Plan for Extra Costs, Yeah

I was reading the Sunday newspaper and there was an article in the Homes Section, which was titled "Plan for extra home costs." Yes, by all means! If you purchase a new home it should be awhile before the maintenance items start queuing up, but it does happen. Whether your home is "new" or several years old, over time the systems in a home do wear out. Yes, someday the house will need a new roof. Perhaps the heat pump will need repair. Hint -- get your unit serviced every year and that first major repair won't come as soon and the unit will function better in the mean time.

This particular article I read said that homeowners should keep one percent of the homes purchase price in reserve for improvements and surprise expenses. The article went on to say "That is the absolute minimum. It's better to have 2 or 3 percent socked away somewhere." I could not agree more. Houses tire too, and when they do you need to have some extensive skills yourself or you will have to call in the repairman. There isn't an alternative.