OnOtto

The new homeowner's first 90 days

Updated July 2026

Spend your first 90 days as a homeowner in three passes: month 1 on safety and shutoffs, month 2 on learning the systems you actually bought, month 3 on building the recurring schedule — about $200–600 total if the detectors and locks need attention, and most of it free. You don't need to fix everything; you need to know where the water shuts off, how old everything is, and what comes due when. Here's the month-by-month version.

Month 1 — safety and shutoffs

Nothing on this list improves the house. All of it improves the worst day you might have in it.

Month 1 — safety and shutoffs — Updated July 2026
Task Why now Effort / cost
Find the main water shutoff — and turn it The 2 a.m. burst-pipe drill; a valve that hasn’t moved in years may not move when it matters 10 min · $0
Find the electrical panel; label the breakers One evening with a helper and a lamp saves every future electrical moment 1–2 hrs · $0
Find the gas shutoff and the water heater’s valves Complete the emergency map while you’re at it 15 min · $0
Rekey or replace exterior locks Every contractor, agent, and past keyholder still has the old key $80–200 locksmith, or DIY kits
Test every smoke/CO detector; check manufacture dates You don’t know their history; units past 10 years (CO: 5–7) get replaced now 30 min · $0–150
Change the HVAC filter and check the water heater’s pan Assume the sellers were… busy. Start both clocks at zero 15 min · $10–25
Test GFCI outlets (TEST → power cuts → RESET) Five minutes to confirm the shock protection actually protects 5 min · $0

Month 2 — learn what you actually bought

The goal is a birth certificate for every major system: how old, what condition, what service history.

Month 2 — learn what you actually bought — Updated July 2026
Task Why now Effort / cost
Record every system’s age: HVAC, water heater, roof, appliances Serial numbers carry date codes; ages drive every replacement budget 1 hr · $0
Turn your inspection report into the actual task list It already lists every deferred item with photos — most buyers never open it again 30 min · $0
Book an HVAC tune-up if there’s no service record Unknown history = assume never serviced; establish a baseline and a relationship $80–200
Watch the gutters in one hard rain Overflow, streaming joints, and swampy corners reveal the drainage story no inspection catches 10 min · $0
Locate the septic tank / sewer cleanout; pump if undocumented On septic: no pump-out record means book one — it resets the clock and baselines the system $300–600 if pumping
Check washing machine hoses, fridge water line, toilet supply lines The five quiet flood sources; braided stainless replaces any rubber 30 min · $20–40

Month 3 — build the rhythm

The first two months were projects. This month converts them into a system that runs without you.

Month 3 — build the rhythm — Updated July 2026
Task Why now Effort / cost
Set up the recurring schedule — every interval, one system This is the month the house stops running on your memory 1 hr, once
Walk the exterior with binoculars: roof, siding, grading Your baseline photos — next year’s comparison makes slow problems visible 30 min · $0
Start the seasonal checklist for whatever season you’re in The house doesn’t wait for your onboarding to finish Varies
Set the maintenance budget: 1–4% of home value per year Decided calmly in month 3, not during the first emergency Planning only
File warranties, manuals, and the inspection report in one place Future-you, selling the house or filing a claim, will be grateful 30 min · $0

The shortcut hiding in your closing folder

You already own the best maintenance document your house will ever have: the inspection report. It lists every system, its condition, and every deferred item — with photos — and almost every buyer files it away unread after closing. OnOtto can import your inspection report and turn it into scheduled, recurring tasks in about 20 minutes; photos of each appliance fill in the rest of the schedule automatically.

Month 3 is where most new-homeowner plans die — the spreadsheet gets made and never opened again. OnOtto reminds you at the right interval — and won't let you snooze it into next year. Every task persists until it's done, and completing one schedules the next.

Start your home's schedule — free for 30 days

Frequently asked questions

What should a new homeowner do first, before anything else?

Find the main water shutoff and confirm it turns. Water does more routine damage to homes than anything else, and every burst-hose story has two versions: the one where someone reached the valve in 30 seconds, and the one with the restoration contractor. Second: label the electrical panel. Both are free and both matter precisely when panic makes learning impossible.

How much should I budget for maintenance in year one?

Plan on the standard 1–4% of home value annually — then add a one-time year-one bump of roughly $500–1,500 for deferred items the sellers left behind (unserviced HVAC, undocumented septic, dead detectors, hose replacements). Our cost calculator localizes the recurring number by age, size, and region.

My inspection report flagged 40 things. Which ones actually matter?

Triage into three piles: safety and water first (electrical issues, gas, active leaks, grading/drainage, roof penetrations) — these are the month-1-and-2 pile; function second (aging water heater, worn HVAC — budget and schedule); cosmetics last, which is most of the 40. An inspection report is a task list wearing a scary costume: OnOtto can import the report directly and turn the flagged items into scheduled recurring tasks.

The house is new construction — can I skip all this?

Skip the aging-systems anxiety, not the process. You still need month 1 (shutoffs, breaker map, detectors are on your clock now), and new construction adds its own calendar: document everything for the 11-month walkthrough before the builder's warranty expires — nail pops, settling cracks, sticking doors, grading that washed out. Our schedule-by-home-age guide covers what each decade of house asks of you.

Where to go from day 91