The New Homeowner Checklist & First-Year Plan
The phased plan: day 1 · 30 days · 90 days · 365 days
Day 1 — control and safety
Rekey or replace every exterior lock, reset garage and smart-home credentials, then locate, photograph and label the water, gas and electrical shut-offs. Test every smoke and CO alarm and replace units past the manufacturer expiry printed on the back.
First 30 days — paperwork, insurance, reserves
Update your address with USPS and each account directly, confirm homeowners insurance is active with auto-pay, store the deed, title, survey and closing disclosure as PDFs, and open a separate account for home reserves. Check your county assessor for any homestead exemption and its local deadline.
First 90 days — systems baseline
Book a full HVAC service so a local pro has your system on record, flush the water heater and note its model and install date, and walk the roof line and gutters from the ground with photos. Baseline photos are what future insurance and warranty conversations rely on.
Through 365 days — cadence and forecast
Run the month-by-month maintenance cadence, re-quote insurance against one alternative carrier, log every appliance model and contractor, and convert system ages into a replacement timeline so year two is budgeted rather than improvised.
Sources & methodology — how to use this plan
This plan is HomeScore editorial guidance sequenced from the order inspectors, locksmiths and HVAC technicians actually work, not a homeowner survey. Dollar figures are planning ranges rather than quotes: labor rates, permit rules, insurer requirements, homestead exemptions and utility lead times are set locally and must be confirmed for your address. Guidance version 2026.06 · dataset last updated June 2026.
Continue in this guide
Your first year in the home
- Month 1: What to Check — Your first month is about documenting what you have and addressing anything urgent from the inspection.
- Month 3: What Fails First — By month 3, you'll discover the things the inspection couldn't catch — the intermittent issues and seasonal surprises.
- Month 6: What to Service — At 6 months, shift from reactive fixing to proactive maintenance. This is where smart homeownership starts.
- Month 12: What to Budget — After a full year, you know your home's personality. Now build a forward-looking plan for the next 1–5 years.
First-year questions
What should a new homeowner do first?
Rekey or replace every exterior lock, then locate and label the water, gas and electrical shut-offs and test every smoke and CO alarm. These are the day-one tasks that need no contractor and no budget approval.
What is the difference between a new homeowner checklist and a first-year plan?
The checklist is the one-time setup work — locks, shut-offs, paperwork, accounts, insurance. The first-year plan is the recurring maintenance, financial and seasonal cadence across the remaining months. This hub carries both.
How much should I set aside for maintenance in year one?
A widely used planning target is 1–3% of home value per year for maintenance and repairs. Treat it as a planning range, not a guarantee: actual spend depends on system ages, climate and local labor rates.