Just Bought a Richmond Home? Remember to Change the Locks!
Buying a home can be a daunting and yet exhilarating experience. We take care in finding the right house, hiring the right inspectors, and securing movers who are reputable. We think about the perfect accent towels, the exact placement of our furniture, and where we can hang our artwork. But, one thing many fail to consider is changing the locks on their new home that they just so heavily invested in.
Think about it. How many people had keys to the home prior to you moving in? The previous owner had one. The real estate agent had one. The best friend may have had one. The truth is, it is hard to say for sure how many people have had access to your new home...and how many still do.
I was in a meeting the other day and a fellow Richmond real estate agent told the story about one of his clients who had just moved into her new place. She had returned from a walk with her dog to find the bathroom door closed and heard voices coming from within. She quickly left the home and called the police. They never did discover who had been in her home. Maybe it was a repair man who left something there. Maybe it was the teenager who used to live there and still had the key. Who knows!
So please be sure to add this to your list of things to do PRIOR to moving in to your new Richmond home. When we moved into our new home we paid roughly $400 to have all of our locks changed.* We considered the expense part of the home buying process just as we did with buying blinds, ceiling fans, and those fabulous new towels!
Ready to unlock the possibilities for a new home in the Henrico County Real Estate or Richmond Real Estate market? Then contact me, Shannon Milligan, at Home Sweet Henrico with Keller Williams Realty Richmond West today and let me light your way to home sweet home! To start your home search, click here: Richmond Area Homes.
*As mentioned in the comment section, another more economical option would be to have your locks re-keyed. The price we paid also included installing new deadbolts on several doors.*
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