My wife and I recently purchased a new home; and by new, I mean 35 years old. Not ancient by any means, but old enough to be in need of a little TLC. As first-time homebuyers in the way-overheated Canadian real-estate market, we were lucky to even be able to afford this place, but it came with a few expenses we weren’t prepared for.

If you’re planning on buying a resale home, you want to be as prepared as possible upfront for the expenses you’ll be facing. That’s why I put together this list of expenses I’ve had to deal with. You may not need to address everything on this list, and it’s not exhaustive, but hey, it’s better than having to take a week’s worth of cold showers when your faucet craps out, right? (more…)