There are a couple of things ALL home owners should know about their abodes. The wonderful Art of Manliness  blog hits this point very well in a recent post identifying spots in the home that every owner should be familiar with for safety and maintenance reasons.    They suggest familiarizing yourself with:   Electrical panel  Water shutoffs  Gas meter and shut-offs  Attic access  Sewer access  Hot water temperature gauge  Property line    If you had to, could you find all seven? I can, but I'm not necessarily saying that I really know how or what to do at any of these places, particularly if something is going wrong. Fix a gas leak? not my deal, sorry. Close a home purchase? Now you're talking....    At least I can point these things out to Susan or the repair dude as necessary and that's a start. I'm sure you will do better. Especially after you read this.   Here's the report .   
Information for Buyers and Sellers of Chicago Area Residential Real Estate. Learn more at mhwasserman.com.