What things broke that you had to fix your first year?

Question

This isn't meant to be discouraging to anyone thinking or buying or someone that already owns.

I have been in my first home for 3 weeks.  The first day I moved in I had no water coming out of the tub or shower head.  We thought it was a shutoff valve turned off.  nope.  No shutoff valve for the shower.  It ended up being the cartridge.  Upon taking the single knob off that broke and everything was rusted in.  A week later my garage spring broke.  Then a week after that my stove hood vent sparked and smoked.  This week my lift pump went out on my septic system.

Yes the house was inspected before purchasing and everything did work before I moved in.  Things break and I am not mad about it.  I likely would have had to replace those things at some point anyhow.

With that out of the way.  What things broke on your house after moving in?  Surely I can't be the only one with a few bumps in the road.

Account Closed · Answer

Oh no, you are not!

My very first house had plumbing issues show up within a few days of moving in. Kitchen faucet dripped, master bath sink faucet had very low water flow (turned out it was rusted inside and debris were blocking water, I got it replaced) and smell of sewage wafting from the guest bath. Turns out toilet seal was broken. Paid a plumber just a little shy of $1,000 to get those issues fixed.

Then a couple of weeks later, master shower stopped draining completely. I was not about to call that plumber back.... A kind lady at Lowe's (where I had gone to buy Drain-O) suggested I use vinegar and baking soda to loosen up any gunk, then use the cheap plastic "snake" to get the blockage out. It was a huge, gross ball of hair and other stuff. Yuck, but at least I had paid less than $10 to fix the issue.

We moved in a few days after Christmas. This was Virginia, so not very cold, but right around New Year's we had some pretty cold weather. There was a lovely wood fireplace in the family room, so we decided to make a fire. Well, we didn't know this, but the flue was broken, and the fire filled the house with black, smelly smoke. So much for a warm fire on a cold night!

There were a couple of other issues over the next few months and years. But you know what? I loved that house because it was my very first, and I poured everything I had into it- dollars, time, effort. A neighbor joked that my paycheck should be direct deposited to Lowe's because I was forever coming home with bags and bags of stuff from there.

Just think of the stuff that's breaking as good stories to be told later. :)