Post-Closing Home Maintenance Roadmap: What to Tackle and When

Closing day feels like the finish line, but the keys come with a to-do list nobody hands you. Where do you start when the water heater, the roof, and the smoke alarms all seem equally important? Whether you’re settling into a bungalow in Chicago, IL, getting an air conditioner ready for another summer in Phoenix, AZ, or checking drainage around a house in Seattle, WA, a clear plan keeps maintenance from piling up. Having a post-closing home maintenance roadmap breaks the work into stages, so you handle safety and major systems first and save cosmetic updates for later. This guide covers what to do in your first week, your first few months, and your first year, plus a few ways to plan for the cost. Treat your inspection report as your first to-do list Many buyers file the home inspection report away once negotiations wrap up. Andrew Redding, of the The Redding Group suggests keeping it close: “I tell buyers that the home inspection report is not just a negotiation tool, it becomes their first home maintenance to-do list after closing. Start with safety concerns and the major systems that protect the home, including plumbing, HVAC, electrical, roofing, and drainage, then work through...