What Every New Homeowner Needs to Know About Changing Locks.

Just moved into a new Bentonville home? Congratulations! Buying a new home is an exciting time. It’s also a great time to re-evaluate and improve your home security.

Rekey Your Locks

You’ve probably heard people tell you the first thing you should do is change the locks. And that’s true! If possible, have your local locksmith show up shortly after closing and change the locks even before you begin to move in. We HIGHLY recommend changing the locks because you don’t know how many people out there have keys to your new home. Ex-boyfriends, previous clients, construction workers, divorced spouses, extended family, and even several neighbors might have a key to your home!

Changing the locks doesn’t mean you have to buy all new hardware for your doors (although you can). We simply re-key/change the existing lock cylinders so old keys don’t work on them, and we create a new key that will work on your house locks. It’s cheaper than buying all new hardware, it’s much quicker, and you can always change the hardware later if you choose to. It’s what most homeowners do when they move into a new home. When we change your locks, we also lubricate all the latches, service and clean the cylinders, and make sure your doors and locks are working like they should.

Dramatically Improve Your Home Security with Deadbolts

We HIGHLY recommend making sure all of your exterior doors have deadbolts. Builders usually don’t put deadbolts on the door leading from your garage to your house, for example. You should definitely have one on that door since so many burglars enter through the garage. Garage doors are easily defeated these days.

You can purchase the color/style you want from your local hardware store and have us install them, or we also carry some stock in our mobile locksmith vans. We also recommend installing a sliding door deadbolt if you have a sliding glass door.

Right when you move in is the perfect time to bring Presto Locksmith! We can service your locks, make sure they’re working securely, install any additional locks, and even make additional copies of your keys for you!

Here are a few common questions about changing the locks on your new home

What’s the cost to change my locks?

While final cost depends on so many factors (type of locks, number of pins, number of cylinders, brand, etc.) you can expect to pay around $125-$200 to change your locks in Northwest Arkansas in 2021. In our opinion, that’s a very small price to pay for comfort!

How long does it take to change the locks in a new home?

Not long at all. Presto Locksmith can change your locks while you’re doing other things around the house. It can take as little as 15-25 minutes, depending on how many and what type of doors and locks your home has.

How much does it cost to add a deadbolt to a door?

Again, it depends on which brand and grade you want, but you can expect to spend $50-$125 for more residential deadbolts, installation included. You’ll also want this deadbolt keyed so it matches the same key as the rest of the house. Again, since a deadbolt is 85-90% of a door’s security, we HIGHLY recommend every door of your house that leads outside have a deadbolt. It’s a small price to pay to secure the thousands of dollars worth of stuff inside your house, not to mention the safety of your family.

Can you install wireless/electronic deadbolts?

Of course! Many people order deadbolts from Amazon or other retailers and have us install them. We’re also happy to give you our recommendations on which deadbolts are good, and which deadbolts you should avoid. Feel free to contact us with any questions on your home locks, even if you don’t bring us to install them.

What about sliding door locks?

If you have a sliding door, we HIGHLY recommend installing a deadbolt on that as well. They’re cheap, easy to use, and they keep thieves from lifting the doors off their tracks. You can find countless videos of thieves lifting sliding doors off their tracks and getting into a home in less than 30 seconds! Sliding door locks are a great way to child-proof the door if you have little children in the house.

Can you do anything to make our home more secure?

Yes. We have solutions for every budget. We can upgrade your hardware, put pick-resistant pins in your cylinders, install security strikes, and we even offer high security restricted keyways. (Restricted keyways use special keys that can’t be copied anywhere except the locksmith who holds the license to do so.) We also stock and install door security devices to enhance your security. If you’d like suggestions on home security products, you’re welcome to contact us, even if you don’t end up hiring us. We’d love to help you!

Can you show me things I can do to enhance my home security?

Of course! Something we think makes Presto Locksmith unique in the market is our focus on customer service. We’re more than happy to walk through and explain what we’re doing, talk through your unique security needs, and answer any questions you have about security and locks in your home. If you just want us to change the locks or install deadbolts while you’re moving in, we can do that. If you want us to walk through the home with you and talk about security and teach you about your locks, we can do that too!