Owning your first home can feel like quite the challenge at first – and while it’s true that it comes with a lot of strings attached and a large number of things to keep in mind, it’s not actually that complicated. It mostly comes down to knowing what kinds of problems to expect, and having a solution already lined up for the most common ones. You should also know who you can call in some particular cases, because you can’t expect to be able to solve everything that comes up yourself.
There are some contacts that every responsible homeowner should always have handy. We don’t even mean the basic stuff like emergency services, either – you should expand your phonebook a bit more than that.
@dornbracht
Electrician
Whenever something goes wrong with your home’s wiring, it’s never a good idea to try touching it yourself. The potential for messing something up here is quite significant, and even if you’re already experienced with electricity to some extent, you can still make lots of mistakes. In fact, people who have at least a little bit of experience with these things should know to be particularly wary of touching their own wiring installations. When so much can go wrong, it’s always better to spend a little money on a professional service and get the job done right.
Plumber
The same can also be said about plumbing. What starts out as a small leak can quickly turn into a flooded home if you don’t know what you’re doing. A good plumber will charge a bit more than you might expect to get the job done, but for a good reason – they will ensure that your home stays undamaged through the whole ordeal. Ideally, you should use a service like We Care, with a proven track record and a large number of experienced specialists available to service you. We Care are based here, so make sure to keep their contact details available if you ever run into a problem that needs this kind of help.
;@formani bosoc series
Locksmith
Finding yourself locked out of your own home for the first time can make you feel a bit stupid, but it happens to pretty much everyone every now and then. It’s nothing you should feel ashamed about – that’s what locksmiths are for. What you should feel ashamed about, on the other hand, is not being prepared by knowing the contact details of a good professional in advance. Having to search for a locksmith on short notice can be a nightmare, because there are some unscrupulous companies on the market that will do their best to exploit your urgency if they sense that you don’t know who to call.
Home Security
Having a home security installation is important, but you should also know who to call for any issues related to it. It’s not fun to deal with a malfunctioning alarm in the middle of the night, especially when you’re not at home and can’t address the problem immediately. A simple phone call can often be enough to get this out of your hair, but if you have to sit down and search for the number in the first place, this can complicate things a little bit. You should have been given some contact details when you signed your contract with the security company in the first place, so keep them somewhere safe and easily accessible. You never know when you might need to pull those details up on short notice.
@vivint smart home
Internet Provider
If your internet goes down, finding the number of your provider can be a bit tricky if you don’t have it stored anywhere, and you don’t have mobile internet access. And speaking of things that can make you feel stupid, this should definitely be on top of that list. Preventing this problem is as simple as making sure that you know what number you can call in case something goes wrong with your internet. You should also keep in mind that this is often the kind of problem that you can’t really address on your own, unless you have expertise with it and know exactly what the issue is. So, make sure that you do the right thing and just call your provider instead of trying to mess things up even further.
HOA
If your home is part of an HOA, that’s one very important number to have in your contacts at all times. You never know when something might go wrong that involves a HOA bylaw, and this is the kind of issue that you don’t want to postpone for later in any case. Make sure that you know exactly who to call and how to get through to the people that matter the most in this case. Ideally, you should try to get more than one point of contact for this. Most HOAs tend to be very large and can involve multiple layers in their organizational structure, and it’s important to have contacts all across the board to prevent problems from snowballing into more serious ones.
Animal Control
Depending on where you live, you might occasionally have to deal with a random critter that’s gotten lost on your property. This can sometimes be a tricky job, especially with animals like raccoons that can respond very poorly to attempts to be captured and rescued. Don’t risk your own health for this, and just make sure that you know who you can call that will get the job done properly. Animal control services are available in most parts of the country through a specific phone number which you should always have handy, even when you’re outside. You never know when you might run into a situation in your neighborhood that requires the assistance of a professional.
@fourseasons private residences
Township
Last but not least, know who you can call about general issues related to the laws and organization in your town. There are various things that can go wrong here, and you’d be surprised by the length of the list. The best way to prepare yourself for all of those problems is to just know who you can call at your local townhall. This will vary from one place to another, and you may have to take some time to do your research properly, but in the end, it’s an important contact detail to have available, and it’s not something you should underestimate.
These should get you started nicely – although it’s far from an exhaustive list. There is a lot that can go wrong in the course of living in the typical house in this country, and taking the time to prepare for those issues is something every responsible homeowner should do at some point. Otherwise, problems that are normally small and negligible can spin out of control and turn into huge beasts that you don’t even know how to begin dealing with. This happens to many people, and it can be prevented by just keeping a few important numbers in your phone book. The rest comes down to familiarizing yourself with the neighborhood, being friendly with your neighbors, and paying attention to local issues that might be relevant to you in your current situation. But this all will come with time and experience.
@sicis
