What to Do After Buying a House
The exact 2026 sequence for new owners — day 1, week 1, 30, 60, and 90 days. 24 moves that take year-1 from chaos to compounding.
Your inspection report is the first draft of your homeowner plan
Most new homeowners file the inspection report in a folder the day after closing and never open it again. That's the single most expensive mistake of year one. The report already told you which systems are aging, which ones need a specialist, and which ones will cost you money in the next 24 months. Use it.
Sort every finding into 5 buckets and map them onto your first-year timeline. Urgent safety items belong in Month 1. Negotiation followups from closing belong in Months 1–3. Specialist follow-ups land in Month 3. Future maintenance becomes your sinking-fund target. System tracking is ongoing from day one.
Interactive first-year plan
The 7 systems to track from day one
These 7 systems drive 80% of future homeowner cost. Pull the data straight from your inspection report on move-in week — brand, model, install date, condition notes — and you've built the foundation of every maintenance, replacement, and budget decision for the next decade.
Turn your inspection report into a prioritized first-year plan
HomeScore takes your report, your system ages, and your home's specifics — then builds a year-1 maintenance plan, sinking-fund target, and 5-year replacement forecast in one place.
Frequently asked
What should I do first after buying a house?+
Three things in the first 24 hours: (1) change every exterior lock — re-key or replace, $150–$400; (2) reset Wi-Fi, garage codes, and any smart-home accounts left behind; (3) photograph and label the water, gas, and electrical main shut-offs. Everything else can wait a day.
How do I use my inspection report after closing?+
Treat it as the first draft of your homeowner operating plan. Sort every finding into 5 buckets — urgent safety, negotiation followups, specialist follow-ups, future maintenance, and first-year plan. Buckets 1–2 get addressed in month 1, Bucket 3 specialists in months 1–3, and Buckets 4–5 become your sinking-fund and replacement-forecast inputs.
What home systems should new homeowners track from day one?+
Seven systems drive 80% of future homeowner cost: roof, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, water heater, foundation, and drainage. Log brand, model, install date, and remaining useful life for each — pulled straight from your inspection report. This becomes the input for every maintenance, replacement, and budget decision for the next 10 years.
What expenses come up in the first year of owning a home?+
Plan for 1–3% of purchase price in year-1 expenses beyond your mortgage. The big buckets: immediate fixes from the inspection report, basic furnishings, tools, insurance and tax escrow adjustments, HVAC service, and the first round of seasonal maintenance (gutters, lawn, snow). New owners consistently underestimate the volume of small $50–$300 purchases that pile up.
Should I refinance in the first year of homeownership?+
Generally no — refinancing costs 2–5% of loan amount, and you need 12+ months to know if rates have meaningfully dropped. Exceptions: removing PMI once you cross 20% equity, or rates fall a full point or more. Don't let lenders calling you in month 3 push you into a bad decision.
When should I do my first home maintenance after closing?+
Within 30 days: replace every HVAC filter, flush the water heater, test detectors, run every appliance. Within 90 days: full HVAC tune-up, gutter cleaning, tree assessment, and a season-appropriate exterior walk. Set calendar reminders — year-1 momentum is the hardest to rebuild later.
What insurance discounts can new homeowners get?+
Most common in 2026: monitored security system (5–15%), new roof (5–20%), water-leak sensors (3–10%), bundling auto + home (10–25%), claim-free history transfer (5–10%), and paid-in-full annual premium (5–10%). Ask your agent for a 'discount audit' at the 60-day mark.