Should You Rekey or Replace Locks After Buying a Home in Farmington?

Congratulations on your new Farmington home. Now here’s something your real estate agent probably didn’t tell you: the previous owner’s family, their dog walker, their house cleaner, and their neighbor might all still have a key that opens your front door. Rekeying should happen within 48 hours of closing — not “sometime this month.”

Why Rekeying Is the First Thing Every New Homeowner Should Do

When a home sells in Farmington, the seller hands over two to four keys at closing. But how many copies exist beyond those? The answer is almost always “more than you know.” Previous owners routinely give keys to neighbors, family members, contractors, cleaning services, and dog walkers — and often forget who has them.

In a city where property crime runs 40% above the national average, that’s not a theoretical risk. Rekeying changes the internal pin configuration of your existing locks so that only your new keys work. The deadbolt hardware stays the same — only the pins change. It’s the fastest, most affordable way to secure a new home.

Rekeying vs. Replacing: The Real Difference

For most Farmington homes built in the 1980s–2000s with standard Schlage or Kwikset deadbolts in good condition, rekeying is the right answer. If the home has cheap builder-grade knob locks with no deadbolt, replacing and upgrading to ANSI Grade 1 deadbolts is worth the extra investment.

When to Replace Instead of Rekey

Rekeying only makes sense if the locks themselves are worth keeping. Here are the situations where full replacement is the better call:

• The locks are builder-grade — cheap single-cylinder knob locks with no deadbolt offer minimal security regardless of who has the key
• The locks are worn or stiff — if the cylinder is hard to turn, the pins are worn and rekeying won’t fix that
• You want to upgrade security — ANSI Grade 1 deadbolts resist kick-ins far better than Grade 2
• You want keypad or smart lock entry — the whole mechanism changes when upgrading to smart locks
• The home had a break-in — a forced entry damages the frame and lock, both need replacement

Keying All Locks Alike: The Convenience Upgrade

Here’s a bonus service many Farmington homeowners don’t know to ask for: when rekeying multiple locks, a locksmith can rekey all of them to match the same key. Front door, back door, garage entry, and mailbox — all opened by one key. Many homes have different keys for each lock (a legacy of previous owners). Consolidating to a single key costs nothing extra and saves significant daily frustration.

How Long Does It Take?

A mobile locksmith can rekey a typical Farmington home — front door deadbolt, back door deadbolt, and garage entry — in under 60 minutes. The job requires no damage to the door or frame. The locksmith disassembles the cylinder, swaps the key pins to a new combination, reassembles, and tests with your new keys. You leave with 2–4 new keys cut on the spot.

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