How home improvement funds upgrade your new house to a home

By ANNIE MILLERBERND of NerdWallet

If you’re getting ready to buy a home, you’ve probably been saving for the down payment and other closing costs. But if your hard-earned nest egg can only get you through the front door, it may not be enough. Once you own the home, you also own its peeling wallpaper, aging water heater and the carpet on which past owners’ pets have traipsed. A home improvement fund can help ensure your newly purchased house is a well-functioning, comfortable home. Here’s why home improvement savings are a homebuyer must-have and how to build yours.