2 Things Every Homeowner Should Know

When you are a homeowner, you tend to amass a variety of skills over time. Whether you are a novice or a professional tradesperson, it is beneficial to ensure you know how to perform a few essential tasks or find the best person to do it for you.

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Know your trade servicing companies.

Plumbing tasks can range from simple do-it-yourself jobs like tightening a screw under the sink to considerably more complex items like attending to a water heater leak. You must find quality plumbing services before you need them. When water is spewing forth from a broken pipe, it is not the best time to look for a company and check their reviews.

Once you locate a professional plumbing services company in your area, add their contact information to your phone. Go a couple of extra steps farther to ensure preparation by placing a note with the phone number on it right next to the water heater. Additionally, add the information into your Home Information Binder (more on that below).

The same goes for the rest of your servicing companies. Conduct research now to find a licensed electrician before there is a problem. Find out whether they offer 24-hour service because repairs seem necessary at odd hours. And always feel confident asking them questions before hiring for a job.

Create a Home Warranty Binder

If you are not familiar with the ever-helpful Home Warranty Binder, you will enjoy its usefulness and surely begin one today. This binder serves as a catchall for everything home-related that has paperwork associated. If a binder is too unwieldy, use a document file box or any other system that works for you.

Of course, everything is online today, and it is much easier to access manuals and documents online than keeping up with a large binder. Even so, if you have a sitter or family member staying at your house, they will not have access to your digital stores of information. It will be a simpler task for them to open your binder and quickly find the plumber that you already know and trust, as an example.

Here is a list of items to keep in your binder.

Home and appliance warranty paperwork.
Paint swatches with the paint name, number, and room documented.
Appliance manuals.
Utility companies’ contact information.
Include a copy of recent bills for all of your utility companies. These will include your account number and other necessary information.
Service or trade companies’ contact information.
Contracts
Receipts
The location of all utility shut-off valves or switches. Include detailed information and include a photo, if needed.

Use the binder in whatever manner works best for you. There is no right or wrong way, as long as you can quickly access the information you need without having to rifle through disorganized paperwork. Should you ever move, your realtor and the future homeowners will greatly appreciate that you have this comprehensive binder to pass on to them.