I always tell my home buyers that the #1 rule when closing escrow on a new home is to have all of the locks changed.  Whether the home has been a rental, occupied by the same owners for 30 years, or is brand new.  This is the #1 rule!

This important lesson came to light this week when working with relocation clients.  I just spent 5 days with clients who are relocating to Reno from CA.  After viewing about 17 homes, we finally found the one.  After submitting our offer and negotiating a counter offer, I sent my clients to a local insurance office to secure their homeowner's insurance for their new home.

It came as somewhat of shock to them to find that there are had been numerous insurance claims in the last 2 years for home burglary.  They were in somewhat of a panic and unsure if they had made a good choice.  I on the other hand was completely shocked, as this was my neighborhood.  It is where I live, walk my dog, and enjoy a nice, quiet, peaceful life.  I was totally unaware of a rash of burglaries.

Upon contacting the listing agent, I learned that the owners had had several burglaries once they moved into their newly built home in 2014.  They couldn't understand how the burglars were getting into the property, as there were no signs of forced entry.

Finally, they decided to have the locks changed.  The locksmith explained to them that a front door lock on a new home contains master pins.  When the homeowner inserted their new key into the door it didn't completely reset the pins and so it continued to allow a previous key to be used.

So, it appeared that someone with a key was able to enter their home at will and steal from them on several occasions. Back to the #1 RULE.

Please, please, change the locks on any house that you purchase - EVEN a brand new home.  And, if you rent - make sure that your landlord has new locks installed on the home prior to you taking possession.

You never know who has a key to the house...a neighbor who has let the dog out, the cleaning lady, the kids.  Better safe than sorry.

I have been helping families buy and sell homes in the Reno/Sparks area for over 18 years.  It is vital that you have a solid, well respected, and seasoned Realtor on your team when you are looking to buy or sell a home. Please call me today and let's have a conversation about the market and how you can take advantage of our increasing values and low interest rates.

Contact me for all of your Real Estate needs at 775-762-7653 or move2reno@gmail.com.