1

Before you move in

The empty-house window is short and precious. Everything here is five times easier without furniture in the way.

Change every exterior lock

You have no idea how many copies of the old keys exist — cleaners, contractors, the neighbor who watered plants. Rekeying by a locksmith is cheap; smart locks solve it permanently.

Find the main water shutoff and breaker panel

The two locations everyone in the household must know before the first emergency. Test that the water shutoff actually turns (older gate valves seize), and label the breaker panel while the house is quiet.

Paint and deep-clean while the rooms are empty

Painting an empty house takes half the time and looks twice as good. Same for carpet cleaning and refinishing floors — do it now or accept it will not happen for years.

Transfer utilities and set up internet before day one

Electric, gas, water, trash, and internet — start transfers two weeks out. Internet installs in particular can take a week or more to schedule, and everything else about moving is worse without it.

Reset garage door openers and entry codes

Clear the opener memory and re-pair your remotes, and change any keypad or alarm codes. Same logic as the locks: assume every previous code is public.

Replace the HVAC filter and locate all filters

A move kicks up an astonishing amount of dust. Start with a fresh filter, note the sizes of every filter in the house (furnace, fridge water, range hood), and put them on a reorder list.

2

Your first 30 days

The paperwork-and-safety month: a handful of small tasks that either save real money or matter enormously in an emergency.

File for your homestead exemption

If your state offers one, this is often the single highest-value form a homeowner files — it can cut hundreds to thousands off the annual property tax bill. Deadlines vary; do not sit on it.

Test every smoke and CO detector

Press every test button, replace dead batteries, and check manufacture dates — smoke detectors expire at 10 years. Add a CO detector near sleeping areas if the house has gas appliances or an attached garage.

Map your GFCI outlets and test them

Find the outlets with TEST/RESET buttons (kitchens, baths, garage, exterior) and learn which downstream outlets each one controls — the mystery dead outlet is almost always a tripped GFCI somewhere else.

Set the water heater to 120°F

Factory settings are often higher — a scald risk and an energy waste. While you are there, note the heater’s age from the serial number; past year ten, start budgeting for replacement.

Put a fire extinguisher on every floor

At minimum: one in the kitchen (rated for grease fires) and one per floor, mounted where you can grab it in the dark. Check the gauge annually.

Review your insurance declarations page

Confirm replacement-cost coverage (not actual cash value), understand your deductibles, and check whether you need riders for sewer backup, sump failure, or earthquake — the common gaps that surprise people at claim time.

Start a home file

One place — physical or digital — for the inspection report, closing documents, appliance manuals, paint colors, and every improvement receipt. Future-you (and the eventual sale) will be grateful.

3

Your first year

Owning is a rhythm, not a project. Year one is about learning the house through its seasons and building the habits that keep it boring.

Build a home repair fund

The rule of thumb is 1–2% of the home’s value per year, saved automatically. The furnace, roof, and water heater will each fail eventually; a funded account turns emergencies into errands.

Service the HVAC twice

Cooling tune-up in spring, heating tune-up in fall. A service contract with a local company usually costs about the same as two one-off visits and gets you priority when everything breaks during the first heat wave.

Learn your seasonal maintenance rhythm

Gutters, filters, winterizing outdoor faucets, water heater flush — a season-by-season checklist turns ownership from reactive to routine. (We have a full guide on exactly this.)

Watch the foundation and grading through the seasons

After heavy rains, walk the perimeter: water should flow away from the house. Note any new cracks wider than a credit card, doors that start sticking, or damp basement corners — early signals worth a professional opinion.

Test for radon

A $20 test, the second-leading cause of lung cancer, and completely fixable with a mitigation system. If the inspection did not include it, do it in the first year — ideally in winter with the house closed up.

Re-shop your insurance at renewal

The first renewal is where premiums quietly jump. Compare quotes, and ask about bundling and new-roof or security-system discounts — 20 minutes that routinely saves a few hundred dollars a year.