Blinds are Really Expensive. And Other Things I’ve Learned in Two Weeks of Home-ownership.

Holy moly, blinds are really expensive. WHO KNEW?! *Everyone who has owned a home and purchased blinds for said home raises hand.* Here is everything I’ve learned in the first two weeks of home-ownership after years of being a renter.

Blinds are really expensive.

We have 11 windows in the house that need blinds. Ignorant little me thought we should budget $500 max for this project. Oh how wrong I was! We didn’t go with the cheapest option (I have lived with too many crappy plastic blinds that get twisted and broken) but we also didn’t choose anything near the high end. The total for 11 windows was $760. And that doesn’t include installation. Maybe I really am that naive, but I did NOT expect them to be so expensive.

On the bright side, I am so happy with the style we chose. It’s this bamboo shade in Winthrop Tortoise from Steve’s Blinds and Wallpaper. They were running a special at the time that offered a free cordless option too! I will likely be doing a whole post on how to install bamboo shades, so stay tuned!

Trash services are not free

Blame this one on many years of renting, but I thought that taxes covered trash removal. The fee is nominal compared to all the other expenses that come with home ownership, but it was still unexpected. That being said, one of my friends lives in a town that doesn’t have a recycling program. So we’re lucky to have that! Yay environment! And shout out to Laura for being a good human and taking her recycling to a collection center rather than throwing it out.

You will actually get to know your neighbors

This could be a good or bad thing depending on your personality, but I am all for getting to know your neighbors! Growing up, our neighbors were all great friends. There were huge block parties and lots of kids around to play outside. Fast forward to living in apartment buildings with neighbors that avoided all contact like the plague, I started thinking that maybe my childhood neighbor experience was just abnormal. But not so! When you are living somewhere more permanently, neighbors make an effort to be welcoming. We’ve received a bottle of wine and cookies from ours! So nice!

“Broom clean” condition is open to interpretation

Broom clean is the condition in which a seller must leave a house for the new owner. But it basically means nothing. We spent the first week scouring the house. Partly because I have high standards for cleanliness, partly because it was so dirty. There was a layer of grime on every surface. It is an older home, but I did expect it to be a bit cleaner. This is good to remember if you have a timeline set for moving into a home. Leave yourself plenty of time to clean before unpacking.

The inspection will not catch every issue

After some hard core scrubbing of the master bathroom (I’m a clean freak, remember?), I was all excited to take a shower. The hot water worked great, but the cold didn’t work at all. Not great unless you enjoy scorching your skin. The home inspector checked that the water was running, but did not check the temperature. Luckily we have another shower that has both hot and cold water. Don’t expect your inspection to catch every issue, but the inspector should find all the major problems.

Living in a house you own is the best feeling ever!

This last one is self-explanatory, but I am so unbelievably happy and grateful to own a home! It has been a dream of mine for years and I still can’t believe it is now a reality. For all of you still dreaming, it will happen! Just remember to budget correctly, because blinds are really expensive 😉