Whether you’ve just purchased a fixer-upper, a newly flipped residence, or even a newly constructed home, being a new homeowner can feel intimidating once you start to encounter unexpected setbacks, both minor and major.

To steer you in the right direction, we’ve curated some of the best YouTube channels that first-time homeowners should rely upon to help perform simple maintenance tasks, diagnose issues, and most importantly, learn about the various systems, components and appliances in your new home.

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The Importance of Learning About Your Home & Proactive Maintenance

Job number one for any homeowner is to serve the role as “Chief Maintenance Officer”, followed by job number two of “Chief Repair Officer”. This may come as a shock to some first-time homeowners, especially those who have lived in luxury apartment buildings equipped with maintenance staff readily available to fix any and all concerns.

Though no homeowner can ever expect to be able to perform all home maintenance tasks or repairs, knowing where and how to find trusted guidance is always a vital first step in resolving significant issues.

In your pursuit of answers, you will quickly notice that the best home improvement teachers share an underlying theme of taking a proactive approach to caring for your home. As you become more knowledgeable, aware and skilled at detecting early signs of impending major issues, you will significantly decrease the chances of experiencing unexpected and catastrophic breakdowns.

Though it is common to hear about unfortunate home disasters (e.g. plumbing, HVAC, etc.), typically occurring at the most inopportune time (e.g. Thanksgiving dinner; special social events; during extreme hot or cold spells, etc.), do not be duped into thinking that really bad things will eventually happen to all homeowners. Instead, take the attitude that you, as the homeowner, have a lot under your control to prevent major setbacks.

Knowledge really is power, as it will not only help you DIY many tasks and repairs, it will also help you find, hire and work with reputable professionals when needing outside help.

When encountering success at resolving issues, you will experience a hidden emotional gem of homeownership, which is confidence and empowerment. Many setbacks may make a homeowner feel hopeless, but there is nothing more gratifying than fixing something that you once thought was “unfixable”.


 

This Old House

Perhaps the greatest home improvement shows of all time, This Old House is perfect for first-time homeowners who have purchased a home that is older than they are. What started out as a TV show on PBS many years ago, the “granddaddy of home improvement shows” has since expanded to YouTube where new homeowners now seek tips and tricks on the most common home projects in TOH’s prototypical step-by-step style.

The brand is the “OG” for all things home from repairs, improvements upgrades, tools and product advice.

Tool Recommendations for New Homeowners | Ask This Old House

Tool Recommendations for New Homeowners | Ask This Old House

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HouseImprovements

Knowing what you don’t know about your home can cost you dearly in terms of repairs and replacements. Therefore staying on top of preventative maintenance is a great defense, especially as a first-time owner.

Not sure what types of items need periodic adjustments and preventative maintenance? Let Shannon Bruce from HouseImprovements walk you through vacuuming a dryer duct or vent, changing your boiler’s heating element, or replacing cabinet hinges.

Though Shannon may not be the most dynamic presenter, he is authentic, like an older, handyman uncle with none of the frills, but all substance. He’s knowledgeable, easy to follow and straight forward. Impatient homeowners will appreciate that there is not a lot of inane jabbering as he gets straight to work on the issues. The YouTube channel has an amazingly comprehensive content library to answer just about every first-timer’s questions.

My MOST FAVOURITE TOOL Ever!

My MOST FAVOURITE TOOL Ever!

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DIY Hip Chicks

Female empowered and inspired, DIY Hip Chicks is one of our favorite channels for those who feel intimidated by DIY projects. Hip Chicks’ mission is to save homeowners money, stress and time.

If you are a single female who has just purchased a home, or have a husband or partner that you are tired of nagging, then this is the channel for you. Let home DIY expert Beth Allen teach you to caulk like a professional, install a toilet, or paint a wall with confidence with her interactive mentoring and personal support.

A licensed contractor and compassionate teacher, Beth will inspire you to seek out new projects in your home, as she helps your fears dissipate and your skills improve. Beth also provides great advice on how to work best with pros and how to learn from them during their on-site service visits.

Air Conditioner NOT Cooling – DO THIS before calling a PRO

Air Conditioner NOT Cooling - DO THIS before calling a PRO

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SeeJaneDrill

Hosted by 20+ year veteran journeyman and certified building trades instructor, Leah Bolden, SeeJaneDrill is geared toward building confidence for first-time DIYers and homeowners. The videos address all levels, so as a newbie with acquired skills you can progress onto the next level of skills building and thus, more challenges. Leah offers lots of creative hacks, such as using aluminum foil as a rust remover, and using a carpentry syringe for gluing veneer or for repairing a floor plank crack with perfection.

As Leah encouragingly says:

“You Can Do This!”

Many Homeowners Don’t Know This Simple Plumbing Basic

many HOMEOWNERS don't know this SIMPLE Plumbing Basic

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Everyday Home Repairs

Scott Dixon is a homeowner just looking to make Everyday Repairs on his home. As a real estate investor, Scott owns a few properties that he rents out on Airbnb, so his repair projects for rental income is also interesting for those new to the landlord game. From outdoor drainage repair to home plumbing basics, this channels has various playlists that are geared to specific subjects to help you find exactly what you need to complete your project.

How to Unclog a Bathroom Sink Drain

How To Unclog A Bathroom Sink Drain

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Word of Advice TV

Word of Advice TV is hosted by Jay Lekh, an HVAC technician, homeowner and purveyor of useful information on home appliances has learned from hands-on experience. His recent 3 Must Know Homeowner Tips video should be a must watch for everyone who has just purchased a property for the first-time. This channel focuses on appliance repair such as furnaces, HVAC systems, dryers, and water heaters.

3 MUST KNOW Homeowner Tips

3 MUST KNOW Homeowner Tips

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Epic Gardening

Having a garden can be an unanticipated benefit for first-time homeowners, as previous apartment living may have prohibited this hobby. Enter Epic Gardening.

Growing fresh and healthy food around the world is the mission of Epic Gardening, as the world learns that it is important to grow and nurture fruits and vegetable plants and trees for uninterrupted food supplies. Kevin Espiritu started the channel as a hobby, back in 2013, and has grown the brand into one of the most followed gardening channels on YouTube.  From gardening tips, to product reviews, to inspiration for the novice just getting started, this helpful channel will become habit-forming.

4 Garden Myths to Avoid Right Now

4 Garden Myths To Avoid Right Now

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Home RenoVision DIY

Organized into perfect playlist categories, HomeRenoVision DIY is dedicated to helping homeowners up their home improvement and renovation game to professional results by demystifying home renovation projects. Jeff Thorman has been a home renovation contractor and professional home flipper for over 25 years. He offers videos on soundproofing, removing popcorn ceilings, countertop installation, waterproofing, and much more.

How To Paint A Room | DIY For Beginners

How To Paint A Room | DIY For Beginners

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MyNJGarden.com

If you’ve moved from a warmer southern climate to a colder northern climate, you’ll quickly realize that gardening and landscaping is a different ball of wax. No longer can you just throw seeds into the yard and expect a sapling in a few months. You’ll now need to work in a very different planting zone, with very different needs and rules. We recommend turning to MyNJGarden.

Jersey Shore Lisa, the “Queen of Zone 7A” and host of MyNJGarden, teaches you about edible landscaping, permaculture techniques, and the beauty and charm of an English Cottage garden. You can learn how she built raised garden beds and a greenhouse from throwaway, FREE, items, she procured from Facebook Marketplace. MyNJGarden is about frugality, year-round growing in colder climates, and the art of permaculture for natural ecosystems for self-sustainable living.

How to Bring House Plants Indoors for Winter Without Bugs

How to Bring House Plants Indoors for Winter Without Bugs

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Repair Clinic

Repair Clinic’s YouTube Channel is a tremendously helpful complement to RepairClinic.com, their website that sells replacement parts for appliances, outdoor power equipment and HVAC systems.

When first browsing Repair Clinic videos, do not be intimidated by the many clips that may use advanced tools or diagnosis techniques. Instead, let Repair Clinic serve as a mentor for how to diagnose common issues encountered with popular, leading appliance brands and models.

In combination with their website, homeowners can locate known issues for their specific appliance model number with direct access to any necessary replacement parts and corresponding how-to videos.

Repair Clinic’s business model is built largely around these basic diagnosis steps:

  1. Enter your appliance’s model number
  2. Identify your problem from a list of known issues
  3. Find the solution and necessary replacement parts

We highly recommend beginner DIYers start with these helpful video playlists:

About Repair Clinic Video: Repair Clinic helps people complete millions of repairs

Repair Clinic helps people complete millions of repairs

Example complimentary comments on Repair Clinic’s YouTube Channel:

You guys are absolutely awesome. I’ll go on Facebook and give you a review as well but I just wanted to tell you how fantastic your videos are. My handyman skills are pretty much changing lightbulbs and because of your videos I was able to install the convection fan in my Samsung oven and save myself a couple hundred dollars and I was also able to repair a door latch on my Samsung dishwasher and save myself a couple hundred dollars. Thanks again.

New sub here. Where have you been all my life?

One of the best sites there are for helping gain knowledge.

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