First-Time Homebuyer? Your Move-In Maintenance Checklist

You just closed on a house. The paperwork is signed, the keys are in your hand, and you’re standing in your new living room wondering what happens next.

Here’s what happens next: you need to do some homework before you unpack a single box.

I’ve worked in hundreds of homes across the St. Louis metro area — from first-time buyer starter homes in Hazelwood and Arnold to larger places in Chesterfield and Lake St. Louis. And the same pattern repeats: new homeowners unpack, decorate, settle in, and then six months later discover something that should’ve been addressed on day one.

This checklist covers the things you should do in your first week of ownership. Not the fun stuff — the important stuff.

Before You Move Anything In

1. Change the Locks

This isn’t a maintenance issue — it’s a security issue. You have no idea how many copies of your keys exist. The previous owners, their family, their house cleaners, their dog walker, the neighbor who watered their plants. That’s a lot of people with access to your home.

Rekeying is cheaper than replacing. A locksmith can rekey all your exterior locks to match a single new key for about $15 to $25 per lock. If you have four exterior doors, that’s $60 to $100 for peace of mind.

If your locks are older or in rough shape, this is a good time to replace them entirely. A quality deadbolt with a reinforced strike plate costs $30 to $80 at any hardware store. If you’re going with smart locks, make sure the door frame and deadbolt pocket are in good condition first — smart locks won’t save you if the frame is rotted. That’s a carpentry fix worth doing before installation.

2. Locate the Water Main Shutoff

This is the single most important thing to know about your house, and most new homeowners have no idea where it is.

If a pipe bursts, a supply line blows, or a toilet valve fails catastrophically, you need to stop the water in seconds, not minutes. Every minute of uncontrolled water flow means hundreds of dollars in damage.

In most St. Louis-area homes, the main shutoff is in the basement, near where the water line enters the house from the street. It’s usually a gate valve (round wheel) or a ball valve (lever handle). Find it, tag it, and make sure every adult in the household knows where it is.

Test it now. Turn it off, then go open a faucet and confirm the water stops. If the valve is seized, corroded, or only partially stops the flow, get it replaced immediately. A non-functional shutoff valve during an emergency is like having a fire extinguisher with no pin.

3. Find and Label Your Electrical Panel

Open the breaker panel and figure out what each breaker controls. Bring a partner — one person stays at the panel, the other walks through the house checking outlets and fixtures.

Label every breaker clearly. The little scribbled labels from 1987 that say “bed” and “kit” aren’t cutting it. Use a fine-point marker and write legibly: “Master Bedroom + Hall Bath,” “Kitchen Counter Outlets,” “Garage + Exterior.”

While you’re at the panel, look for a few things:

• Double-tapped breakers (two wires connected to a single breaker terminal). Most residential breakers are rated for one wire only. Double-tapping is a common code violation found in home inspections across the region.
• Missing knockouts or gaps in the panel cover. The panel should be sealed — any opening allows pests and debris inside.
• Signs of overheating: melted plastic, char marks, or a burning smell. If you see any of these, call an electrician immediately.

4. Check the Age of the Water Heater

Look at the manufacturer’s sticker on your water heater for the installation date or the manufacture date (often embedded in the serial number). Most tank water heaters have a service life of 8 to 12 years, according to the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors.

If yours is pushing 10+ years, it’s not an emergency, but it should be on your radar. Start budgeting for a replacement rather than being surprised by a 6 AM flood in the utility room.

While you’re there, check the temperature setting. The Department of Energy recommends 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Many water heaters come factory-set at 140, which wastes energy and creates a scalding risk.

5. Test All Smoke Detectors and CO Monitors

Walk through the house and test every smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector by pressing the test button. Check the manufacture date on the back of each unit.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommends:

• Smoke detectors on every level, inside every bedroom, and outside every sleeping area
• CO detectors on every level of homes with fuel-burning appliances or attached garages
• Replacing smoke detectors every 10 years
• Replacing CO detectors every 5 to 7 years (check manufacturer specs)

If the house has no CO detectors and has a gas furnace or gas water heater, install them today. Not next weekend. Today.

First-Week Tasks

6. Change the HVAC Filters

Whatever filter is in there, take it out and replace it. You don’t know when it was last changed, and you don’t know what condition it’s in. Fresh filters are cheap — $5 to $20 depending on size and quality.

Write the date on the new filter with a marker. Set a phone reminder to check it every 30 days during heating and cooling season.

While you have the filter cover open, look at the furnace or air handler. Is it clean inside? Can you see excessive dust on the blower wheel? If the system looks neglected, schedule a full HVAC service call. This is especially important if you moved in during the shoulder season (spring or fall) and haven’t yet run the system under full load.

7. Flush the Water Heater

Sediment settles at the bottom of water heater tanks over time. In the St. Louis area, our water supply carries moderate mineral content that accelerates sediment buildup.

Connect a garden hose to the drain valve at the bottom of the tank. Run it to a floor drain or outside. Open the valve and let it flow until the water runs clear. This takes five to ten minutes and can extend the life of the unit significantly.

If the drain valve is stuck or won’t open, don’t force it. Call a plumber. A broken drain valve on a full tank of water is a problem you don’t want to create.

8. Locate and Test the Sump Pump

Most St. Louis-area homes with basements have sump pumps. Find yours — it’s usually in a corner of the basement, sitting in a pit with a plastic or concrete cover.

Pour five gallons of water into the pit and verify the pump activates, moves the water out, and shuts off. If nothing happens, check that it’s plugged in (you’d be surprised). If it’s plugged in and still doesn’t work, replace it before the next rain.

A basic sump pump costs $100 to $250. A flooded basement costs $5,000 to $20,000 or more, depending on finishes and contents.

9. Walk the Exterior

Grab a notepad and walk the entire perimeter of your house. Look for:

• Grading: Soil should slope away from the foundation. Flat or negative grades push water toward the house.
• Gutters: Are they intact? Do the downspouts extend at least four feet from the foundation?
• Caulk: Check around all windows, doors, and penetrations. Cracked or missing caulk means moisture and air infiltration.
• Vegetation: Trees or shrubs touching the house provide pest highways. Branches should be trimmed back at least three feet from the roof and siding.
• Foundation: Note any visible cracks. Photograph them with a ruler for scale so you can monitor for movement over time.

10. Check for Common St. Louis Hazards

The St. Louis housing stock has some regionally specific concerns worth checking:

Radon. Missouri is a high-radon state. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services recommends testing all homes, especially those with basements. Short-term test kits cost $10 to $15 at hardware stores or through the state’s radon program. The EPA recommends mitigation if levels exceed 4 picocuries per liter.

Lead paint. Homes built before 1978 may contain lead-based paint. This is especially common in the city of St. Louis and inner-ring suburbs. If your home inspection flagged potential lead paint and you have young children, get it tested before disturbing any painted surfaces during renovation. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources maintains a list of certified lead inspectors.

Sewer lateral. In many St. Louis County municipalities, the homeowner is responsible for the sewer lateral — the pipe connecting your house to the main sewer line. Some municipalities offer sewer lateral repair programs (check with your local city hall). The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) can provide information on lateral programs in their service area.

First-Month Tasks

11. Get a Pest Inspection

Your home inspection may or may not have included a detailed pest assessment. Schedule a termite inspection if one wasn’t done — termites are active across the entire St. Louis region, and a subterranean termite colony can cause significant structural damage before you ever see a live insect.

Most pest control companies offer free termite inspections. If treatment is recommended, get multiple quotes. Termite treatment in the St. Louis market typically runs $800 to $2,000 for initial treatment, depending on the size of the home and the method used.

12. Create a Maintenance Calendar

Set up recurring reminders for seasonal maintenance tasks. At minimum:

• Monthly: HVAC filter check, smoke/CO detector test
• Quarterly: Check under all sinks for leaks, test GFCI outlets
• Spring: Service A/C, clean gutters, test sump pump, inspect deck, check exterior caulk
• Fall: Service furnace, clean gutters, winterize hose bibs, check weatherstripping
• Annual: Flush water heater, clean dryer vent, inspect attic

For a more detailed seasonal breakdown specific to Missouri climate, check our guide on 10 maintenance tasks St. Louis homeowners forget.

Build a Relationship With Reliable Trades

This last piece of advice isn’t a checklist item — it’s a strategy.

Find a good plumber, a good electrician, a good HVAC tech, and a good handyman (hello) before you need one. Getting references from neighbors, reading reviews, and checking credentials is a lot more productive when your basement isn’t currently flooding.

When something does go wrong — and it will, because houses are complicated machines — you want to call someone you already trust, not just whoever answers the phone first on Google.

We serve the entire St. Louis metro area, from St. Louis City to O’Fallon to the Metro East. If you just closed on a home and want a professional walkthrough to identify priorities, reach out. We’ll give you an honest assessment of what needs attention now versus what can wait, so you can budget accordingly and sleep a little better at night.

Welcome to homeownership. It’s a lot of work, but it’s your work, on your house. That’s worth something.