With spring underway and summer approaching, the home-buying season is kicking into gear. Most first-time homeowners grapple with a range of issues they may never have even contemplated, which is why they often turn to experts for advice.
Here are some of the things they say you might not know as a first-time homeowner but should.
Are you ready to buy a home?
First and foremost, finding the right property to purchase is not self-evident. According to Dutch Mendenhall, founder of RADD Companies and a highly sought-after thought leader on real estate, aspiring first-time home buyers should remember that buying a home is a long-term financial investment.
“It’s not just about finding a place to live,” Mendenhall explains. “This decision can have a big impact on the rest of your life. The truth is, under today’s market conditions, renting can actually make sense for a lot of people. It’s important not to rush into these decisions before you understand your budget and have determined that you are ready financially. If you are ready to buy a property, I recommend renting it out to reduce expenses and, hopefully, make a profit. Then, use the money you would’ve used on rent (or made in the profit) to build valuable add-ons to the property once you’re ready to sell it or cycle it into your investments.”
For that reason, Mendenhall also counsels careful preparation when choosing a real estate agent. “You should explore your local real estate market thoroughly and understand the laws in your state for buyers’ agents,” he says. “For instance, in some states, buyers’ agents act as sellers’ agents until their client has them sign a contract. Buyers should also understand common provisions in these contracts and advocate for themselves while drawing them up since they can contain disadvantageous provisions for the buyers otherwise.”
Once you’ve received an accepted offer on a home, it’s time for the inspection.
Test the property for radon
When home inspection time rolls around, make sure to test for radon. Radon is a colorless, odorless gas, but it can be highly dangerous — even lethal — to humans if they are exposed to high levels of it over time.
According to the US EPA, radon exposure is the leading cause of lung cancer among people who don’t smoke and is responsible for over 21,000 deaths each year. The only way to know if a property has high radon levels is to do special testing.
“In my experience, many first-time home buyers don’t realize they need to test the air quality inside the home,” says Insoo Park, founder of Ecosense, the global provider of digital radon monitors recommended by the Canadian National Radon Proficiency Program (C-NRPP). “A surprising number of homes have risky levels of radon, however. A recent study discovered that almost 60 percent of homes in Iowa, North Dakota, and South Dakota contain dangerous radon gas concentrations.”
If all goes well and the short-term test result for the home you hope to buy is below EPA’s recommended action level of 4 pCi/L f, it’s still important to continuously monitor for this radioactive cancer-causing gas after moving in. “Indoor radon levels fluctuate from season to season, so even if the test came out low during the inspection, it doesn’t mean your home is always safe,” Park explains. “The only way to know is to monitor the radon on an ongoing basis.”
Luckily, digital home radon monitors can be purchased for well under $200.
Understand when you need a professional
Buying a home also means needing to do repairs, if only to keep up with routine maintenance. Many homeowners want to do repair work themselves, but sometimes, this can lead to further problems.
According to Matt DiBara, owner of DiBara Masonry and founder of The Contractor Consultants, homeowners should use three red flags to determine when to delegate a repair job to the experts.
“The first is the stakes,” DiBara says. “What could happen if something goes wrong? If someone could get hurt while doing the work, it’s better to call on a professional who has a license to do those particular repairs. The same goes if making a mistake could have significant consequences to your home.”
The second involves specialized equipment. “You shouldn’t need to buy expensive tools for a single job,” DiBara says. “For instance, few homeowners would already have a diamond blade saw or a mortar mixer. In cases like that, it makes sense to enlist a professional who has everything they need and more.”
The last red flag is projects that leave little room for error. “If the repair needs to be done with precision, it’s important for someone who already has a lot of practice to do it,” DiBara says. “If there’s only a single chance to get it right, and you’ve never done it before, you probably shouldn’t try.”
Update your property insurance regularly
Since your new home constitutes such a major investment, don’t forget to protect it with comprehensive property insurance, including flooding and storm damage insurance. According to award-winning lawyer Omar Ochoa, who specializes in helping families make insurance claims, first-time homeowners often make the mistake of failing to review their policies regularly.
“Maintaining current policies is important because if your coverage is out of date, then you have a big hole where your safety net was supposed to be,” Ochoa says. “When it comes time to make a claim, you need that safety net to be complete and robust. That’s why you need to check in with your insurance agent at least once a year and inform them of any changes to your circumstances. For instance, you should tell them about any improvements you’ve made.”
Ochoa also often encounters homeowners who don’t realize their policy doesn’t cover certain types of damage. “Your policy will need to include riders, or you’ll need additional insurance for flooding and storm damage,” he says. “Don’t assume anything when it comes to insurance. There’s no ‘one-size-fits-all’ in this area.”
Consider installing a diversion safe
Finally, protecting the items inside your home is just as important as protecting your home itself. To make sure thieves don’t get their hands on your valuables, consider installing a safe. However, according to Scott Bonvissuto, president of Console Vault, not just any safe is a good idea since these can actually draw criminals’ attention.
“Consider a diversion safe instead,” Bonvissuto says. “These safes camouflage themselves as something else so that thieves pass them by.”
There are many different kinds of diversion safes, such as those that masquerade as a can of soup or a hairbrush. “The problem with these is that they don’t actually have a locking mechanism,” Bonvissuto warns. “That’s why we made a lockbox that you can install right in the wall of your utility room that looks just like an electrical panel.”
Make the best decisions for your family
Buying a home for the first time is an exciting experience you’ll never forget, but it also comes with a host of new responsibilities. If you follow these experts’ advice, however, you’ll maximize your chances of making the best decisions for your family.
Members of the editorial and news staff of the Daily Caller were not involved in the creation of this content.
