Praise the gourd that it’s over. Everything has been unboxed, placed in its own special space, assembled and the stuffed cat has been glued to the ceiling. While you’re sitting on the sofa, watching an episode of Honey Boo-Boo, you begin to notice that some things just ain’t right.

You’ve just gone through a stressful situation so a total remodel is out-of-the-question. Maybe all you need to do is a little home maintenance.

Tick These Things

Before you bought the place, you hired a pro to do a total house inspection. You what? You didn’t. Well then enjoy that poke, pig included.

You need to get one post-haste. A home inspector, not another pig.

If you wisely brought in an examiner, grab the booklet he or she gave you, flipping through the matters that the scrutinizer uncovered. Begin to prioritize what needs to be done first. Time to dive into repairing and replacing.

Assuming you haven’t plopped down funds for a “little fixer-upper,” most of the maintenance you’ll undergo are small taters. Unless you have a toilet that regularly lifts off the ground when you flush it, most of the stuff you’ll be doing isn’t all that time sensitive. Baby steps. Do it right, letting your budget and the home inspection report be your guides.

Hidden Things Need Love Too

Are there any electrical or plumbing problems that Mr. or Ms. Home Inspector identified? What does that redneck who actually came from Nebraska say? “Get ‘er done?” O.K., get her done. They are safety issues. Have an energy audit performed. Any funky plumbing or wiring needs to be taken care of ASAP.

The last thing you want for your new home is that it would catch on fire, blow-up from leaking gas and self-extinguish because every water pipe in the place busted at once during the major disaster.

Prettying-up the Yard

Living in your new place, which has been built on a glacier, this item may not be a priority. But if you have a curb, you need to appeal to it. Curbs usually like candy, but flowers will do, too.

Take care of the trees, shrubs and bushes by barbering the living things. Doll-up the yard with some swell, colored mulch. Plant some new bulbs and flowers. Show the neighbors that you’re not a slob by improving the curb appeal.

The upside of attending to this is that if you need to do any serious home maintenance, your neighbors be a little more tolerant when a 20000MT TAISUN Bridge Crane is erected so you can replace approximately one roof shingle.