About New House Checklist
A free guide to what to do, what to buy and what to keep up with once a house is yours.
Why this site exists
Buying a house comes with a thick closing packet and no manual. Nobody hands you a list of what to do in the first week, where the shutoffs are, which filters to buy or what the house will need each season. The answers exist, but they’re spread across agency PDFs, forum threads and store pages, and plenty of them are written to sell you something.
New House Checklist puts that information in one place, in the order you’ll need it.
Our mission
To make sure every new homeowner knows what to do next. That means fewer missed deadlines, fewer expensive surprises and a safer home, without needing to know anything about houses on day one.
What you’ll find here
Checklists. Start with the move-in checklist for everything from closing to the first year, then use the home maintenance checklist to stay ahead of each season.
How-to guides. The how-to library explains 157 tasks step by step, including when to do a job yourself and when to call a pro.
Buying advice. Things to buy for a new house covers what you really need, and 44 buying guides compare the models worth considering.
Reviews and repair guides. The articles section has product reviews and fixes for around the house.
What we hold to
The order that matters. Tasks are sorted by when they matter, and the ones that protect life or prevent major damage are marked as must-dos.
Sources you can check. Tasks link to the agencies and organizations behind them, so you can read the original. How we choose explains the method.
Buy only what you need. Most tasks need no product at all, and stores never decide what we recommend.
Free and private. There’s no account to create. Your progress is saved in your own browser, as our privacy policy explains.
Who it’s for
First-time buyers, people moving to a new house, owners of a new build, and anyone who has lived in a home for years and still isn’t sure what it needs. The advice is written for U.S. homes, and it’s general guidance: for gas, electrical, structural or roof work, hire a licensed professional.
Get in touch
Found a mistake or something out of date? Contact us and we’ll fix it.