CRAZY how it's wired!!

You should see my place, it’s a nightmare, next project on the list!

 

[Tommyice]

You can get by with an oven that is not self-cleaning. They aren't THAT hard to clean manually. But do not get a freezer unless it is self-defrosting. Do they even make freezers that aren't self-defrosting anymore?

I have a self cleaning oven at the cabin and there is one at Dad's house. Never used the feature. Always cleaned it manually with vinegar, baking soda, Dawn dishsoap.

I have two freezers--one is self defrost and the other is from the 70's. Guess which one is colder? The nice thing about the one I have to defrost myself is I get to clean it out and purge the stuff that I don't want to inventory any longer.

 

[angie_nrs]

To the OP who I hope comes back to see the responses.......Congratulations!

We wasted money on rent when we first started out b/c we didn't think we could afford a home. We saved up and had our home built with a lot of help from hubby. First off, don't expect your house to be perfect. Nobody has a perfect home. Put your money towards things that matter to you and be prepared to keep improving. There's hardly a year that goes by that we don't improve something. Just yesterday I painted the garage doors b/c they were an ugly color. I painted them myself, but that still cost over $100 with paint, primer and supplies. Although it made a huge difference in the look of the house. I can now smile a little bit every time I drive up the driveway and see my garage. I was a bit reluctant to do it myself, since I'm not a painter, but I figured what the heck? What's the worst thing that could happen? If I don't like it, there's always going to be another paint color available. I'm glad I didn't let my hesitation stop me.

We had a metal roof put on recently that was pricy. But, thinking long term.....it'll be nice to never have to worry about the roof again. It will outlast us, barring a disaster. It decreased our insurace costs, made the home more fireproof and durable, and it looks much better. We could look at it as an investment but we don't ever plan on moving so it's just an upgrade for us. It went on right over our existing roof that had nothing wrong with it so now I feel like we have a double roof, which makes me feel more secure.

If you have the opportunity to buy property next to you or even across the road......buy it! The more property you have the better. Neighbors can really ruin your little piece of heaven so the more property you own, the more insulation you have from idiot neighbors.

Don't be afraid to ask for help. You're going to learn a lot of stuff that you never thought you needed to know. Every homeowner does. Be proud of the fact that you have your own little santuary......a place to call your own.

 

[user 4174]

Wow I really appreciate all the responses! I'm not sure how to respond to everyone but I've read all your posts here and appreciate the help

 

[Pearl]

Wow I really appreciate all the responses! I'm not sure how to respond to everyone but I've read all your posts here and appreciate the help

That is the best way to respond!! So many of these threads are helpful to everyone. Someone else usually comes up with something handy for everyone to know!!

 

[Mountain trapper]

I bought my first house at 19 for $32,000. It was in town, but figured I needed to start somewhere. My plan at that time was to sell every 5 years and double the price of the home/land. My second house was brand new and cost $65,000 and had a large lot. Over the last 40+ years I've bought and sold a lot of homes, apartments, farm/ranch land and timbered properties. Early in my working career moved up to management and began taking rotational jobs overseas in areas that most people wouldn't go. The pay was good plus I would get 6+ months vacation per year. This allowed me to live anywhere I wanted to live, have the lifestyle I wanted and the money to buy any property that i wanted. We're starting to slow down some now and since our kids aren't interested in our property, we've sold off everything except for a few hundred acres and our house.

 

[Peanut]

Wow I really appreciate all the responses! I'm not sure how to respond to everyone but I've read all your posts here and appreciate the help

I've lived in mill/row house in Buffalo ny, suburbia, inner city and out here on the farm. Where to scrounge for resources is different for each. Knowing where to get a couple pieces of tile, carpet remnants, a few brick/cinderblocks or get knowledge of a skill, or the local legal pitfalls can save you a lot of cash and time.

Could you share the type of neighborhood/house you're in? Most of us here have lived in a few houses, learned a few things. Age and type of heat/ac might be helpful. Might can give you customized advice.

 

[Dani]

I guess I'm lucky when I need to "defrost" my freezers. The two chest freezers have plugs so it can be drained and then I have a stand up. For the most part, I can unload into multiple ice chest and just quickly hose them out. Then put my stuff back in. I do on occasion take a hammer for in between times. Especially the chest freezers. Got one that builds up ice near the lid so hammer the ice off and throw the majority out.

 

[Haertig]

For the most part, I can unload into multiple ice chest and just quickly hose them out.

I never thought of that! We unload to coolers, then put pots of boiling water on the frozen shelves to melt them. That takes forever. We have cooling coils in the wire shelves (fixed shelves, not removable) so we can't chisel or scrape. But why not just drag a hose down there (the freezer is in our basement) and hose the thing out with continuous water? That would melt it quickly. There's a floor drain right in front of the freezer, so no problem getting rid of the excess water. At least I hope not!

I never thought of "hosing the thing out". What a great idea. The freezer is in need of a defrosting now, so after my visiting sister leaves, I'm going to grab a hose and try this method!

When we bought this freezer, we were young-ish. It's an upright, and we bought the biggest thing we could find. And the non-defrost ones are even bigger on the inside. So we bought a gigantic non-defrost one. When it's defrosted, it holds a ton of stuff. But then the frost takes over and we lose a lot of capacity. We have several coolers, but not enough to hold the entire contents of that freezer. So we put off cleaning it out because it's a pain, which just builds up more frost, which in turn causes us to delay cleaning it even longer. So next time, it will be a self-defroster for us. But in the meantime, I'm going to give that hose method a try. We are dry here in Colorado. Very low humidity. Our basement is dry. So I do't understand why our freezer frosts up so much. We try to limit having the door open as much as possible. Could be that the door seals have just gone bad over the years. I suppose you can buy replacement seals, but we never have. Now, we just need a new freezer that is more energy efficient.

 

[Dani]

I never thought of that! We unload to coolers, then put pots of boiling water on the frozen shelves to melt them. That takes forever. We have cooling coils in the wire shelves (fixed shelves, not removable) so we can't chisel or scrape. But why not just drag a hose down there (the freezer is in our basement) and hose the thing out with continuous water? That would melt it quickly. There's a floor drain right in front of the freezer, so no problem getting rid of the excess water. At least I hope not!

I never thought of "hosing the thing out". What a great idea. The freezer is in need of a defrosting now, so after my visiting sister leaves, I'm going to grab a hose and try this method!

When we bought this freezer, we were young-ish. It's an upright, and we bought the biggest thing we could find. And the non-defrost ones are even bigger on the inside. So we bought a gigantic non-defrost one. When it's defrosted, it holds a ton of stuff. But then the frost takes over and we lose a lot of capacity. We have several coolers, but not enough to hold the entire contents of that freezer. So we put off cleaning it out because it's a pain, which just builds up more frost, which in turn causes us to delay cleaning it even longer. So next time, it will be a self-defroster for us. But in the meantime, I'm going to give that hose method a try. We are dry here in Colorado. Very low humidity. Our basement is dry. So I do't understand why our freezer frosts up so much. We try to limit having the door open as much as possible. Could be that the door seals have just gone bad over the years. I suppose you can buy replacement seals, but we never have. Now, we just need a new freezer that is more energy efficient.

If draining does become an issue, use a broom to swish the water towards the drain. I can use a large push squeegie at work so maybe you can find one for sell on line cheap?

 

[viking]

Watch for plumbing problems and fix them fast.

They Don't fix themselves and will cause more damage.

Get a rebuild kit for your toilet and learn gow to do the rebuild. The only toilet that will not need rebuilt is an outhouse.

Ben

Learn to get along with Murfy's Law, expect it to be in the works, I've found it seems to show up in dealing with water heaters and leaky connections that lead to rusted pipes, I highly recommend installing ball valves on both the hot and cold pipes coming out of the water heater, I've seen so many water heaters turn up leaking in a rather short period from being installed, probably due to water chemistry, also read a while back that the tanks don't do well running at lower temps.

 

[LadyLocust]

I never thought of that! We unload to coolers, then put pots of boiling water on the frozen shelves to melt them. That takes forever. We have cooling coils in the wire shelves (fixed shelves, not removable) so we can't chisel or scrape. But why not just drag a hose down there (the freezer is in our basement) and hose the thing out with continuous water? That would melt it quickly. There's a floor drain right in front of the freezer, so no problem getting rid of the excess water. At least I hope not!

I never thought of "hosing the thing out". What a great idea. The freezer is in need of a defrosting now, so after my visiting sister leaves, I'm going to grab a hose and try this method!

When we bought this freezer, we were young-ish. It's an upright, and we bought the biggest thing we could find. And the non-defrost ones are even bigger on the inside. So we bought a gigantic non-defrost one. When it's defrosted, it holds a ton of stuff. But then the frost takes over and we lose a lot of capacity. We have several coolers, but not enough to hold the entire contents of that freezer. So we put off cleaning it out because it's a pain, which just builds up more frost, which in turn causes us to delay cleaning it even longer. So next time, it will be a self-defroster for us. But in the meantime, I'm going to give that hose method a try. We are dry here in Colorado. Very low humidity. Our basement is dry. So I do't understand why our freezer frosts up so much. We try to limit having the door open as much as possible. Could be that the door seals have just gone bad over the years. I suppose you can buy replacement seals, but we never have. Now, we just need a new freezer that is more energy efficient.

For your seals wash them well and rinse with a vinegar wash then wipe them down with a thin cooking oil- helps condition the rubber so they don’t dry out.

 

[user 4174]

I bought my first house at 19 for $32,000. It was in town, but figured I needed to start somewhere. My plan at that time was to sell every 5 years and double the price of the home/land. My second house was brand new and cost $65,000 and had a large lot. Over the last 40+ years I've bought and sold a lot of homes, apartments, farm/ranch land and timbered properties. Early in my working career moved up to management and began taking rotational jobs overseas in areas that most people wouldn't go. The pay was good plus I would get 6+ months vacation per year. This allowed me to live anywhere I wanted to live, have the lifestyle I wanted and the money to buy any property that i wanted. We're starting to slow down some now and since our kids aren't interested in our property, we've sold off everything except for a few hundred acres and our house.

We’re lucky to be able to afford a house in our 20s in 2023. Looking at around 400k for a 900sq ft home. I thank God every day. All of my friends my age won’t be able to afford a home for years. This is in the suburbs which is not what I wanted but beggars can’t be choosers. Id like to live here and then think about going deeper into Appalachia somewhere rural when we’re older

 

[Haertig]

Any time you have to install or replace a water shutoff valve (under the sink at the toilet, etc.) use a quarter turn ball shutoff. Gate valves or multiple turn valves with gaskets can freeze up or leak.

 

[Pearl]

We’re lucky to be able to afford a house in our 20s in 2023. Looking at around 400k for a 900sq ft home. I thank God every day. All of my friends my age won’t be able to afford a home for years. This is in the suburbs which is not what I wanted but beggars can’t be choosers. Id like to live here and then think about going deeper into Appalachia somewhere rural when we’re older

Don't let the future plans slip away!!

 

[user 4174]

I've lived in mill/row house in Buffalo ny, suburbia, inner city and out here on the farm. Where to scrounge for resources is different for each. Knowing where to get a couple pieces of tile, carpet remnants, a few brick/cinderblocks or get knowledge of a skill, or the local legal pitfalls can save you a lot of cash and time.

Could you share the type of neighborhood/house you're in? Most of us here have lived in a few houses, learned a few things. Age and type of heat/ac might be helpful. Might can give you customized advice.

We will be moving into a single family home in the suburbs. Most that I’ve looked at were built around the 60s-80s. Once we zero in on something I’d be able to answer the specifics. I’m just trying to gather up knowledge in the meantime

 

[user 4174]

Don't let the future plans slip away!!

I grew up in rural PA but had to move to where the jobs were. I can’t wait to get back to the country

 

[Mountain trapper]

We will be moving into a single family home in the suburbs. Most that I’ve looked at were built around the 60s-80s. Once we zero in on something I’d be able to answer the specifics. I’m just trying to gather up knowledge in the meantime

My first house was 832 sqft and was built in the 40's. I was married and had 2 kids and was making $5.00 per hour. My last house was 5,000 sqft on 3 levels and sat on some acreage. Our current house is 1700 sqft and sits on hundreds of acres, 18 miles to town and 4 miles to the nearest neighbor.
It sounds like you're a hard worker and have ambitions. You'll get what your looking for.

 

[user 4174]

My first house was 832 sqft and was built in the 40's. I was married and had 2 kids and was making $5.00 per hour. My last house was 5,000 sqft on 3 levels and sat on some acreage. Our current house is 1700 sqft and sits on hundreds of acres, 18 miles to town and 4 miles to the nearest neighbor.
It sounds like you're a hard worker and have ambitions. You'll get what your looking for.

Wow good for you!

 

[Spikedriver]

We’re lucky to be able to afford a house in our 20s in 2023. Looking at around 400k for a 900sq ft home. I thank God every day. All of my friends my age won’t be able to afford a home for years. This is in the suburbs which is not what I wanted but beggars can’t be choosers. Id like to live here and then think about going deeper into Appalachia somewhere rural when we’re older

400k for 900 Sq ft? Where I live, that's 130 to 180k, depending on basement, garages, lot size, etc. You can double the price for a home like that for the two urban areas nearest to me. Makes me glad I've got no interest in suburbia...

 

[viking]

It has been mentioned earlier in this thread about having a home inspected before buying, I say absolutely, we have friends that have been looking for a home with a mother-in-law cottage for about 4 years, one place they looked at, they liked until the home inspector climbed up in the attic space and found all the rafters charred from a fire, this was on a home in the $300,000+ range, on some occasions when they looked at a home, their real estate agent told them that the house they had looked at would be better bull dozed and start with a new home being built, also another $300,000 piece of property. They just found a home and bought it, trouble is while moving things to it, he got tangled up in a spiderweb rope cover over a load in his pickup, fell and broke his hip. He is now healing with a new hip joint and is going to need help moving all the stuff into the new home. I'd love to help but at 80+ years old, I'd probably end up falling while loading and break my hip, he needs younger help than me. Oh yeah, do get an inspection before buying.

 

[Dani]

We’re lucky to be able to afford a house in our 20s in 2023. Looking at around 400k for a 900sq ft home. I thank God every day. All of my friends my age won’t be able to afford a home for years. This is in the suburbs which is not what I wanted but beggars can’t be choosers. Id like to live here and then think about going deeper into Appalachia somewhere rural when we’re older

Around here you can buy a 3-4 bedroom house with 3 baths for less than $400,000 with anywhere between 1600 - almost 3000 sq ft. If you can move, you can get more bank for your buck.

 

[user 4174]

400k for 900 Sq ft? Where I live, that's 130 to 180k, depending on basement, garages, lot size, etc. You can double the price for a home like that for the two urban areas nearest to me. Makes me glad I've got no interest in suburbia...

Yeah unfortunately we are bound to the location by work

 

[Mountain trapper]

About 40 miles south of us a rancher split 3 - 20 acre parcels off his ranch. He's asking $22,000 per acre! This is worthless land with shallow soil, no water and not a single tree. In this area, 20 acres won't even feed 1 cow for more than 3 months. They have a nice view though, BFD. When I was a kid I can remember ranch land selling for $25 - $50 per acre. With today's land prices it's really tough to put together a sizable chunk of land for a sustainable homestead, without getting a good sized inheritance anyway.

 

[Mountain trapper]

Yeah unfortunately we are bound to the location by work

What do you do that is so specialized that you can only work in that area?

 

[user 4174]

What do you do that is so specialized that you can only work in that area?

The person I'm with has good government job (doesn't wanna leave the benefits) and works in aerospace so bound to locations where spacecraft are launched

 

[Amish Heart]

Then you're probably living in places where I've lived. Husband was in aerospace all of his life...just retired a couple of years ago, so then it was my pick.

 

[jishinsjourney]

I really love the farm sink! But it takes so much water basically being a trough. When I got a chance to upgrade the kitchen back in 2020, I went with the stainless steel under counter double. Yeah, I am the more practicle money saving type. You can only wash in that sink. Where is the rinse? Under the faucet? I am not one the uses a dishwasher either. When we first moved into our home Hunny asked me what I wanted for Christmas. I told him a garbage disposal. That is exactly what I got.

This is why I have a dishpan in my farmhouse sink! You fill the dishpan with your wash water and wash there, then rinse in the open part of the sink.

I really like it, because the sink is big enough for my really big items like my canner and stockpots. I just have to take the dishpan out to wash those. And I can dump stuff down the garbage disposal without messing up my wash water!

 

[Mountain trapper]

The person I'm with has good government job (doesn't wanna leave the benefits) and works in aerospace so bound to locations where spacecraft are launched

I see. That makes sense, although it kind of sucks to be limited to just a few areas though. I worked for a lot of different companies around the world over the years, mostly oil companies, but also DOD jobs, and all rotational. I retired with 5 or 6 401k's, IRA's, stock options and a couple company pensions. It allowed us the live anywhere we wanted, plus to retire early.