New Homeowner Checklist: What to Do in Your First 90 Days

In your first week, change or rekey the locks, find the main water shutoff and electrical panel, and test every smoke and CO alarm. Over the next 90 days, work through the inspection report by urgency, write down the age of every major system, and set up a simple maintenance calendar so small jobs do not turn into big ones.

Your first week

The first week is about safety and knowing where things are. None of it takes long, and all of it pays off the first time something goes wrong.

• Rekey or replace the exterior locks. Rekeying keeps your existing hardware and just changes which key works. It is usually cheaper than new locks. Do every exterior door, including the garage entry, and change any garage door opener codes and keypad codes.

• Find the main water shutoff. It is often in a basement, crawl space, utility room, garage, or near the water meter. Turn it off and back on once to make sure it moves. If it is frozen in place, put replacing it on your list.

• Find the gas shutoff (if you have gas). If the house has natural gas, the main shutoff is usually at the meter. Learn where it is, but only turn it off in a real emergency, because the gas company typically has to relight pilots afterward. If you ever smell gas, leave the house first and call from outside.

• Find the electrical panel. Know where it is and make sure nothing is stored in front of it. Check whether the breakers are labeled. If they are not, that is a first-month project.

• Test every smoke and CO alarm. Press the test button on each one and check the manufacture date on the back. Replace any that are about 10 years old or more. You want smoke alarms in each bedroom, outside sleeping areas, and on every level, and CO alarms on every sleeping floor if you have gas appliances, a fireplace, or an attached garage.

• Locate the fire extinguishers. If the previous owners did not leave any, buy at least one for the kitchen. A multipurpose extinguisher costs about $25-$60.

Your first month

• Read the inspection report again, slowly. Sort every item into three groups: safety issues and active leaks (fix now), things that will get worse (fix in the next few months), and cosmetic or minor items (whenever). Your inspector flagged it for a reason, even if it did not change the deal.

• Map and label the breakers. With a helper, flip each breaker and note what goes dark. A plug-in radio or lamp makes this faster. Write clear labels like "kitchen counter outlets" rather than "kitchen."

• Find the HVAC filter and write down the size. If your system uses a filter, it is usually in a return grille in a wall or ceiling, or in a slot at the furnace or air handler. The size is printed on the edge. Change it now and buy a few spares.

• Clean the dryer vent. Pull the dryer out, disconnect the duct, and brush out both the duct and the exterior vent. Replace any flimsy foil or plastic duct with rigid or semi-rigid metal.

• Check for leaks. Look under every sink, around toilets, and around the water heater (if it is a tank model). Check ceilings below bathrooms for stains. A small drip found now is a cheap fix.

• Learn the water heater basics. Find out whether you have a tank or tankless water heater, where its shutoff is, and how old it is. Many tank models are designed to last roughly 8 to 12 years.

By day 90

• Record the age of every major system. Roof, HVAC, water heater, and major appliances. Ages are often on the equipment label, in the inspection report, or in the seller disclosure. This tells you what to budget for over the next five years.

• Get a baseline HVAC service. Unless the sellers have recent service records, have a pro look at the heating and cooling. You get a list of parts that are near the end of their life before they fail.

• Make a home file. Collect the inspection report, disclosures, warranties, manuals, and receipts in one folder or app. Snap photos of each equipment label so model numbers are always on hand.

• Set up a maintenance calendar. Filter changes, seasonal checklists, gutter cleaning, and the yearly service visits. Start with the season you are in: the fall checklist or the spring checklist.

• Start a maintenance fund. Set money aside monthly for repairs and replacements. See how much home maintenance costs per year for a starting number.

• Walk the outside after a hard rain. Watch where water goes. Gutters overflowing, downspouts dumping next to the foundation, or puddles against the house are all easier to fix before they cause damage.