Once you decide to purchase a home a lot of things change. One big area of change you will notice is that you are now responsible for anything that goes wrong in your home.

As a renter, you were able to enjoy a landlord and maybe even a handy man who would take care of items such as blocked drains, leaky pipes or a broken toilet. Now, as a homeowner you are responsible for all of the above plus more.

In order to help you get started we have some skills to go through to help you on your way.

1) Restricted Airflow

If your furnace comes on but one or two rooms are cold, first make sure all the room registers are open.

Then examine any ductwork you can get access to and look for gaps between sections or branching points. Seal any gaps between sections of duct with special metal duct tape. Don’t use standard cloth duct tape—it quickly deteriorates, and it may also cause ducts to leak if it was used to seal sections in the past.

Also check for handles protruding from the ductwork. These are dampers or air conditioner bypasses—make sure they’re open.

2) HVAC filters

HVAC filters are so simple to change anyone can do that.

Step one, identify what type of filter you have – head to Home Depot and pick up a few at a time. Once you get home, follow the instructions on the package and change the filters quarterly.

Changing a filter quarterly may seem aggressive. Your rental unit most likely did not change them that frequently. However, being prepared and being on top of the filters keep energy bills down, cut costs and usually keep problems at bay.

3) Snaking A Drain

Always keep two things on hand – chemical drain cleaners such as Draino and a drain snake. The Drano will cost about 16 bucks and the snake will set you back about 100. Trust us, both are worth it.

When you face a clogged kitchen drain or a bathroom sink drain you will want to push the snake as far as you can. When you feel resistance, rotate the snake until you feel the blockage free up.

Ensure the blockage is gone so you do not have troubles later.

4) Resetting Your Circuit Breaker

This is also simple.

Probably one of the easiest things to do. If you blow a breaker simply locate your breaker, open the grey panel cover, find the circuit that is in the “off” position and flip it back to the “on” position. There will be some resistance. That’s normal.

5) Cleaning The Gutters

This is a tedious task and needs to be done a few times a year. You can clean your gutters with a simple garden hose. Find the build up and spray it down and out through the pipes. Doing this will save you a lot of time and money later on.

If your gutters do get clogged it can cause a lot of problems for your home later.

As always, if you need help buying or selling your home. Let us know.

Gregg Bamford and Ryan Bamford