New homeowners should secure the property, make necessary repairs, set up utilities, test safety systems, organize home records, and build connections with neighbors to feel safe, prepared, and at home.
When you buy a house – especially for the first time – it’s natural to be excited to move in. However, before you bring in your furniture and other belongings, there are some crucial security and comfort measures you should address first.
I’ll walk you through 5 essential tasks for new homeowners, based on my experiences as a real estate agent, that you should get started on as soon as, and sometimes even before, you wrap up at the closing table.
1. Update the Locks and Secure the Property
Before anything else, you want to secure your new home. While you don't have to assume anybody has bad intentions, you now own a house and have a set of keys to it. However, you don't know who else might have a set as well. It could be a cleaning person or a cat sitter from years ago.
There are two main options for securing your home:
Change the Locks – If you want new hardware or a new look, go ahead and purchase new locks and consider installing a digital deadbolt for added convenience.
Rekey the Locks – If you want a more cost-effective approach, you can have your locks rekeyed, which is just as secure but much less expensive.
Besides your doors, there are a few other things to safeguard as well. Make sure you reset any digital codes, whether it's for the garage, front door, or alarm systems. Additionally, walk around the home to make sure all windows and sliding glass doors lock properly. Then, if applicable, check any locks on outdoor fences or sheds in your yard.
Bonus Tip: If you’re not moving in right away and the house has a chimney, make sure the flue is closed. I had somebody purchase a property, and everything was good when we did the pre-closing walkthrough. But when he went to the new home for the first time after the closing, there was a surprise guest – a squirrel running around inside.
Make sure you reset any digital codes, whether it's for the garage, front door, or alarm systems. Additionally, walk around the home to make sure all windows and sliding glass doors lock properly.
2. Address Immediate Repairs and Hidden Issues
When you buy a new home, conducting a sort of DIY inspection is a great way to catch potential issues before they cause bigger problems or costly damage. And what has the biggest potential to be a small thing now but turn into major trouble later? Water.
My recommendation to all new homeowners is to run all faucets for five to ten minutes with the hottest water possible, then check under the sinks for slow leaks or dripping. Do the same for your showers and bathtubs. You may have to look in the crawl space to see if anything is leaking underneath any of those fixtures.
While we're on the topic of water, you should also identify the location of your main water shutoff valve. That way, if you discover a leak, whether now or in the future, you can turn off all the water to the house to halt the leak until you can get a plumber over. The shutoff is typically in the crawl space, garage, or basement.
While you’re going around the house, take a screwdriver and hammer with you to tighten up anything that’s loose, such as railings, door handles, or hanging fixtures. Also, check to see that all of the outlets are working properly. These are all little details that might not have been caught during inspection, but are easier to find in an empty home.
You can also pick up a tool at a home improvement store that looks like a little meter to see if outlets are GFCI-protected, which is important for those within six feet of a water source.
Spending a bit of time doing this before you fully move in your furniture and unpack can give you peace of mind, rather than having to deal with minor annoyances one by one. If you know someone very handy, see if you can get an hour or two of their time to do this mini-inspection with you.
Related to that, toward the end of my home transactions, I'll typically send the buyers an email with contact information for service providers they might need, including a pest control company, plumber, electrician, HVAC technician, and a general handyman. That way, if anything does come up in the first month, they have a head start on whom to call.
3. Set Up Utilities and Essential Services
Your Realtor should be familiar with which utility companies serve the house that you’re buying and provide you with a list of who to contact. The same goes for the internet service providers in the area.
There's no particular order that you need to start calling the utilities. You just want to make sure they're all turned on by the closing date or even a couple of days earlier. Usually, the seller will have settled up any remaining balance and closed out their accounts before you move in. It’s typically a seamless process, but if you have any issues, a quick call to the utility company should be able to sort it out promptly.
Sometimes when you sign up for water service, you may have the option to include trash and recycling collection, depending on the municipality. Otherwise, talk to your real estate agent, the former owners, or a neighbor about how trash collection works.
If you get through all of that, you can also start to think about setting up secondary services you may need, such as pest control, landscaping, gutter cleaning, and water delivery. Chances are, businesses that serviced the prior homeowner may reach out to you to see if you wish to continue working with them. But if not, you can ask your Realtor or take note of home service provider vehicles you see in the area so you can get in touch to get estimates.
Since you’re starting fresh, I also recommend that new homeowners create some sort of organized filing system to keep track of maintenance, repairs, and work they do to the house. It can be as simple as a few file folders where you can jot down service dates and notes, or you can keep a digital record – whatever works best for you.
You should also designate a central spot to keep appliance owner manuals, service contracts, warranties, and related documents. That way, you won’t have to scramble to find things when something goes wrong. Just open up the file, and it's all right there.
4. Test Home Systems and Emergency Features
As part of keeping your home safe, you also want to make sure you know how your major systems function, how to turn them on and off, and what you need to do to maintain them.
First, locate all of your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and check whether they need to be replaced. If they are pushing five years or more, make the investment and put in new ones. If they are new enough to keep, then change all the batteries.
Next, go look to see what type of HVAC air filter your system uses and install a fresh one. I recommend buying a bunch of the cheapest ones to keep on hand and replacing them every 90 days.
You’ll also want to figure out where your electrical panels/circuit breakers are located and verify they are properly labeled. You’ll want to know what to do if something trips. We already covered knowing about the main water shutoff, but if you live in a cold climate, you should also learn how to shut off the water supply to exterior pipes to prevent freezing.
Other issues may also arise when a different season rolls around. For example, I’ve had new owners who purchased during the winter reach out to me in the summer about irrigation systems in the yard or equipment associated with the pool.
5. Begin Building Community & Local Knowledge
Back in the day, when you moved into a new home, the neighbors would come over to your house. They'd bring cookies and say, "Welcome to the neighborhood." That doesn’t happen as often anymore, unfortunately, but I always recommend that my buyers introduce themselves. In fact, when I moved into my own house, I made the cookies and then took them to my neighbors and said, "Hey, I just moved in next door."
While you might not become best friends (though it certainly does happen), life is easier when you get along with your neighbors. Even if it’s just on the level where they’ll keep an eye on your house or car while you’re not home and get in touch if anything is going on. Or maybe they’ll notice a package left on your porch and take it in for you.
When you’re new to an area, it’s also helpful to connect with people to get recommendations on places to go or avoid. As a Realtor, I usually mention good restaurants and parks that are near the houses, too, because I'm familiar with the areas. But these are things that neighbors can also help with.
Other than that, put some effort into learning more about the community. If there’s a local newspaper, subscribe. If you’re active on social media, see if there is a neighborhood group to join on Facebook.
Securing and Getting Settled Into Your New Home
Purchasing a new home is an exciting experience, especially if you're a first-time homeowner. But moving into a property involves more than decorating and arranging furniture – it also comes with a unique set of responsibilities.
By dedicating some time during your first week to complete these basic tasks for new homeowners, you’ll have a more seamless transition and be able to enjoy your home more safely and comfortably.
