Planning to Buy a Home? 3 Things to Do on Your Own to Put More Money Toward Your Mortgage
Transitioning from a rental apartment or house to a property that you own will lead to a drastic change in expenses. The new home might end up costing less, more, or about the same, but the type of expense that you will be paying is the part that makes it so different from renting. You will be paying off a mortgage, which you may end up doing for the next 15 to 30 years until you have paid off the entire loan. Sure, you could keep up with the required payments and be finished in 30 years, but you can also take advantage of opportunities to maintain parts of your home without professional help to expedite this process.
Carpet Cleaning
To keep your carpet in great shape through the years, you will want to deep-clean the carpets every year for busy households and a bit less frequently when living without children or pets. A 1,300 square-foot home will run you around $200 to $400 for carpet cleaning, and that can add up over the years. Renting a machine and getting the extra products will have you spending about $44, which means you can save several hundred dollars on an annual basis by cleaning the carpet on your own. This money can then be applied to the principal part of the mortgage to reduce your required payments over time.
Lawn Upkeep
Another part of your property that you will want to skip professional care for is the lawn. Most lawn care involves mowing, pulling up weeds, and picking up twigs and leaves, all things that are easy to handle. So, instead of paying around $200 to get lawn service for an entire month, you can just take matters into your own hands by buying a lawn mower and a sturdy set of gloves to protect your hands. This alone can save you thousands of dollars each year, and that money can be used to pay off a huge chunk of almost any mortgage.
Exterior Washing
Paying to have the driveway, house siding, and walkways pressure-washed can get expensive. Buying a basic pressure washer will require you to pay around $70 to $200, but the benefits are worthwhile. As long as you keep up with routine cleaning, you should not have to worry about its strength becoming too weak for a detailed cleaning. The amount that it would cost to get pressure-washing service over the years greatly varies on the size of your property, the level of dirtiness, and how often you need to get everything cleaned. But, you will find it easier to do it yourself and put the savings toward paying off the mortgage.
Using these tips will help you own your home outright faster than if you were to pay for these services. For more tips for paying off your mortgage, consult a company such as Doolin Security Savings Bank.
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