Week 7: Home Sweet Homeownership

It's a marathon, not a sprint.‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

View Online Become a Member | Sign Up Hi James, Settle in. I want to tell you why it's so important that you find the joy in maintaining your house. It's a marathon, not a sprint (followed by another marathon, and another). So you'll want to keep your strength up, stay hydrated, and enjoy the scenery. In my first house, I wanted to gut both bathrooms. I was wise enough not to do both at once, so I could use one while working on the other. But not long after I gutted the first-floor bathroom, the upstairs shower started to leak. That is much of what homeownership feels like: spending time and money maintaining things you don't like or care about, while finding time and money to make real improvements. Once the bigger projects are behind you, you can switch to maintenance mode. Even for things you plan to replace, maintenance is key. You should absolutely recaulk a tub or shower you plan to tear out or seal up leaky windows. Sure, splurging on all new windows is the right fix for drafts or leaks, but do you really want to pay extra on your energy bills until you're able to tackle that project? Other essential upkeep: replacing household filters routinely, especially your AC and furnace filters, even if you plan to overhaul your HVAC. Maintenance makes the parts of your home you love last longer. But it also saves you money (and prevents breakdowns or problems) with the parts you hate. Outside spaces are notoriously needy—if you're buying lawn tools for the first time, I'd encourage you to go with battery-powered tools. They start instantly, they're better for the earth, and crucially, they don't require any maintenance of their own. Maintenance is less of a chore—and sometimes even a joy—if you set yourself up properly. Start by putting together a toolkit built around essential hand tools, like a hammer and screwdriver, or some wrenches—all you need for swapping out a showerhead. A cordless drill is the single-most important power tool you can buy, and a must-have for things like installing a TV wall mount or furniture anchors, the latter of which is critical if you have kiddos. If you're ambitious enough to try bigger projects, like building a deck or pergola, an impact driver is nice to have since it lets you drive large, heavy fasteners, or hundreds of screws on a single charge. Start with the projects that are most important to you, and look for quick wins—the simple satisfaction that comes from hanging a shelf or even organizing a drawer can give you the boost you need to tackle larger projects. I want to acknowledge just how much we've thrown at you, but also, how exciting this moment really is. I also want to plug CR as the perfect companion on your journey. As an 89-year-old non-profit, we work for nobody but you. We don't take ads, we don't take free products, and we certainly don't take gifts, trips, or kickbacks from brands. We buy every product we test, which means that if it does well in our ratings, chances are excellent that it'll do even better in your home. We also fight for consumer safety and protection and offer services to save you money and protect your digital privacy. Our goal is to keep you safe and help you find the best of the best. Becoming a CR member means never having to wonder if you're making a smart purchase, because you've got the experts behind you—and access to the ratings for nearly 10,000 products. We even offer an AI-powered tool, called AskCR, that can help you make the best choices for your new home. We hope you'll let us prove just how valuable a CR membership can be. For starters, be sure to sign up for CR's free Home newsletter for ongoing tips, product recommendations, and insights. With that, we send you out into the world of home ownership. If you found this newsletter helpful, I'd love to hear from you. I'd also love to know about any early successes or failures you encounter. I wish you all the best in your journey. –Paul Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get these emails in your inbox. How satisfied are you with the content of this email? This email was sent to you by Consumer Reports. To ensure our emails are delivered directly to your inbox, please add newsletters@email.consumerreports.org to your address book! This email was intended for mufhandu.o.itsol@blogger.com. Manage Newsletters or Unsubscribe | Contact Us | Our Privacy Policy © 2025 Consumer Reports, 101 Truman Avenue, Yonkers, NY 10703. All rights reserved.