Moving Into a Johns Creek Home: The Day-One Rekey Checklist
By closing day, your “new” keys have passed through builders, agents, stagers, inspectors, and neighbors. Here’s the full reset, in order.
The checklist
- Rekey every exterior keyed door — front, back, garage service door, basement walkout. One visit covers all of them; ask for keyed-alike so one key runs the house. Details on our residential page.
- Reset the garage keypad code — sellers hand over the door opener, and everyone forgets the keypad on the frame still holds the old family's code.
- Re-pair garage remotes — clearing the opener's memory kills any remote you never received.
- Change smart lock codes and owner accounts — factory-reset any keypad or app lock the seller left; their phone may still hold admin rights.
- Reset the alarm master code — and the Wi-Fi password anything security-related connects through.
- Ask about the mailbox key — cluster mailboxes in many Johns Creek subdivisions are rekeyed through the post office, not a locksmith; start that early, it takes weeks.
- Find every stashed key — fake rocks, porch light tops, grill cabinets. Assume the previous owners hid one somewhere and retire the hiding spot.
Why day one matters
The cost of a rekey never gets cheaper than the day you move in, and the risk never gets lower. Call (347) 776-0145 with your door count — the quote comes before the visit, and one afternoon closes every loose end above.
Frequently Asked Questions
The house is new construction — do I still need to rekey?
Especially then. Builder master keys and contractor keys circulated for months. Some builder locks (like certain Kwikset SmartKey models) can be reset quickly, which makes the visit even cheaper.
Can the locks be rekeyed before closing day?
Only with the current owner’s permission — you can’t alter a house you don’t own yet. Book the appointment for closing day itself; sellers’ agents expect it.
Lock trouble in Johns Creek? Make one call.
A dispatcher answers 24/7 and quotes the job before anyone rolls.