Your First 90 Days as a New Idaho Homeowner: What to Do After You Get the Keys

Closing day gets all the attention. The keys, the photos, the relief. But once the excitement settles, there's a real list of things to take care of in the weeks that follow — and most buyers don't know what they don't know until something goes sideways.

Here's what to actually do in your first 90 days as a new Idaho homeowner, in roughly the order it matters.

Week 1: The Immediate Stuff

Change the locks

Do this before you move in if you can. You don't know who has copies of the keys — previous owners, their kids, contractors, neighbors. A locksmith can rekey the deadbolts for $100–$200. It's the easiest security upgrade you'll ever make.

Locate your shutoffs

Find your main water shutoff, your gas shutoff, and your electrical panel. Walk through with someone in your household so two people know where these are. If a pipe bursts at 2 AM, you don't want to be searching the basement in a panic.

Set up utilities in your name

Idaho Power, Intermountain Gas, water/sewer (usually city), trash — make sure everything is transferred to your name with your move-in date. Gaps in service are avoidable and annoying.

Apply for the homeowner's exemption

Idaho's homeowner's exemption reduces your taxable assessed value by up to 50% (capped at $125,000). It doesn't apply automatically — you have to file with your county assessor's office. In Ada County, you can do this online or in person. Deadline is April 15th of the first year you're eligible. Don't miss it — it saves real money.

Month 1: Get to Know the House

Test everything

Every window, every door, every outlet, every faucet. Run the dishwasher, the garbage disposal, the ceiling fans. Test the garage door sensors. Check that smoke and CO detectors work (replace batteries if needed). You want to find issues while they're small — not six months later when something gets worse.

HVAC filter and service

Find out what size filter your system takes and replace it. Idaho summers run HVAC systems hard. If the system wasn't recently serviced, schedule a tune-up. A $150 service call now is significantly cheaper than a repair or replacement later. Set a phone reminder to change the filter every 90 days.

Read the inspection report again

You have it. Read it with fresh eyes, now that you're in the home. Items that seemed minor during the buying process may warrant attention now that you're living there. Prioritize anything the inspector flagged as needing attention within the first year.

Document your belongings

Walk through every room and take a video of everything you own. Upload it somewhere secure (cloud storage, email to yourself). If you ever need to file a homeowner's insurance claim, this documentation is invaluable. Takes 30 minutes. Worth it.

The home won't tell you when something needs attention. You have to know what to look for — and check regularly.

Month 2: Systems and Safety

Winterize if you're moving in before cold weather

Idaho winters are real. If your home has an irrigation system, get it blown out before the first hard freeze (typically October in the Treasure Valley). Drain exterior hose bibs. Check weather stripping on doors and windows. Add door sweeps if needed. A small investment in the fall prevents frozen pipes and heating bills that make you wince.

Know your HOA (if applicable)

Read the CC&Rs — all of them. Know what's allowed and what isn't before you paint the front door or put up a fence. Understand how dues are paid and when. If there's a reserve fund, find out its status. HOA violations are avoidable if you know the rules.

Meet your neighbors

This one sounds soft but it's genuinely practical. People who know their neighbors catch issues earlier — a package that was left outside too long, a door that was open when it shouldn't have been. Good neighbors are also the first line of notice if something looks off while you're traveling. Introduce yourself.

Month 3: Financial and Administrative

Set up your mortgage autopay

If you haven't already, set up autopay for your mortgage. A missed payment can affect your credit and trigger late fees. Set it and forget it — then check your statement monthly to make sure the escrow account is behaving correctly.

Create a home maintenance fund

Budget 1–2% of your home's value per year for maintenance. On a $550,000 home, that's $5,500–$11,000 annually. Start building that reserve now — even if it's just $300–$400/month set aside. When the water heater or HVAC eventually fails, you'll thank yourself.

Review your homeowner's insurance

Call your insurer and make sure your coverage is right. Is your dwelling coverage sufficient to rebuild the home at current construction costs? Do you have personal property coverage? Is there a sewer backup rider (Idaho basements occasionally flood)? This is worth 20 minutes of your time.

Find your go-to contractors

Before you need them urgently, identify a plumber, electrician, and HVAC tech you trust. Ask neighbors, check Google reviews, get one referral you can rely on in each category. Having a name you can call before an emergency is dramatically better than Googling "emergency plumber Boise" at 11 PM.

The Bigger Picture

The first 90 days sets the tone for how you'll maintain the home for years to come. Buyers who treat it like a car — scheduled service, preventive attention, a fund set aside for repairs — rarely get blindsided by big unexpected costs. Buyers who ignore it until something breaks tend to pay more, over time, for the same house.

You did the hard part. Now take care of what you've got.