Congratulations on being a homeowner! If you're feeling a bit unprepared, don't worry – it's completely normal, especially if it's your first home.
Ever heard the phrase "it takes a village"? Well, that figure of speech is widely applicable to home ownership, too. What happens if something breaks? Or your plumbing stops working? Or the electricity starts shorting out?
The good news is that you don't need to know how to do everything yourself. There are experts with years of experience in their respective fields who know exactly how to help!
Rather than only looking for help when you need it, we recommend building up your homeowner network now! This helps you find trusted, local service providers so you don't have to scramble to find one when the inevitable happens.
Plus, you'll have time to properly vet different providers before choosing the one you'd like to work with instead of picking the only one available at midnight on a Wednesday.
5 People You Need in Your Homeowner Network
1. An Insurance Agent
When you take out a mortgage to purchase a home, you'll also need homeowners' insurance.
Homeowner's insurance protects your home from any potential risks. While this is mainly in the best interest of your mortgage lender (as it protects the asset they just invested in), it also means you'll have protection for any major problems that arise.
So, how do you know which homeowners insurance is best for you? Talk to an insurance agent! They can help you compare rates and coverage, and answer any questions you might have.
For example:
Do you need coverage for natural disasters? While most home insurance policies will cover issues like fire, they usually don't include damage from natural disasters like floods or earthquakes. Of course, whether you need this or not depends on where you live, but your insurance agent can determine the best coverage for your needs.
Can you bundle other insurances to save money? One great thing about homeowners insurance is that you can bundle it together with car insurance or life insurance and save money! Make sure you talk to your insurance agent about any potential savings you can take advantage of.
Having a good insurance agent you can talk to ensures you're fully covered for any potential issues and you're saving as much money as possible.
2. A General Contractor
Being a homeowner means you have virtually endless "projects" to finish. While many homeowners are getting a lot more creative and taking on small fixes themselves, some things are best left to the experts.
Plus, there's no shame in hiring a contractor – even for the small stuff! (Also, sometimes it feels better to trust a professional to get the job done right instead of spending hours watching DIY YouTube videos).
General contractors can help with:
Holes in walls
Chipped or cracked crown molding
Creaky doors
Painting
Unfinished work from a previous owner
Room additions
Building a garage
Adding a shed
So, how do you find a reliable general contractor? Make sure they show up on time, accurately quote a project, explain timelines, and break down the cost of materials.
If you have a specific project in mind, it's best to shop around with a few different contractors to get a feel for each one, what their quotes are, and the timelines they're promising.

3. A Roofer
You should have at least some general idea of how old the roof on your house is, especially if you recently purchased your home and had a home inspection done.
Depending on how long you live in your home, you might not ever have to deal with putting a new roof on it! However, when you go to sell your home, an old roof is a major turnoff for buyers.
Regardless, you should have a roofer ready to go in case you ever need to have leaks repaired or are looking for a quote on a new roof.
Don't know how old the roof on your house is? Hire a roofer to come out and take a look at it. They can make any necessary repairs to make sure a leaky roof doesn't turn into serious water damage.
4. A cleaner
Some people don't mind cleaning their house! Others see it as the bane of their existence.
Regardless of your stance on cleaning, a reliable house cleaner can still come in handy.
For example, even if you clean your own house regularly, it helps to have a house cleaner on standby in case you need to get your house ready for a party or family event, if you're going out of town and want to rent your house out, or even if a health issue affects your ability to clean.
A house cleaner is honestly worth the cost sometimes. This is a service where you might not want to go with the cheapest option – if you're paying someone to clean your house, you'll want to make sure they do a thorough job!
5. A real estate agent
We know you aren't trying to sell your house right after you moved in. But, keeping in touch with your real estate agent is a good idea for whenever you are ready to sell.
Here's why:
Your real estate agent will always have valuable information on the latest happenings in your area. This includes any new housing developments you might be interested in, any exciting new restaurants, or other interesting community upgrades you might not have heard about yet.
When the right time comes to sell your house, your agent will know exactly what you need to do for your house to be enticing to prospective buyers. They will already know what other homes in the neighborhood have sold for, any upgrades they made before selling, and how certain renovations could boost your sales price.
Last but not least, your real estate agent can provide their personal recommendations for each item on this list! They know who the most reliable roofers and general contractors are, and can tell you to get in touch with (and maybe even who to avoid).
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