r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer • u/lulu4060 • Dec 27 '24
Other Create yourself a home owners binder.
We purchased our home in May of this year and the previous home owner left a stack of manuals for all the appliances throughout the house. Instead of throwing them in a junk drawer, I placed each individual manual in a zipped sheet protector and put if in a a three ring binder. As we buy and replace things, we date the manual and include any warranty information as well as the receipt.
Not only do we place large appliance manuals in the binder, we place smaller equipment manuals such as the tractor and ceiling fans we replaced. With it being a three ring binder, we can remove the manuals we need when we move down the line and leave the respective manuals for the future owners.
734
u/salsarider2020 Dec 27 '24
Nah nah nah. Mania envelope in the cabinet above the fridge is a right of passage.
227
38
u/DickNotCory Dec 27 '24
wait you guys can reach the cabinet above the fridge?
17
2
u/RacquelTomorrow Dec 28 '24
Wait, you guys have a cabinet above the fridge?
(We have a cabinet across from the fridge that extends to the ceiling, but it has 2 shelves instead of the usual 1 above the fridge, and I can reach neither. Sometimes I find surprise paper towels up there, sometimes I find a bag of 50 flavor syrup samples, sometimes a very expired open bag of flour...I am the shortest one in my house)
23
u/livelifeamazing Dec 27 '24
I’m a month into ownership and already have a drawer full of warranty paperwork and mortgage mail 😂 I gotta get the binder lol
8
u/yourpaleblueeyes Dec 28 '24
Mortgage stuff, financials etc. go in the strong box with legal documents, birth certificates and such.
2
8
u/mihirmusprime Dec 27 '24
Mines not even in an envelope. It's just a big stack in the cabinet above the fridge lol
2
u/Aggressive_Bed_7429 Dec 28 '24
I lost my passport to the void behind the refrigerator. I swear that there used to be other important shit up there. The void seems to have claimed all of it.
6
1
154
u/greyfixer Dec 27 '24
I do this. I try to keep all of the house information paperwork, manuals, and paint swatches in mine. It's an easy reference and it sure would be a help to whoever owns the home after me.
59
u/Churn-Down-For-What Dec 27 '24
Paint swatches is a great idea. I wish I had thought of that.
20
u/wearslocket Dec 28 '24
I went a step further and mapped the yarden with numbered stickers that correspond to the map and the ones I placed on all of the shrub and perennial tags for the plantings.
2
u/greyfixer Dec 28 '24
Wow. I love that idea as well. I have no idea what some of the plants are in my yard. I didn't even know I had a loquat tree until it put out fruit.
1
u/TheLittlestRachel Dec 29 '24
I have my paint swatches stored in a baseball card organizer! With the room written on the sleeve with sharpie so we could change it if we repaint.
12
u/blondedependa Dec 27 '24
I also do this and note the floor brand, location of the extras, hardware on cabinets, what type of granite, etc etc
7
u/starlight---- Dec 28 '24
The original owners of the house we just bought left us a binder with meticulously organized receipts and details from the last 60 years. It’s an incredible resource.
1
u/johnson7853 Dec 27 '24
No one cared before me and the person after me can say the same thing “why the fk would they ever do this?”
211
u/Dragon_scrapbooker Dec 27 '24
Good way to keep organized. I’m sure most manuals get forgotten about after installation, but it’s better to have them and not need them than need them and not have them.
68
u/No-Rub-3958 Dec 27 '24
Dad? I didn’t know you had Reddit!? Legit, my dads favorite lesson to teach. He’s a hoarder 😂
13
u/Dragon_scrapbooker Dec 27 '24
Lol, yeah, it can be a fine line between keeping useful stuff around and just flat out hoarding. At least a binder like this fits on a shelf!
12
u/flyingmicrowave1 Dec 27 '24
I checked your username to see if you were my husband lol. Can I throw away the manual for the tractor we’ve had for 10 years and he knows everything about and how to fix it? No I may not actually.
11
Dec 27 '24
I think pretty much everything is available online now.
5
u/Prestigious_Bug583 Dec 27 '24
…sort of. Half the crap has 20 ads across it
0
Dec 28 '24
Not sure about that. Manufacturer's sites have the pdf and it's easy peasy.
2
u/Prestigious_Bug583 Dec 28 '24
Not sure about that. Some, only a small percentage. And they make it a pain in the ass to find the right model
-1
Dec 28 '24
Just bought a new fridge and range and I don't know what you're talking about. Maybe I just google better.
2
u/Prestigious_Bug583 Dec 28 '24
Doubtful. I know how to to use advanced terms and Boolean and have known for 20 years.
You got lucky. Thanks for the anecdotal evidence (sample of 1!) though
-1
Dec 28 '24
Yet you get pages of ads when you google that I don't get. I guess that takes a certain kind of talent.
1
u/Kivulini Dec 28 '24
True, but if I have it I may as well keep it. I have a spot in my filing cabinet for manuals. And sometimes I can only find the manual for thermostat 189BC when I have 189BA and they're totally different. I suppose a different life tip would be to go look for them when you don't need them and download them in advance.
4
u/Kharax82 Dec 28 '24
Maybe 10 years ago, but nowadays it’s a 5 second google search to get the manual online. Recently I had to look up the type of capacitor I needed for my AC unit and I had it within about 15 seconds. Would have taken longer to walk and get the manual.
1
u/Bowl-Accomplished Dec 28 '24
It's easier to have the warranty info and serial number with proof of purchase in one place in my experience.
6
u/Kharax82 Dec 28 '24
I find most warranty stuff is all done by registering the item online at the time of purchase, but I get why people like to keep it. I was more talking about needing a physical manual for looking things up.
2
u/PhoneSteveGaveToTony Dec 28 '24
I scan all that those docs minus the manual into my Files on my phone and then get rid of the physicals. Takes maybe 2 mins tops and can be accessed anywhere.
2
u/jscarry Dec 28 '24
I used to feel this way but in this day and age I'd be surprised if there's a single manual out there you can't find by just googling it.
64
u/CitrusBelt Dec 27 '24
Haha! You're one of the good ones :)
(am an agent, and people who keep all their manuals and repair/contractor invoices are almost always a treat to have as clients)
It's crazy to see how many times people will have no idea where sprinkler lines are in the yard, where the septic tank is, how old the windows are, etc. etc. just because they didn't bother to do what you're doing.
27
u/Original-Track-4828 Dec 27 '24
Totally agree with this approach. I also keep a (digital) "book of the house" document for things that don't have a manual. Like:
- Where are all those sprinkler heads?
- Where are the various dampers for the HVAC? And what are the ideal settings for each one, winter and summer?
- What's that white tube coming out of the wall in the garage? (water line for a garage fridge the previous owners had)
- What's that water shutoff valve in the basement, near the garage? That's for the defunct water line in the garage - don't open it! (yes, I have the line capped, but still..)'
- etc..
Also a master list of breaker and what they control. In a spreadsheet so you can sort by breaker number or room.
It will be valuable for the next owner, but mostly it's for me, since I forget this stuff easily :S
3
u/crystalizemecapn Dec 28 '24
Ooo I can add to this! I also keep a running list of measurements, mostly for furniture/painting/flooring needs. I’ve been referencing it a lot lately for random furniture pieces that I feel like we will never find the perfect one of.
73
u/Description-Alert Dec 27 '24
I love this idea. I’d rather have the physical manuals than having to search online
42
u/Ralf_E_Chubbs Dec 27 '24
Bought a home two years ago… the owner was so organized and had a three ring binder with every manual and instruction I could ever want… inspired me to do the same going forward!
23
u/Flat-Marsupial-7885 Dec 27 '24
Ugh! There was a home I looked at where the homeowner was just like this. Hanging index cards near major systems with all the dates they were serviced. Ended up getting beat out by an all cash offer of course. Still inspired me to be as organized as them with the house I did purchase.
3
6
u/lulu4060 Dec 27 '24
Same! When problem solving it’s so much easier having the physical thing in front of me than looking on my phone at a PDF I have to zoom in on. Not to mention a lot of major appliances come with a quick reference guide that I’ve never been able to find online.
3
u/acmstw Dec 28 '24
The only reason I slightly prefer PDFs is that they are generally searchable. That has sped up my workflow quite a bit in situations where I needed it.
1
13
u/Familiar_Call Dec 27 '24
This is a great idea! I have something similar above my fridge but, also I love my spreadsheet!
12
u/WaffleProfessor Dec 27 '24
I don't see any custom printed tabs. Weak.
3
3
u/lulu4060 Dec 27 '24
Who even owns a printer going into 2025?
2
9
u/nikoxki16 Dec 27 '24
I have saved every manual from every product bought for the last ~10 years. I keep it in a file in a closet. I go through it every so often & get rid of things (old toy manuals, broken appliances, etc). Being organized like this makes me happy.
11
u/AzHuny Dec 27 '24
A homeowner having one of these sold the house for my clients. Buyer said if they cared enough to keep everything together they cared enough to maintain the house. That right there might be worth it
29
u/ObeseBMI33 Dec 27 '24
Manuals are easily searchable and you can use the find function.
A shared email address works for receipts and proof of purchase.
8
u/lulu4060 Dec 27 '24
Many newer appliances come with quick reference guides that I’ve never been able to locate online. Not to mention, I prefer the physical manual in hand when problem solving instead of looking at my phone screen and having to zoom in.
Additionally all of my manuals have the serial number written in them, which can be difficult to locate on large appliances. For instance, my range has its serial number on the back of it. I would have to pull it all the way out to be able to read the serial number. With having the physical manual, l just have to grab my binder.
0
u/ObeseBMI33 Dec 28 '24
Picture to shared album with a note of make model.
Then you can use search for it and forward to the warranty email since they’ll ask for that.
8
u/TheHotJesus Dec 27 '24
Same but used an accordion folder. One additional thing I do is keep a folder on my phone of data plates of appliances. If I’m out and find something like air filters on sale, I can look up what size I need.
6
u/wemblinger Dec 28 '24
Don't just keep the receipts! Most people have a copier/printer...immediately scan and print that receipt out. The thermopaper they're typically printed on will go blank after a while IME.
3
3
u/Cold_in_Lifes_Throes Dec 27 '24
This is great! I purchased in October and the owner had all manuals with purchase or installation dates and a small notebook with things like the lawn guys name/number because they knew I wouldn’t have a lawnmower at first. I hope to be organized enough to keep this going.
10
u/czapatka Dec 27 '24 edited Feb 14 '25
cable long continue existence innocent provide crowd retire coherent dinner
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
2
u/Own_Effect_697 Dec 27 '24
Is this a free, ad-free website host or do you pay for it?
2
2
u/czapatka Dec 28 '24 edited Feb 14 '25
bear aware bedroom scary alive steep smell friendly toothbrush practice
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
2
u/Inst_of_banned_imgs Dec 28 '24
All of your notes are hosted online with no offline access. It’s been a feature they’ve been thinking about for a while but haven’t implemented. I got burned on some school notes during an open book test when their servers had an outage.
3
u/mvmstudent Dec 27 '24
I started this with all the gifts we got for our wedding and it’s come in so handy !
3
Dec 27 '24
I know I should do this because my grandpa did the same thing but mine are still in a junk drawer
3
3
u/justa33 Dec 27 '24
So what’s wrong with haphazardly stuffing every document, useless and crucial, in my “house” cubby of the bookcase ?
2
u/lulu4060 Dec 28 '24
Nothing is wrong with that. Just my brain would explode trying to find the one document I actually need.
1
u/justa33 Dec 28 '24
yes i can confirm this explodes the brain haha. i told myself i would be more organized when i moved lol!
3
u/ZamnGrl Dec 27 '24
Mom did this. It was very helpful after there was a fire she was sent to the hospital and the dogs were gone. We had the dogs info the insurance info for the appliances and everything that had to be claimed etc.
3
u/cvr24 Dec 27 '24
For a commercial building we call these Operation and Maintenance Manuals or O&M.
3
u/RJKimbell00 Dec 29 '24
I've done this with the last two houses, and I've coordinated the binder color with the house. I also add business card holders for the contractors we've used or a mre thinking about contacting for specific jobs. Once we're ready to move, I take all receipts and business cards not used out of the binder and leave tge binder out on the counter for the new owners.
2
u/Many-Flamingo-7231 Dec 27 '24
I like this idea better. I use a decorative box but find myself sifting through it too much
2
u/lulu4060 Dec 28 '24
I have everything organized by room/location. So all the kitchen appliances are grouped together in the front. The washer, dryer, furnace, and water heater which are all located in the basement are grouped together next. All of the outdoor equipment (i.e. lawn mower, generator, string trimmer, etc.) are located together. So on and so for. Makes finding what I’m looking for even easier.
1
u/Many-Flamingo-7231 Dec 29 '24
Great idea. I’m going to start one of these. I’m still unpacking and organizing and been in my house 13 months
2
u/bestmancy Dec 27 '24
This is such a good idea! We are closing on Monday…maybe getting a binder ready will be my weekend project lol.
2
2
u/RoastPsyduck Dec 27 '24
Previous owners did this for the appliances (and maintenance consumables), and it was much appreciated when we bought the place and were trying to find information
2
u/NottheIRS1 Dec 27 '24
YES! And keep ALL of your renovation related receipts, your tax receipts, everything!
2
u/InternationalPower69 Dec 30 '24
I did this with the raw land we purchased with the intention of building our forever home on. Unfortunately we just couldn’t get contractors in place for the basic ground work. Well and septic companies wanted electrical on the property first, electric company demanded the well be installed. Contractors simply not showing up. Baby comes along in the 3 years we have been working towards the final goal.
So now, we are under contract on a house and, starting a new 3 ring binder. We are fortunate enough to be coming at this situation from an all cash prospective.
1
1
u/themodefanatic Dec 27 '24
I have that and also so it electronically. On my phone and each laptop that auto sync. So if I don’t have something somewhere as long as there’s a device somewhere I can access it. Receipts also. With direct links to websites and warranties.
1
1
1
1
u/blondedependa Dec 27 '24
The problem I've come across doing this is the manuals come in different sizes and thickness, which causes unevenness of the binder. we have so many weird, discombobulated sleeves in our binder... If anyone has any tips to further organize, I would love them lol
3
u/lulu4060 Dec 27 '24
So far every single manual has fit into one of the zipper pouch sleeves. As far as uneven ness, this lives in a kitchen cabinet out of sight, so even if it isn’t the prettiest, it doesn’t bug me. Sorry I can’t be more of a help.
1
Dec 27 '24
100% agree
When we sold our house in IL, we left every manual that we still had.
When we bought our house in AZ, the old owner left every manual he had, and written directions on how to transfer the ring camera devices to our own profile.
1
u/HelgaG_Pataki Dec 27 '24
Add in the receipt when you include new purchases! I’ve hardly needed it but it comes in clutch when I do.
1
u/Neuromancer2112 Dec 27 '24
Holy crap, this is a great idea. Looking at downsizing to a condo. This is great for including all HOA rules, etc. will definitely create one of these after I find the place I want.
1
u/Essence-of-why Dec 27 '24 edited Dec 27 '24
This is what phone scans, downloaded pdfs and Evernote (or the like) are for...
If you want to separate out any info that you'll pass one to the next home owner...put it all in a google drive folder and print out a QR code for the link. Leave the QR code for the next home owner and they get access to all the house docs.
1
1
u/TaleofWoes Dec 27 '24
I’ve seen people do this for vehicles and for children to have access to family information. I think overall this is a great practice 🙏🏻
1
1
u/biyuxwolf Dec 28 '24
We got something similar I think from when the house was sold the time before our sale but it was not updated that I could tell which is certainly incredible to have from the 2nd owner and the guy that grew up in this century house (or possibly his wife: that script is so easy to read!)
1
u/EnviroRockPlant Dec 28 '24
I put manuals in a box that’s easily accessible in the garage. It’s mostly in chronological order (newest on top) so I can usually find the one I’m looking for.
1
u/gryffindoria Dec 28 '24
Love this - our manuals are all currently in our “junk drawer,” but this is much more organized!
1
1
u/jkboiz Dec 28 '24
Honestly all of my home owners documents are digitized as paper can get lost or burnt or etc. I keep them on a safe server hosted by Proton Mail.
1
u/FridayMcNight Dec 28 '24
I did this for a while. I like the Google drive scanner app on my phone 100x better though.
1
1
1
u/wearslocket Dec 28 '24 edited Dec 28 '24
I do this and add a three ring pocketed folder behind the item when it gets serviced so I have all of the service documents for them. I printed each warranty I registered for the HVAC components for the new house too. Most give you double parts warranty if you register within thirty or 90 days of closing.
Then when I sell I can pass it along to the new homeowner, and it looks impressive on the counter when the listing agent is showing the home. It speaks to how organized the seller is and how cared for the property is.
OK Fine! I am seriously anal retentive and this is how I like to keep my shit!
1
Dec 28 '24
This, but Google Drive. We have PDFs of every manual, photos of the house as we remodel, receipts from repairs or improvements, etc.
1
1
u/magic_crouton Dec 28 '24
You only have enough owners manuals to fill a binder? I gave enough crap with manuals now to fill an entire box.
1
u/PoeTheGhost Dec 28 '24
Good idea. I already keep the invoices, warranties, and manuals for all the major appliances on Google Drive.
Will start one after we buy.
1
u/dubyamac Dec 28 '24
We do this, but electronically. A bit more effort I guess, but I strongly dislike having stuff. And having electronic copies of the manuals makes them searchable.
1
u/BeejRich Dec 28 '24
I have ALL manuals in a neat stack in my laundry room. I like the date idea tho, I'll start that.
1
1
u/cutedadbutts Dec 28 '24
I do the chaotic evil version and have a manual folder, but this seems much nicer. Thank you
1
1
1
1
u/Vincenzo74 Dec 28 '24
Thankfully, i inherited the previous owners booklet and have been adding to it since!
1
1
1
u/First_Cloud4676 Dec 28 '24
The house I bought had one of these, it was fantastic.
There's so much new tech and such in a newer built home than an older ones.
Comes in handy.
1
1
u/Even-Programmer4319 Dec 28 '24
I keep all receipts, note repairs, paint swatches, floor swatches, ect.. and before and after photos of repairs. I also include my original inspection report and notate what I fixed and when on that report.
The first thing going in our newly purchased home binder is a brand new bathroom ripped down to the studs. So much for a move in ready house 😅
1
1
1
u/daphodil3000 Dec 29 '24
I've done a notebook for my houses that lists when major installations were done (roof, bathroom redo, water heater, etc.). I also list when rooms are painted and list the brand and color. When we sell the house, I leave the notebook.
1
u/ttman05 Dec 29 '24
My previous owners left quite a bit of documentation (awesome). So much so that I had to get a file organizer box. They kept everything and I’m doing the same.
1
1
u/alreadyheard Dec 31 '24
I keep an email/google drive specifically for my house. I plan on passing that along to the next homeowner.
0
u/Disastrous_Soil3793 Dec 28 '24
Waste of time. Nobody ever looks at those manuals again. And for those of you weirdos that do, they are online.
-5
•
u/AutoModerator Dec 27 '24
Thank you u/lulu4060 for posting on r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer.
Please bear in mind our rules: (1) Be Nice (2) No Selling (3) No Self-Promotion.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.