April 22, 2026 4 min readBy Tim, Open Sesame Lock & Key
Between previous owners, contractors, cleaners, agents, and family, an average resale home has had more keys made than anyone can account for. Week one is the time to close that loop.
Make a list of every entry
- Front, back, side, garage service door, basement, shed, and any gate with a padlock.
- Note which locks match and which don't — that determines whether one key can rule them all.
- Include the garage keypad code and any smart lock codes left by the previous owner.
Rekey is usually the answer
- If the hardware is sound, rekeying every exterior cylinder to a single new key is faster and cheaper than a full replacement, and it kills every old key instantly.
- Replace only the pieces that are failing: a loose knob, a rusted deadbolt, a door that never latched right.
The rest of the first-week list
- Reset the garage opener code and delete stored remotes.
- Wipe smart lock user codes and set your own.
- Check that every exterior door actually latches and locks — a surprising number don't when you test them properly.