Call your neighbor or self serve!

You'd be surprised to know how much we as consumers spend on do it yourself repairs. Now think about the simple repairs around the house that anyone can do.

The first thing to remember is to trust your intelligence. Many of my clients have advanced degrees but act as if a screw driver needs operating instructions. I recommend a step by step repair book from any hardware store. I own several and loan them to my clients but Home Depot and Lowes have really good reference books that make great gifts.

Many people believe you have to have a huge tool chest to do simple jobs around the house. You can do so many home repairs with a screw driver that it is the #1 tool you should have in your kitchen drawer. A set of screw drivers will cost you between $9.00 and $20.00.

Next tool that is a must have is a hammer. This is a great tool also. Make sure you get one that feels comfortable. Bigger is not always better when it comes to a hammer.

Now I know that the Home inspectors will go wild when I mention the next tool. The tool that my clients call essential is the snake. If you don't know what a snake is, it is a tool that you can use to unplug slow running drains. It works like a charm on these clogs and you'd be surprised how many of my clients call me for a plumber phone number when a simple $19.99 snake can do the job in minutes. (Never use snakes or chemicals in a garbage disposal) Many people pour chemicals down their sinks and if you don't follow instructions, tragedies may result. My retired neighbor had his vision destroyed when he used a chemical cleaner and had it blow back in his face. These chemicals are very dangerous as the poison control centers can attest to. We don't need these left over chemicals in our landfills either. They are deemed as hazardous materials in much of the United States.

I have saved my clients a lot of hard earned money by helping on simple repairs. I show them how and let them help. Then they can do it themselves in the future. I don't claim to be a professional handyman but I have learned from experience that I like to share.

I have one client, who lives in NW Landing in Dupont, which uses home improvements as her hobby when her husband is deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. She does journeyman quality work and she learned it all from videos, books and HGTV.

If the job is too big, by all means call a professional. If you need to fix a squeaky hinge, Do it yourself! You would be surprised how easy it is and what a feeling of accomplishment you will feel in the end...  

Authored by Paul S. Henderson, Realtor ®, RE/MAX Professionals, Dupont & Lacey, WA.

(http://phenderson.net) or http://www.lacey-washington.com

©2009 Paul S. Henderson, Call your neighbor or self serve! All Rights Reserved