If you don’t have one and are a homeowner start a house diary. Use it to keep track of home improvements. Keep records so that you know how old the appliances are. Keep track of home improvements and make a note of paint colors.
When selling a home knowing how old the roof is and the ages of the furnace, central air conditioning unit and water heater are is important.
Use a plain old spiral notebook and a simple folder or file folder to keep track of receipts and warranties. I like to use Evernote and take pictures of receipts and warranties but I have a notebook with records that I stated in the 1990s that has a lot of information about the house.
We are on our 3rd dishwasher, second water heater, furnace, and stove. Central air was added in 2002 and we bought a couple of new exterior doors two years ago and a kitchen counter last winter.
There is more . . . . nothing lasts forever. In the next year or two, we will need a new roof.
My house dairy includes a wish list because the best way to keep the place in decent shape it to plan ahead for repairs and upgrades. We make some kind of change or improvement every year. Some are minor like repainting a room and others are more major.
Documentation and information about home improvements is useful information when it is time to sell. Home buyers appreciate having copies of warranties and receipts. User manuals can be helpful too but can often be found online.
