The first year of owning a home is a sorting problem. A long list of tasks competes with a short list of attention. The tasks that get skipped tend to be the boring ones that don't have a deadline. Five years later, the people who set them up in the first 90 days are the ones whose homes have stayed in shape. The nine items below come up over and over in conversations with people on their second or third home: "I wish I'd done this in the first year."
1. Find every shutoff valve in the first month
Main water. Gas main. Individual fixture shutoffs at every sink and toilet. Water heater inlet. Dishwasher. Washing machine. Electrical panel main and individual breakers. The day you find out a valve doesn't work is usually the day you needed it.
Walk the house with a flashlight and a marker. Test each valve. Label what it controls. Turn the main water valve once a year so it doesn't seize. See how to check your main water shutoff valve.
2. Document every system's age and last-service date
Water heater. Furnace. AC. Roof. Major appliances. Each has a typical lifespan and a typical replacement cost. Without dates, you can't plan. With dates, you know the water heater is 9 years old and you have a 1 to 3 year window before it gives up.
Pull date tags. Take photos. Save them in cloud storage. The home inspection report is a good starting point.
3. Change every HVAC filter in the first week, then every 1 to 3 months
The previous owner's last filter change date is usually unknown. A dirty filter cuts airflow, ices the AC coil, overheats the furnace, and shortens system life. Buy a stack of the right size and MERV in the first week. See HVAC filter replacement schedule.
The new-homeowner version of "I wish I had known" usually includes a $200 HVAC service call that was just a clogged filter.
4. Replace washing machine hoses if they look like rubber
Rubber hoses are the connection between the washing machine and full house water pressure. They fail. The Insurance Information Institute counts washer hose failures as a major source of water damage claims. Replace with stainless-braided hoses on day one and shut off the water when leaving for more than a few days. See how often to inspect washing machine hoses.
5. Pull every appliance away from the wall once a year and look behind it
The fridge has dust on the coils that's been there since installation. The dryer has lint behind it that's a fire risk. The washing machine has a hose connection that's slowly weeping. The dishwasher has a supply line that's hardened. None of this is visible without pulling the appliance forward.
Once a year. Vacuum, look, address. Catches three years' worth of problems early.
6. Replace every smoke and CO alarm if the dates are unknown or expired
Smoke alarms have a 10-year life per NFPA. CO detectors have 7 to 10 years depending on model. If the dates on the back are blank, faded, or past, replace the whole unit. The cost is $20 to $50 per unit. The risk of not is the kind that doesn't give a second chance.
See how often should you replace smoke alarms and CO detector replacement frequency.
7. Test the sump pump before the first heavy rain
If the basement has a sump pump, pour 5 gallons of water into the pit. Watch it kick on, move the water out, and shut off. If anything is off, you have weeks to fix it before the next storm. Sump pump failures are commonly excluded from standard insurance unless you have a water backup endorsement. A flooded basement is $5,000 to $15,000+. See sump pump not working checklist.
8. Walk the foundation perimeter four times a year
Most foundation problems start as drainage problems. Overflowing gutters, downspouts dumping at the foundation, soil sloping toward the house instead of away, mulch piled against the siding. A slow walk around the perimeter each season catches problems before they're cracks.
Foundation repair runs $5,000 to $30,000. The drainage habits that prevent most of it are free.
9. Start a maintenance fund and a service-record folder
Open a separate savings account. Auto-transfer 1% of the home's value per year into it. When something breaks, the money's there. When something's old enough to plan-replace, you can. See the 1% rule for home maintenance budget.
Start a folder (digital or physical) for every receipt, service report, and warranty. Two years from now when something fails, the install date and proof of maintenance is the difference between a covered warranty repair and a $1,500 bill. Five years from now when you sell, the maintenance records justify the asking price.
The payoff
None of these feel urgent the week you move in, which is why they're the ones that get skipped. The payoff comes later, when something goes wrong. When a hose bursts or the furnace quits in January, the homeowner who already knows where the shutoff is, when the part was last replaced, and has some money set aside handles it in an afternoon. The one who doesn't scrambles and pays a premium.
Ask anyone a few homes in and the advice is the same: spend your first year learning the house, not just living in it. Find the valves, label the systems, write down the dates, and set a little aside each month. The problems still come. You just stop being surprised by them.
Add reminders to the Dome mobile app to always stay ahead of your home maintenance.