One of the most important things to do after you buy your home

Congratulations, you just closed on your new home or condo. Here is the first question. Do you Know who has your keys? Are you 100% certain that no one else has a copy of those keys? What about the son or daughter of the previous owners who just got out of rehab?

The best way to ensure that no one else has the keys to your new home is to get your locks re-keyed. You may be asking what is a re-key? A re-key is a way to change the keys that work in the existing locks but not completely change the whole lock hardware out. They are a very effective and inexpensive way to secure your new home.

Re-keying your house works great as long as the existing hardware is not defective or broke. In some cases it may make sense to change the hardware if the existing stuff is low end junk that can easily be picked or bumped. ( we will cover picking and bumping in another post) You also might want to change out the hardware for cosmetic reasons, which is a great reason too.

When Hiring a Locksmith to re-key your house you need to make sure the following questions are answered.

1. What is your trip charge and how much do you charge per cylinder? All Locksmiths charge a trip charge and not all charge the same. This is the cost to move the vehicle and pay for the time it takes to get to your house and back. As of this writing most Locksmiths charge $55 - $65. The cost to re-key a cylinder currently ranges in the $12.50 - $15 range. For example if you had a house with four locks and the trip charge is $55 and the cost per cylinder is $13 you should be looking at a total cost of $107. Considering that a mid-grade lock costs about $35 - $40 that is about a $35 savings, plus all the locks can be keyed to the same key if it is the same hardware.

Is that all there is to hiring a good and honest Locksmith? Nope, You need to check to see if they are part of the BBB or even if you can find some reviews on-line.

Other things that are very important:

• Are they dressed in a uniform
• Is their vehicle marked with the company name
• Do they perform a security audit to ensure that the strike plates are adequate, the frame is in good condition, and the window locks are in working order.
• How long is the work guaranteed for
• Are they part of the BBB
• Are they part of Angie's List

These are the minimum questions you should ask. Price is important but remember you are inviting this person into your house and if they can not pass the questions above you should probably look for another Locksmith to make sure you are truly satisfied.

Again, Congratulations on your new home!!!