First-Year Homeowner Guide

Your home, without the panic

Everything you need for year one — move-in checklists, seasonal maintenance, emergency guides, and your personal contact book, all in one free place.

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Your first-year overview

Move-in
Done ✓
Month 1–3
65%
Month 4–6
30%
Month 7–12
5%
52
tasks tracked
4
seasons covered
24/7
emergency guide
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Don't miss a thing

Tap any item to mark it done. These are the tasks that catch new homeowners off guard.

Know what to do, and when

Most home problems are preventable. Follow this calendar to stay ahead of repairs.

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Stay calm. Here's what to do.

When something goes wrong, the first 5 minutes matter most. Bookmark this page on your phone.

Know your numbers

Estimate your first-year homeowner costs. The 1% rule and emergency fund guidance built in.

$100k$400,000$1.5M
2 mo6 months12 mo
$3k$8,000$20k
$500$2,200$8,000

Your first-year budget

Annual maintenance (1% rule)$4,000
Emergency fund target$13,200
Annual mortgage payments$26,400
Utilities estimate$3,600
Home insurance estimate$1,800
Total first-year cost$49,000

💡 Calculating your housing ratio...

Save these before you need them

Fill in your personal contacts now — not when something breaks at midnight.

Words you'll actually hear

Nobody tells you what these terms mean. Now you'll know.

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Straight talk for new homeowners

Real answers to the questions nobody warns you about before you get the keys.

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Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 2026

FirstYearHome ("we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and share information when you use our website at firstyearhome.org.

Information we collect

FirstYearHome does not collect personal information unless you voluntarily provide it. The tools on this website (checklists, contacts, budget planner) store data only in your own browser's local storage — this data never leaves your device and is not sent to our servers.

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