Must-Haves for New Homeowners
If you’re a first-time homeowner like my husband and I, there’s likely a list of things that you now need that you may not have had use for when you lived in an apartment. For the first time, we now have a garage, yard, landscaping, roof and an attic among other things that require maintenance. This inspired me to compile a list for you guys, so keep reading for must-haves for new homeowners!
To preface this, some of these can apply to those of you living in your first apartment, condo or renting a house as well, so it’s universally beneficial!
1. Tool set
- Handheld power drill — I can’t even express how much we’ve used this! We replaced all of our outlets/covers, removed and rehung our kitchen cabinets after painting them, etc.
- Tape measure
- Hammer
- Assorted screwdrivers
- Assorted screws and nails
- Mounting materials
- Stud finder with voltage and metal detection
- Level
2. Laser level — We didn’t know how necessary this was until be failed at hanging two shelves in a line 4 times total. LOL, yikes. This changes the game for hanging shelves and frames and really makes the whole process so much easier!
3. Drywall putty — Regardless if you’re new to hanging things or not, this will come in handy when fixing any existing nail holes or upcoming errors (i.e. moving/adding towel racks, etc.).
4. Ladder — this is essential for getting up into your attic if it doesn’t already have one built in, replacing light fixtures, obviously anything ceiling related, etc.
5. Step stool — This is ideal for when you don’t want to drag out the ladder, of course.
6. Lightbulbs — You’ll likely want to switch out any existing lightbulbs for ones that match, or the ones that have gone out since the previous owner left.
7. Snow shovel — This dawned on me the night before the first snow storm hit our house last week. If you’re coming from an apartment, this is definitely a new essential!
8. Lawnmower and weed-eater — Oh, the joys of having a yard! 😉 You’ll want to shop around for these because prices vary so much. Consider the size of your yard as well. Our’s is on the smaller side, so we got a gas push-mower with a bag to catch all the grass clippings and a standard gas weed-eater.
9. Power strips/extension cords — You may not have outlets located in places like you were used to in your last place, so these are just nice to have to ensure you can set your furniture and things up how you want without having to worry about access to outlets.
10. Insect guard/pest repellant — You likely have an attic and/or basement of your own for the first time, so these things may be necessary to ward off any unwanted pests. Even if you think you’re in the clear, you may want to store some in your garage just in case the time comes that you need it.
11. Landscaping maintenance tools — Rake, shovel, etc.
IF YOU HAVE HARDWOOD FLOORS
I wanted to make a section of this list dedicated to people moving to new places that are mostly hardwood. We went from a carpeted apartment to no carpet in our first home, so these are some products I’ve enjoyed having and use a ton:
- Swiffer
- Broom and mop
- Handbroom
- Dustpan
- Vacuum if you have rugs or some carpet
- Slippers — obviously these aren’t a necessity, but I love having them for walking around the house in the colder months!
I hope this was helpful! I’m sure I’ll think of more things the second I hit publish on this post, but this covers most of it. Thanks so much for reading!
