When you buy a new home, the first order of business should be to install new locks. Whether it is a new or existing home, there could be many people that are in possession of keys to your property. Once you change the locks, it is a good idea to invest in a key lock box to control who has access to your keys in the future to ensure your family’s safety.

1. What to Purchase After Closing on your Home
Your long awaited dream has come true – you closed on your house, whether it’s your first or
your fifth house, it is still an exciting endeavor. The excitement might be short lived after the
closing though, because now is when the true hard work starts. There are certain essential
items you must buy in order to secure your home. The first purchase you should make is new
locks, whether a master deadbolt, keyed alike locks or keyed different locks for each door. In
addition to new locks, you should also consider lock boxes as they have many advantages
when it comes to your family’s safety.
Buying an Existing Home
When you buy a previously owned home, chances are many people are in possession of the
keys to the current locks. Depending on how long the owners lived in the home, they might have
even lost track of who had a set of keys. A few examples include neighbors, house cleaners,
dog walkers, contractors and relatives. Some homeowners give keys out and forget about them
or have another set made for that one time that they needed to give access to their home. The
people that have the keys might or might not remember that they have them. In order to ensure
the security of your family and your home, it is best to change all locks, especially if they have
any keyed alike locks, as one key could give anyone access to all of the locks in your new
home.
Buying a New Home
If you had your home built, you might think that you do not need to change the locks, after all
nobody else lived in the home. Even though nobody lived there, many people likely had access
to the new locks. There are numerous contractors that are involved in building a new home and
who needed access in order to complete their job. Because you cannot be sure that all keys
were turned in, it is best to change the locks on the entire home to be sure.

2. The Need for a Lock Box
After you change the master door lock and any other locks on your home, careful thought
should be given to investing in a key lock box. This box will allow you to give temporary access
to those who need to get into your home while you are not there, but does not require you to
give out a key to many different people, causing you to lose track of where your keys are at any
given time. Electronic lockboxes even allow you to track who had access to your keys. Many
models allow you to set temporarypasswordsfor each person that you need to grant access to
and even put time restrictions on them. This allows you to keep control over who has access to
your home when you are not around.
Buying a home is exciting and a bit overwhelming at the same time. Before you start celebrating
your new purchase, take the time to enhance its security right away. Changing the locks should
be the first priority before you move any of your belongings into your home. Once you are
settled and ready to start your new life, a key lock box could serve to make your life a lot easier
and safer. These small investments could provide a large return on your initial investment both
in a financial as well as a physical safety way.
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