Let's start with the main water valve. It is very important to know where the main water valve is and where to shut it off. You never know when a major problem will happen with your water. For example, a pipe could freeze up and break in the winter. Or you just may have a pipe break because of age.



So knowing the location of the main water valve is very important. Put a tag on it saying that this is the main water valve. Then show it to family members so they know where it is and how to shut off the main water valve in case there is a problem. This may save you thousands of dollars. Make sure that the valve turns easily so that anyone could shut it off if necessary.

The second simple repair is those pesky doors that stick. I am not talking about doors that are out of square because of a structural problem. I am talking about those doors that rub and have sticking problems. Let me give you the two main causes of doors sticking.

One of the easiest things to check and to fix is the door hinges. Sometimes the door hinges come loose over time. There is a very simple fix if your door hinges are loose. Just take a screwdriver and tighten up the screws that hold the door. This will tighten the door up and let it fit properly in its position.

Sometimes you will find that the screws will not tighten up but there is no reason for alarm. Here is a very simple way to fix that problem. The first thing you want to do is support the door because you want to take out all the screws that are holding the hinges.

Now this is the most expensive part. Take a little bit of glue and some toothpicks and stick them into the screw holes. Let the glue dry for about 20 to 30 minutes and then put the hinges back together. I know this may sound strange but it really is an old trick and it works very well. You will be very surprised how well it works.

The second problem with doors is between summer and winter. In the summertime you will notice that the door and frame swell and cause the door to stick and in the winter time the door works fine and has no sticking or rubbing.

On this particular problem where the door is swelling you can try and check the hinges first. But if this does not work you can buy a very inexpensive tool that costs under $20 and can be purchased at any hardware store. You probably can just borrow one from a friend. This particular tool is called a block planner hand rasp.

It looks like something that you would cut cheese with but I do not suggest that you do that. What you want to do is leave the door open and mark the door where it is rubbing. Once you mark the door you can start planing that area. Keep planing until the door closes properly. When you plane the door you are removing small portions of the edge of the door at a time.

This will only take a few minutes and you will find out that you do not have to remove very much material. If the door is real bad and you can not get the door to close then you might have to get a professional carpenter to look at your door problem.

Most likely with just a little planing your door will be fixed.

If you are buying a home, be sure to work with a professional home inspector who will examine the residence and let you know of any items that could turn into major repairs.