An old proverb says that a person must build a house, plant a tree, and raise a child during their lifetime. Modernity is making its own adjustments – for example, the position of being childfree is now very respected, and planting trees is very right from an ecological point of view. The house remains – and here everything is not at all as simple as one might think at first glance.

Of course, owning a house is great. It solves all housing issues for you and your family, it automatically solves all problems with rent… and brings up a lot of other problems that you didn’t even know about before you became a homeowner.

There was a post on the Reddit Home Improvement community some time ago that has since garnered over 9.2K upvotes and almost 2K comments of all sorts. The Original Poster asked redditors “What unwritten rules do you learn only AFTER becoming a homeowner?” and at the same time gave his own five rules.

More info: Reddit

This new homeowner gave his own 5 unwritten rules for homeowners

Image source: Rockin’Rita (not the actual photo)

So, first. Your neighbors will magically become arborists as soon as you trim more than 10% of any tree on your property. In fact, the absolute truth. On the other hand, there are certain situations when a tree has some sentimental value for your neighbors, and you become a jerk in their eyes as you want to cut it. But in the end, it’s your property.

Image source: ParaDescartar123

Fences often become a bone of contention  between neighbors

Second. If a fence is in fair to good condition, then your neighbor will claim it belongs to them. If the fence is in major disrepair or has recently fallen, your neighbor will disavow all knowledge of how and when the fence was erected or who owns it. Of course, the fence often becomes the object of the most heated struggle between neighbors.

Image source: ParaDescartar123

Moreover, we know stories about how a person painted a fence on their side, and paint streaks on the other one spoiled the view of the fence from the neighboring side. The result was a big neighborhood drama.

Image source: ParaDescartar123

Anything that can go wrong will go wrong – it’s absolutely true for almost all homeowners

Third. Every project you undertake will require that you uncover at least one additional project. One of Murphy’s law phrasings says: “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong”. A law well known to every project manager – and now every homeowner.

Image source: ParaDescartar123

Fourth. You will NEVER complete a project with a single visit to a home store. Two main consequences come from this: first, try to choose a house closer to the nearest home store. Secondly, if you sell a house, then the proximity to the home store automatically increases its value.

Image source: ParaDescartar123

Just buy all the necessary tools – it will make your life easier

Finally, the fifth. If you borrow a tool from a neighbor, and it works amazingly, after the project is completed, you will go out and buy that tool. It’s also a partial consequence of Murphy’s law, so it’s best to have all the tools handy.

Image source: Rockin’Rita (not the actual photo)

On the one hand, it will improve relations with your neighbors. On the other hand, you still have to buy a new one, so let it be yours right away! Here, by the way, we return to the fourth point about the proximity of a home store, and you understand that, in fact, all the points are absolutely interconnected.

People in the comments admired these rules and suggested their own ones

Commenters, by the way, were delighted with these unwritten rules and came up with a lot of new points. For example, everything that the previous owner of the house did themselves will turn out to be stupid, funny, and poorly done. Whatever you do is wonderful, and the next owner will surely admire the quality of your work.

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By the way, yes – the previous owner for sure had incredibly crooked hands, and was, quite likely, created in order to ruin the life of their successor. So keep this in mind, because you, too, someday may become this very previous owner.

And the list of these rules, as people in the comments admit, will never be complete. In any case, people say that you always start out as a perfectionist, but over time your standards will definitely diminish.

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If you have your own house, then we are sure you will have something to say in the comments as well, so feel free to write your own rule or even your own law, though we call them unwritten.

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