THE UNWRITTEN RULES OF HOME OWNERSHIP

Reddit asked readers, “What unwritten rules do you learn only AFTER becoming a homeowner?” Some of the responses:
– “You will NEVER complete a project with a single visit to a home store.”
– “If a fence is in fair to good condition, then your neighbor will claim it belongs to them. If the fence is in disrepair or has recently fallen, your neighbor will say it was built by the people who previously owned your house.”
– “The house knows when you have money. If you’ve suddenly come upon $2,000, that’s when the furnace will need a $2,100 repair.”
– “Fire alarm batteries will always need changing at 2 in the morning.”
– “Previous renovations aren’t there just to make it look nice. They’re hiding something that will become apparent as soon as you try and change something.”
– “Every repairman or contractor that comes into your house will tell you the guy who fixed it before didn’t know what he was doing.”
– “The closer your house is to a Home Depot, the easier your life will be.”
* Speaking from experience, if you want a part, go to Home Depot. If you want the right part, go to Ace Hardware.
* Another thing about houses – a day will come when you discover you are not the only creatures living in it.
* Just remember, men – HGTV is your enemy. All it does is gives women ideas.
* I offered to do a home show for PBS. Instead of “This Old House” I was going to call it “This Damn House.”
* Just keep telling yourself: “It’s better than renting. It’s better than renting …”