Changing the Locks on Your New House: What to Do First, What It Costs, and Rekey vs. Replace

By Joe, DFW locksmith with 25+ years in the trade · Published August 1, 2022 · Last updated September 8, 2026

Why the locks are the first thing to handle, not the last

Between the day a house goes on the market and the day you get the keys, that key gets handed around. Sellers, grown kids, a cleaner, a dog walker, the listing agent, the inspector, the guy who rebuilt the fence in 2019. Almost all of them are honest people. That is not the point. You cannot account for every copy.

Rekeying makes every one of those copies useless in one visit. That is the whole point.

Do it in the first day or two, before the boxes go in. It is far easier to work on doors while the house is still empty, and you sleep better that first night.

Rekey or replace? How to decide in 60 seconds

People say “change the locks” when they usually mean rekey. The difference matters for your wallet.

• Rekeying keeps your existing locks. A locksmith swaps the pins inside each cylinder so the old keys stop working and a new key opens everything. It costs less, finishes in about an hour, and keeps the hardware you already like on the door.
• Replacing means new hardware. Worth it when a deadbolt is loose or corroded, when the house has builder-grade knobs you would not trust, or when you want a keypad or smart lock on the front door.

Most new homeowners land on a mix. Rekey the side and back doors, replace the front deadbolt with something better.

Want the longer version of this decision, including what each job involves and when a worn lock makes replacement the cheaper call? Read rekeying vs. replacing locks.

What it costs to change the locks on a new house (2026, DFW)

These are Meyer’s Local Locksmith prices for homes in and around McKinney, Fairview, Prosper, Allen, Frisco, and Plano. Other shops will vary, but this is what you can expect from a licensed locksmith in this area.

Every price above is plus one service call per visit, charged once no matter how many doors we do.

A “keyhole” is one cylinder. A door with a knob lock and a deadbolt counts as two. Count them before you call and we can quote the job on the phone.

Want the full breakdown, including car and commercial rekeys? Read how much it costs to rekey a lock in 2026.

Your move-in security checklist

Locks are the big one. These get forgotten.

1. Walk the perimeter and count keyholes. Front, back, side, garage entry door, gates, shed, and any door from the garage into the house. Write the count down.
2. Rekey or replace all exterior locks the same day. Ask for them keyed alike so one key opens everything.
3. Reset the garage door opener. Wipe the memory on the motor unit so every old remote stops working, then pair yours back in. Set a new code on the outside keypad while you are up the ladder.
4. Change every code you inherited. Alarm panel, keypad locks, gate codes, Wi-Fi smart lock accounts. A smart lock the sellers set up needs a full factory reset. Change the PIN on its own and their phone still opens your door.
5. Get a mailbox key. Most cluster mailboxes in McKinney and Prosper subdivisions belong to USPS, so the lock change goes through the post office, not a locksmith. HOA-owned boxes are the exception.
6. Check the strike plates and door frames. A great deadbolt in a frame held by half-inch screws is a weak door. Ask for 3-inch screws in the strike plate while the locksmith is already there.
7. Look at the sliding patio door. Most of them have a latch, not a lock. A pin lock or foot bolt fixes that for a few dollars.

Can you do it yourself?

Sometimes. Swapping a whole deadbolt for the same brand is a screwdriver job on most doors. Rekeying is harder. It needs a pinning kit, the right key blanks, and a little practice, so most homeowners end up buying new locks instead of rekeying, which costs more than the locksmith visit they were trying to avoid.

Kwikset SmartKey locks are the exception. You can reset those yourself with the reset tool and a new key, if you still have a working current key.

Call a locksmith when your house has older or mixed hardware, when the doors do not latch cleanly, when you want everything on one key, or when you do not want to spend Saturday on it. A whole-house rekey takes us about an hour.

Who to call to change the locks on your house

Meyer’s Local Locksmith runs two walk-in shops in Collin County and mobile trucks every day of the year. Call the shop closest to you, and the nearest available technician will take the job.

Locked out right now instead of planning ahead? Same numbers, and the trucks run around the clock. See 24/7 emergency locksmith service.

Not on either list? We cover 15+ more Collin County towns from those two shops. The full locksmith service area has every city we run to.

Licensed by the Texas Department of Public Safety, license #B18896101. You can verify it here. Every technician carries ID and arrives in a marked vehicle. Ask to see both. That is how you tell a real locksmith from the ones in our locksmith scam guide.

Frequently asked questions

Should I rekey or replace the locks when I move into a new house?

Rekey if the existing locks are solid and work smoothly. It costs less and takes about an hour for a whole house. Replace a lock when it is worn, loose, or builder-grade, or when you want a keypad or smart lock on that door. Many homeowners do both on the same visit.

How much does it cost to change the locks on a new house?

At Meyer’s 2026 rates, rekeying runs $35 to $50 per lock. A whole house comes to $130 to $480, and the number of keyholes sets the price. A new deadbolt supplied and installed runs $50 to $90 per door. Add one service call per visit, $60 to $180 depending on distance and time of day.

Can a locksmith rekey any lock?

Almost any standard pin-tumbler lock can be rekeyed, including most deadbolts and knob locks from Kwikset, Schlage, Baldwin, and similar brands. Some high-security cylinders, like Medeco or Mul-T-Lock, need restricted keys and take longer. Cheap locks with worn pins sometimes cost more to rekey than to replace.

Do I need the original key to rekey a lock?

No. A locksmith can rekey a lock without the current key by removing the cylinder and decoding or repinning it. It takes a few extra minutes per lock. If you do have a working key, bring it out. It speeds the job up and keeps the cost at the low end of the range.

Can all my doors be set to open with one key?

Yes, as long as the locks share the same keyway. Most homes with all-Kwikset or all-Schlage hardware can be keyed alike during a rekey at no extra charge. If your doors mix brands, we can often swap one cylinder so everything matches, or you can replace the odd lock.

How long does it take to rekey a house?

Plan on about an hour for a typical four-keyhole home, including a quick check of each strike plate and door alignment. Larger homes with gates, a casita, or a detached garage take closer to two hours. Same-day appointments are available every day of the year in McKinney, Fairview, Prosper, and the surrounding cities.

Does Home Depot or Lowe’s rekey locks?

Some stores rekey locks you bring to the counter, usually only their own brands, and you have to take the lock off the door first. A mobile locksmith rekeys every lock on the house in place, keys them alike, and checks the doors while there. For a whole house, the visit is usually the cheaper option.