Moving Into Your First House Checklist: Everything to Do in Your First 30 Days
You handed over a lot of money, signed a pile of documents, and finally got the keys. Now you're standing in your first house wondering: what exactly comes next?
The purchase process has a clear roadmap — your agent and lender walk you through every step. But the day you take possession? That's where most first-time buyers improvise. And improvising often means forgetting things that matter: changing locks, setting up utilities before the movers arrive, documenting the home's condition, or scheduling the furnace inspection before winter hits.
This checklist covers everything you need to do when moving into your first house, organized by when to do it.
Before the Moving Truck Arrives
These tasks should happen in the days immediately before you move in — ideally the week of closing.
Change the Locks
This is non-negotiable. You have no idea how many copies of the house keys are floating around — previous owners, their contractors, their relatives, their housecleaners. Rekeying the deadbolts costs $50–$150 per lock at a hardware store or locksmith. Replacing the locks entirely (if they're old or low quality) costs $100–$300 but gives you the opportunity to upgrade to smart locks.
Do this before you move a single box in. The house is not secure until this is done.
Set Up Utilities
Contact each utility provider to transfer service to your name, effective the day of closing. The utilities you need to arrange:
- Electricity — transfer existing service or set up new account
- Gas — if applicable; call ahead since scheduling can take several days
- Water and sewer — often handled through the municipality; call the city
- Internet — installation appointments can book out 1–2 weeks; don't wait
- Trash collection — confirm pickup day and bin requirements
Your closing paperwork may include the seller's utility accounts, which saves time tracking down account numbers. If not, a quick call to the utility companies with your address is usually enough.
Confirm Homeowner's Insurance Is Active
Your lender required homeowner's insurance as a condition of closing, and you should have paid the first year's premium at the closing table. But confirm the policy is active and you have the policy documents and claim contact information saved somewhere accessible.
Insurance is one of those things you want to understand before you need it. Take 15 minutes to read through your policy's declarations page — what's covered, what's excluded, what your deductible is.
Review Your Final Walk-Through Notes
If you did a final walk-through before closing (you should have), pull out those notes. Any issues you documented but didn't negotiate are your responsibility to address. Getting these written down fresh, before boxes start piling up, makes them easier to prioritize.
Day One: The Essentials
On moving day itself, before the movers unload anything, spend 30 minutes on these tasks.
Document the Home's Condition
Walk through every room and take photos. This isn't paranoia — it's protection. If a water stain appears on the ceiling six months from now, you want documentation of what the house looked like the day you moved in. Open every cabinet, test every faucet, flush every toilet, flip every light switch.
Pay particular attention to:
- The water heater (note the age, usually on a sticker on the tank)
- The HVAC system (note the filter size and last service date)
- Any visible cracks in walls, floors, or foundation
- Condition of windows, screens, and seals
- Garage door operation
Store these photos in a cloud folder labeled with the date. You'll be grateful for this record when you eventually sell or when you need to make an insurance claim.
Locate the Main Shutoffs
Before anything else happens, know where to find:
- Main water shutoff — typically in the basement, crawl space, or near the water heater. Know how to turn it off; in a plumbing emergency, seconds matter.
- Electrical panel — label any breakers that aren't already labeled
- Gas shutoff — know where the main valve is, and keep a gas shutoff wrench nearby if you have natural gas
Test Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Press the test button on every detector. Replace batteries in any that are running low. If you don't have CO detectors in bedrooms and near the furnace, add them — they're $25–$40 each and legally required in most states.
First Week: Get Organized
Forward Your Mail and Update Your Address
File a change-of-address form with USPS online (usps.com) — this takes about 10 minutes and covers most mail for 12 months. Then update your address directly with:
- Banks and credit cards
- Your employer (payroll)
- The IRS (Form 8822 or just update when you file)
- Your state's DMV (required within 30 days in most states)
- Social Security Administration
- Any subscriptions or services
Skipping this step leads to months of frustrating mail forwarding and the risk that something important (tax documents, insurance renewals) goes to the wrong address.
Set Up a Home Maintenance File
Create a physical folder or digital folder for your home. Include:
- Warranty documents for appliances and systems
- Manuals for the HVAC, water heater, garage door, etc.
- Contact information for plumbers, electricians, HVAC technicians you trust
- Receipts for any work done before or during closing
- Your home inspection report
This folder will pay for itself the first time something breaks and you need the warranty information or service history.
Meet Your Neighbors
This sounds optional but isn't. Neighbors are your first line of defense against everything from package theft to burst pipes while you're traveling. A quick introduction — not a long conversation, just a wave and a name exchange — changes the dynamic from strangers to community.
Ask them: Has anything been a recurring issue with the house? Are there any quirks about the neighborhood you should know? People who've lived nearby for years often know things about the property that never made it into the disclosure documents.
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First Month: Systems and Safety
Schedule HVAC Maintenance
If the seller couldn't produce recent HVAC service records, schedule a tune-up now — before you need heating or cooling. A professional inspection costs $75–$150 and catches issues before they become emergency repairs. Change the filter at the same time; filters should be replaced every 30–90 days depending on type and usage.
While you're at it, note the filter size on a piece of tape stuck to the furnace door. You'll thank yourself six months from now.
Inspect and Clean the Gutters
Clogged gutters are one of the most common causes of water damage to foundations, siding, and basements. If you moved in during spring or fall, schedule a gutter cleaning before the next heavy rain season. This is a straightforward DIY task or a $100–$200 professional job.
Test All GFCI Outlets
Ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlets — the ones with the Test/Reset buttons, typically in bathrooms, kitchens, and garages — protect against electrical shock near water. Press the Test button on each one; it should cut power to the outlet. Press Reset to restore it. If any fail to trip or fail to reset, call an electrician.
Learn Your Water Heater
Know the age of your water heater (again, the sticker on the tank) and the recommended temperature setting (120°F is standard for safety and energy efficiency). If the water heater is more than 10–12 years old, start budgeting for a replacement — average lifespan is 8–12 years. Unexpected water heater failure is a top home repair cost for new owners.
Review Your Mortgage Paperwork
Set aside an hour in the first month to re-read your loan documents. Understand:
- Your exact monthly payment and what it includes (principal, interest, taxes, escrow)
- Whether you have an escrow account for taxes and insurance, and how it works
- Any prepayment penalties (rare but worth confirming)
- When your first payment is due — many buyers are surprised it's not the first of the following month
If you're considering a refinance down the road, note your current rate, loan balance, and the remaining term. These are the baseline numbers for any future rate-comparison math.
Ongoing: The First Year
Build a Home Maintenance Budget
Industry rule of thumb: budget 1% of your home's purchase price per year for maintenance and repairs. On a $350,000 home, that's $3,500 per year, or about $290 per month. This doesn't mean you'll spend it every year, but it means you have it when the water heater fails or the roof needs repair.
Keep this money in a dedicated savings account separate from your emergency fund. It's not emergency money — it's planned maintenance money.
Create a Seasonal Maintenance Schedule
A few tasks happen on a predictable schedule:
- Spring: Inspect roof after winter, service AC, check exterior for winter damage
- Summer: Check window seals, clean dryer vent, test sprinkler systems
- Fall: Service furnace, clean gutters, winterize outdoor plumbing
- Winter: Check for ice dams, keep cabinet doors open during deep freezes to prevent pipe bursts
Most homeowners discover these lessons through expensive mistakes. Getting ahead of the schedule prevents most of them.
The Financial Picture Behind the Checklist
Every item on this checklist costs time or money — sometimes both. When you're adjusting to mortgage payments, property taxes, and the dozens of small costs that come with homeownership, it's easy to defer things that feel optional.
They're not optional. Deferred maintenance is the most expensive kind of homeownership. A $150 gutter cleaning prevents a $3,000 foundation repair. A $100 furnace tune-up catches a $4,000 system failure before it happens.
Understanding the true cost of owning a home — not just the monthly payment, but the full carrying cost including maintenance, insurance, and taxes — is the foundation of smart homeownership.
That math starts before you close. If you're still in the process of comparing loans, comparing lenders, or calculating what you can actually afford, our Mortgage Worksheet gives you a structured framework to run the numbers side by side. It's the tool that makes sure the payment you commit to leaves room for everything that comes after the keys change hands.
Checklist Summary
Before moving day:
- [ ] Change all exterior locks
- [ ] Transfer utilities to your name
- [ ] Confirm homeowner's insurance is active
- [ ] Review final walk-through notes
Day one:
- [ ] Document home condition with photos
- [ ] Locate water, electrical, and gas shutoffs
- [ ] Test smoke and CO detectors
First week:
- [ ] File USPS change of address
- [ ] Update address with all accounts
- [ ] Create home maintenance file
- [ ] Introduce yourself to neighbors
First month:
- [ ] Schedule HVAC tune-up and change filter
- [ ] Inspect and clean gutters
- [ ] Test all GFCI outlets
- [ ] Check water heater age and settings
- [ ] Review mortgage documents
Ongoing:
- [ ] Build 1% annual maintenance budget
- [ ] Set up seasonal maintenance schedule
Moving into your first house is exciting enough that it's tempting to skip the boring parts. Don't. The 10 hours of setup work in the first month protects the hundreds of thousands of dollars you just invested.
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