Securing the Home
Before anything else, take control of who can access your new home. The previous owners, their contractors, real estate agents, and neighbors may all have had keys or codes at various . You have no way to know how many copies exist.
- Re-key or replace all exterior door locks. Re-keying is cheaper than full lock replacement and equally effective — a locksmith can do it in under an hour.
- Reset or reprogram any smart locks, garage door codes, and keypad entry systems.
- Change Wi-Fi router passwords and admin credentials. Default router passwords are publicly documented.
- Reset any existing security system codes and update monitoring contact information with your name and number.
- Check that all window locks function properly. Older window locks are commonly worn or broken.
- Share a spare key only with someone you trust explicitly — a family member or close neighbor — and document who has it.
Fire & Carbon Monoxide Safety
Fire and safety should be your top priority in the first days of move-in. These are not optional checks to get to eventually — they should happen before you sleep in the home.
- Test every smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector — press the test button until you hear the full alarm cycle.
- Replace batteries in all detectors, even if they seem to work. The previous owners' maintenance schedule is unknown.
- Check the manufacture date stamped on the back of each detector. Smoke detectors need replacement every 10 years; CO detectors every 5–7 years.
- Confirm detectors are present on every level of the home and outside each sleeping area — this is the minimum standard.
- Locate and inspect any fire extinguishers. Confirm they're charged (needle in the green zone) and not past their inspection date.
- Create and discuss a family fire escape plan, including two exit routes from each bedroom and a designated meeting point outside.
If the home has a fireplace
Schedule a professional chimney inspection and cleaning before first use — especially if you don't know when it was last serviced. Creosote buildup is a leading cause of house fires and is not visible without professional inspection.
Electrical & Water Safety
Electrical and water hazards are among the most common — and most expensive — problems in older homes. These checks take under an hour and can catch issues your general inspection may have missed.
Test GFCI outlets
GFCI (ground-fault circuit interrupter) outlets are required in kitchens, bathrooms, garages, and outdoor locations. Press the "Test" and "Reset" buttons on each one to confirm they function. A GFCI that doesn't trip could indicate wiring issues.
Check for damaged wiring
Look for visibly damaged outlets, discolored switch plates (sign of overheating), any exposed wiring in the basement, garage, or attic, and outlets that feel warm to the touch.
Label your electrical panel
Locate the main electrical panel and confirm each breaker is labeled. Unlabeled panels make troubleshooting far harder during an emergency. This is a good first-week project.
Find and test the main water shutoff
Know where the main water shutoff valve is and confirm it turns smoothly. A stuck valve in a water emergency is a serious problem. Valves that haven't been turned in years can seize.
Check under sinks
Look under every kitchen and bathroom sink for signs of active or past leaks — water stains, swollen cabinet floors, or mold. These are easy to miss in a walkthrough.
Check water heater temperature
The Department of Energy recommends 120°F. Settings above that increase scald risk — particularly for children and older adults — and cost more to operate.
Childproofing Essentials
If you have young children or expect visitors with young children, prioritize these basics early. Some of these risks — furniture tip-overs, pool drownings — are more common and more preventable than most new homeowners realize.
- Install outlet covers or tamper-resistant outlet plates in all accessible rooms.
- Secure top-heavy furniture and bookshelves to walls with anti-tip straps. Furniture tip-overs are a leading cause of childhood injury at home.
- Add safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs.
- Check window guards or stops on upper-floor windows. Many modern windows have built-in stops; older windows may not.
- Store cleaning supplies, medications, and toxic substances in locked or out-of-reach cabinets.
- If the home has a pool or hot tub, test fence integrity, gate latches, and self-closing gate mechanisms. Confirm local pool fencing requirements are met.
Outdoor & Structural Safety
The exterior of a home has its own set of hazards that are easy to overlook during the excitement of move-in. Walk the property in daylight with a critical eye during week one.
Deck and porch railings
Test all deck and porch railings for stability. Grab and shake each one firmly — railings that move, wobble, or are clearly rotted are a serious fall hazard and should be repaired before use.
Exterior steps and walkways
Look for cracked, heaved, or uneven surfaces that create trip hazards, especially at entry points you'll use daily.
Outdoor lighting
Test all exterior lights around entry doors, garages, and walkways. Good exterior lighting is both a security measure and a trip-hazard prevention.
Trees near the home
Walk the perimeter and look up. Dead limbs overhanging the roof, driveway, or outdoor living areas are a wind event away from becoming an expensive or dangerous problem.
Pool fencing and gates
If applicable, confirm pool fencing meets local requirements for height and self-closing gate mechanisms. Even if you don't have young children, this affects liability and insurance.
Emergency Preparedness
Round out your safety setup with a few preparedness basics that are easy to overlook in the excitement of moving in — but matter significantly if an emergency happens.
- Assemble a basic emergency kit: flashlights, extra batteries, first-aid supplies, a multi-tool, and at least a few days of bottled water.
- Understand your home's specific risks based on location — flood zone, wildfire area, hurricane region, or earthquake zone — and research the applicable precautions.
- Save non-emergency contact numbers for local police, fire, and your utility providers. These are different from 911 and useful for non-urgent situations.
- Share your new address and a spare key with a trusted nearby person — a neighbor or friend who can be reached in an emergency.
- Confirm your homeowners insurance policy covers your region's most likely natural hazards. Many standard policies exclude flood and earthquake by default.
Walk through your home seasonally
A loose railing, a flickering outlet, or a small roof leak is a $200 fix when caught early and a $10,000 problem after two more seasons. Walk through the home with a critical eye roughly once per season and address minor issues when you notice them.
What Should You Do Next?
With the safety checklist complete, the next priority is confirming all your utilities and services are set up correctly — electricity, gas, water, internet, mail forwarding, and address updates across every account that matters.
Set up utilities and services
Timeline · Core utilities · Mail · Local services
The Utilities & Services Setup Guide covers the full move-in timeline — from what to set up two weeks before closing to address updates and local services to research in your new neighborhood.
Utilities & Services Setup