Congrats, You Bought Your First Home. Now What?

You got the keys and are now officially a homeowner. Wondering what to do next? This month, Frost King is kicking off a new series just for first-time owners that provides month-by-month DIY and routine maintenance projects that will help you make your house your own.

Make sure you get these five must-dos crossed off your list this month!

1. First step? Get the locks re-keyed. You don’t know which neighbors, relatives, or friends of the previous owners might have copies of your keys and free access to your house. For safety, hire a locksmith to come and re-key all the locks – he or she will just remove the pins and springs in the existing lock cylinders and replace them with new ones that work with a different key. It’s much cheaper than replacing all the locks, and just as effective.
   
   


2. Check smoke and CO2 alarms to make sure they work, and put in fresh batteries. Be sure you test the alarm monthly, and set a reminder to replace the batteries annually.
   
   


3. Get to know your home’s systems. The last thing you want to worry about in an emergency is searching for the utility valves. Locate the shut off valves for water, electricity, and gas and figure out how to turn them off. While you’re at it, take a look at the electric panel to get a sense of which fuse is tied to which room.
   
   


4. Have your heating system serviced. Hopefully, any issues with the HVAC popped up during the home inspection and were repaired. Even so, you should schedule a professional inspection and annual maintenance to keep the system running properly. To maintain a healthy environment in your new home sweet home, replace the filters and ask the technician how often new filters need to be installed. You should also check to see if the HVAC system’s ductwork or pipes are insulated. If not, wrap furnace ductwork with Frost King Duct Insulation Wrap and boiler pipes with Frost King Fiberglass Pipe Insulation to cut down on heat loss and lower your energy bills.
   
   


5. Plan for an emergency. Add a fire extinguisher and a heavy-duty flashlight to your shopping list, and store them in a designated spot so both are on hand in an emergency. Hopefully you won’t need either – but this is a case where it’s always better to be safe than sorry.