r/homeownerstips

My boyfriend and i bought a house in July 2025, so far, we've had to buy a whole new AC system because they installed the original one so badly it doesnt even work (havent been able to have it installed yet because the old one was so badly installed they're having trouble taking it down)

The grout in the bathroom floors started coming up like two months after moving in. Now, there might be a possible water leak behind one of the showers, and a possible mold issue. There's also been a sewage smell coming from the pipes on and off since we moved in, we thought it would go away with regular use but it has gotten worse.

The house was supposed to be newly renovated when we bought it. There's a lot of other little issues that we are going to have to fix before we could even selll the house in the future.

I know a lot varies on the type of loan and the terms, but this is in VA and we can't afford all of these repairs... is there any form of action we can take against the sellers?

Bought my first place earlier this year and I’m slowly replacing all the random furniture and stuff I carried over from my old apartment. My mattress is probably the biggest thing left. It’s the same old memory foam bed I had since college and I didn’t realize how worn out it actually was until I packed my things to move out. And I think it’s pretty overdue for a replacement so I’m going to finally throw it away. BUT I can’t throw my old one without getting a new one first. Can’t sleep on the floor. LOL.

Can you guys give me suggestions on hybrid mattresses that are not super firm? I sleep on my side 99% of the time so I don’t want something that’d hurt my shoulders and hips. I don’t mind spending on luxury models as long as it’s a proven brand/product and truly truly lasts and feels good even long term.

Hi hi!! Im having a little problem right an di hope i can get help out here …so i lie in a small apartment and lately drying my clothes has been a real pain it has always been but yeah i cant anymore lol..i have no balcony and im not a big  fan of the dryer ..i cant use it all the time yk so just wondering like maybe i can  get a good indoor drying rack that'll not be chunky af and take up all my space that i have agin my apartment is tiny dint anything taking half my living room lol i have no knowledge in this sadly so do any of the brands you use have small ones that fit the one i need orr like i need the ones that i can fold when im not using it can hold clothes ( like a week heavy ywim) wont be falling all the time also if ir wont live me w a wrinkled shirt ,we dont want that… i did see some good option earlier on on i think Alibaba  tons of options but dk if they'll break after a month or nah i wanna know from people that live in a small apartment like me and rae actually already using them and ill look into them  thank u.

Hey everyone, my washing machine has been smelling pretty funky lately and i can see some buildup around the rubber seal. It's about 4 years old and honestly i've never really deep cleaned it properly - just been running regular loads and calling it good.

I've tried running a hot water cycle with some vinegar but it didn't really do much for the smell or the visible gunk. Starting to worry that my clothes aren't getting as clean as they should be, and the musty smell is definitely noticeable.

I know there are expensive service calls for this kind of thing but i'm hoping there's a good DIY approach. What's worked best for you guys when it comes to really deep cleaning your washing machine? Any specific products or methods that actually make a difference?

Every 2 to 3 months our kitchen sink and the laundry drain back up at the exact same time. I've had two different plumbers out who snaked the line, which works for a while and then we're right back where we started by the next season. Someone at work mentioned hydro jetting as a more permanent fix. Is that overkill for a normal single-family house out here, or is that actually what we need to be doing?

Moved into a new place and hot water smelled like sulfur/?sewage (I can’t really tell the difference lol). Emptied and refilled hot water tank a few times and now the smell is gone. Is it safe to use for bathing now or do we also need to sanitize the tank using a chemical method (Lysol bleach etc)? TIA 🙏

been thinking about swapping out my fridge for a while now and i keep coming back to counter-depth because my kitchen layout just doesn't have the room for a standard size without it sticking out awkwardly. it's one of those things that bothers me every time i walk past it.

a coworker brought up that Memorial Day deals are usually pretty solid and that it's one of the better windows to buy if you've already been on the fence. i honestly don't have a great read on whether appliance sales around holidays are actually worth waiting for or if the savings are pretty marginal. do some of you made the switch and timed it around a sale?

Had been putting off the roof for about a year and there was a slow drip under the kitchen sink I kept telling myself I would get to eventually. Called Intelligent Design and they had both sorted within the same week. The roof inspection turned up a couple of things I had no idea about that would have been a real headache once the monsoons came through. The plumber traced the drip further back into the wall than I expected which was good to catch before it became something worse. Written estimate before anything was touched on both jobs and neither technician tried to talk me into more than what actually needed doing. Really glad we got ahead of it before July.

Moved to South Florida and bought my first home. Flat roof which turns out it’s not insulated. At all. Even with the AC on the house is super hot. The house is 1,600 sqft. The roof is 17 years old. I’ve decided to replaced it so asked two roofers for a quote. This is what I want. 2 inch polyiso boards, tapered system and TPO membrane. One quoted me $36k and the other one $40k. I don’t know much about roofs but I was expecting something more like 30K tops. Do these quotes seem normal for whoever has experience with roofs? I’m a single girl and sole owner of the house and I’m paranoid that people will try to overcharge me for things since I don’t really know anything about home improvement.

We haven’t even gotten into the real heat of summer yet, and our AC unit for the upstairs of our house runs almost constantly after it hits about 80 degrees outside. The ground floor stays cool without issue and is on its own separate unit.
The upstairs is only one bedroom and a larger bonus room, so not huge but it also has walk out attic space which I’m wondering if that’s contributing to the heat. We have it set to 80 so not super cool and it can’t even seem to keep up with that. Any advice???
The house seems to have decent insulation, but the attic is next to the second floor not above it so that likely contributes also.

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Our washer has started leaking a little and I’ve been putting off buying a new one forever. Now I see memorial day deals everywhere and I’m torn, should I wait and hope for something decent or just grab one before our laundry situation turns into a disaster? Anyone been in this exact spot?

I’ve been looking into getting solar for my house and I’m trying to get a realistic idea.

For context:

Single-family home

Average electric bill around $150–$200/month

Hot climate (Phoenix, AZ), so AC runs a lot

Roof gets good sun exposure most of the day

Haven’t done any energy audit or efficiency upgrades yet

Got a quote from Intelligent Design Solar for around $21k for a ~7kW system.

Does that sound about right or am I getting overpriced?