Your First 90 Days in a New Georgia Home: What to Do and In What Order

The first three months in a house is when you find everything the inspection did not, and it is also when you have the most momentum to fix things. Here is the order we would do it in.

Week one: safety and control

1. 1Find and label the main water shutoff. Tag it. Show everyone in the house. When a supply line lets go at 2am you have about ninety seconds before it is a very expensive night. Our guide on finding your main water shutoff covers where they hide in Coweta County homes.
2. 2Find the electrical panel and label the breakers. Most panels are labelled wrong or not at all. This takes an evening with a helper and a lamp and it pays back forever.
3. 3Find the gas shutoff if you have gas, and keep a wrench nearby.
4. 4Locate every water shutoff under sinks and behind toilets, and turn each one to make sure it actually works. Old valves seize. Finding that out now is better than during an emergency.
5. 5Rekey or replace every exterior lock. You have no idea how many keys exist.
6. 6Test every smoke and CO detector and replace the batteries regardless of what the seller said. Check the manufacture date on the back — detectors expire, typically at ten years.

Week one: the systems

• Change the HVAC filter. It is almost certainly overdue and it is the cheapest thing you can do for the system.
• Note the water heater's age from the serial number and write the install date on it in marker. Knowing whether you have two years or twelve changes how you budget.
• Find the water heater shutoff — both water and gas or breaker.
• Locate the crawlspace or basement access and go look. Bring a flashlight. You want to know what is under there before a problem tells you.
• Check the attic for insulation depth, daylight through the roof, and pest evidence.

Month one: the things that get worse

Prioritise anything involving water, because water damage compounds.

• Clean the gutters and check the downspouts. Extend them four to six feet from the foundation. Georgia clay does not absorb water and gutters that dump at the wall cause crawlspace and foundation problems. See our guide on gutter maintenance and drainage.
• Walk the perimeter after a hard rain and note where water pools or where the grade runs toward the house.
• Check under every sink for slow leaks and swollen cabinet bottoms.
• Run every fixture — every faucet, every toilet, every shower. Find the drips now.
• Check the dryer vent. Lint-clogged vents are a fire cause and most homes have never had one cleaned.
• Look at the roof from the ground with binoculars — missing shingles, damaged flashing, anything at the chimney.

Month one: the comfort items

• Feel for drafts at doors and windows on a cold or windy day. Weatherstripping and caulk are cheap and the difference on a power bill is real.
• Check attic insulation depth. Georgia homes are frequently under-insulated relative to current recommendations, and attic insulation is the highest-return efficiency upgrade available.
• Have the HVAC serviced. A proper service tells you the condition of a system you are about to depend on through a Georgia summer.
• Set up a smart thermostat if you do not have one. Real savings and immediate quality-of-life improvement.

Months two and three: the improvement list

Now that you know the house, decide what actually needs doing versus what you assumed on the walkthrough. The order that generally makes sense:

1. 1Anything involving active water intrusion. Always first.
2. 2Electrical safety issues — ungrounded outlets, missing GFCI protection in kitchens, baths, garage and exterior, panel problems.
3. 3Plumbing that is visibly at end of life. Galvanized or polybutylene supply lines. See our guide on repiping.
4. 4Structural and pest issues found in the crawlspace or attic.
5. 5Efficiency — insulation, air sealing, HVAC.
6. 6Cosmetic and lifestyle changes. Paint, flooring, kitchens. These are the fun ones and they are also the ones that will still be possible next year if the roof is not leaking.

Set up the boring records

• A folder with every appliance model and serial number, and the water heater and HVAC install dates.
• Warranty documents and any transferable coverage from the seller.
• Photos of the panel, the shutoffs, and the crawlspace as you found it.
• A note of the filter sizes for the HVAC — you will look for this every three months forever.
• The inspection report, kept and actually referred to rather than filed and forgotten.

What not to do

Do not remodel in the first ninety days. Live in the house through a season first. The kitchen layout that seemed wrong on the walkthrough often turns out to be fine, and the thing that genuinely drives you mad is usually something you had not noticed. Money spent after living in a house is spent better.

Get a hand with the list

Wright Way Services does exactly this work — the punch list a new homeowner ends up with — across Newnan, Peachtree City, Sharpsburg, Senoia, Tyrone and Fayetteville. One call for the whole list. (770) 301-4638.