Gift guide · 12 ideas
Gifts for new homeowners
For the people who just got the keys to a house, and found out the yard, the garage and the gutters are all theirs now.
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Buying a house comes with a list nobody hands over at closing. The grass needs cutting the first weekend, the TV needs a stud to hang on, the basement takes on water in the first big storm, and the sellers took their tools and their hose with them. The most welcome housewarming gifts are the things on that list, the ones they’d otherwise be buying at the hardware store between boxes.
These ideas are for a house rather than an apartment: a front door, a garage and a yard of their own. Each one comes with our pick from one of our top lists, chosen for a first-time owner rather than a contractor, and the bigger ones are easy to split between family or a group of friends.
A video doorbell
A front door of their own means their own packages on the porch and their own knocks at dinnertime. A doorbell camera shows who’s there on the phone, from upstairs or from the office.
Tapo D225 2K+ Video Doorbell with Chime
$75–$100
No monthly fee needed: clips save to a microSD card (up to 512GB, not included), and person, package and vehicle alerts are free. The 10,000mAh battery is rated for up to eight months, or it can be wired to an existing doorbell for 24/7 recording, and a plug-in chime comes in the box.
What owners say: Setup and mounting are easy, owners say, the video is sharp in daylight and at night, and skipping a subscription is a big draw. Wi-Fi and battery life split them: steady and long-lasting for some, dropping out or draining quickly for others.
A closer look: Put a microSD card in before mounting so the first visitors are recorded. Wired to an existing doorbell it can record around the clock, and when someone presses the button it can ring the phone like an ordinary call, so there’s no app to open first.
- 2K video, 180° view
- Battery up to 8 months
- Free person, package, vehicle alerts
A cordless drill driver
The first month in a house is curtain rods, blinds, shelves and a dozen pieces of furniture that arrive in a box. A cordless drill does all of it, and starts a battery tool kit that grows with the house.
DEWALT 20V MAX Compact Brushless Drill/Driver Kit (DCD777D1)
$75–$100
A brushless motor gets more work from each charge than a brushed drill, and at 7.6 inches front to back it fits between studs and inside cabinets. The 2.0Ah battery is a size up from most starter kits, and the 1/2-inch ratcheting chuck holds bigger bits firmly.
What owners say: Owners like how light it is to carry around a job and say the battery goes a long way between charges, with power to spare for home projects. Durability splits them: most find it tough, a few had trouble.
A closer look: Use the low gear for driving screws and the high gear for drilling, and set the clutch collar low for small screws in soft wood so they stop flush. The LED stays lit for 20 seconds after you let go of the trigger, handy inside a closet or under a sink.
- Brushless motor
- One 2.0Ah battery included
- 7.6 in front to back
A stud finder
Before the TV mount, the coat hooks or the heavy mirror goes up, they need to know where the studs are. A small gift that saves a wall full of exploratory holes.
The StudBuddy Magnetic Stud Finder
Under $10
No batteries and nothing to calibrate: slide it across the wall and its neodymium magnets stick where the screws or nails go into a stud, then it hangs there while you mark the spot or put something up.
What owners say: Reliable even on 1960s drywall, by owners’ accounts, and with no batteries to die it earns a permanent place in the toolbox. Magnet strength is the split: very strong for some, too weak to stick for others.
A closer look: Drywall is screwed along the length of each stud, so once it sticks, slide it up or down to find the next screw and confirm the line. It’s made for drywall, not older lath and plaster, and it won’t warn of wires or pipes.
- No batteries needed
- Finds studs via screws, nails
- Hangs on the wall
A laser measure
New homeowners measure everything: rooms for rugs, windows for blinds, the wall for a couch that may not fit. A laser measure does a whole room from one spot, with nobody holding the other end of the tape.
Klein Tools Compact Laser Distance Measure (93LDM100C)
$30–$50
One button does everything: press for a single reading, hold for continuous measuring, and the last two readings stay on the screen to compare. It clips into a shirt pocket or safety vest and measures from 2 inches to 100 feet.
What owners say: Owners find it a handy little gadget indoors and easy to read in low light. The single button can feel fussy until it’s learned, and the screen washes out in sunlight.
A closer look: It measures distances only, with no area or volume sums, which is what keeps it simple; multiply length by width on a phone for a room’s square footage. Accuracy is tightest within 30 feet, which covers most rooms in a house.
- Measures up to 100 ft
- ±1/16 in within 30 ft
- One-button operation
A label maker
Few houses come with a breaker panel anyone can read, and the first tripped circuit turns into a guessing game in the dark. A label maker sorts it out in an afternoon, then moves on to the pantry jars and the storage boxes in the garage.
DYMO LetraTag 100H Plus Label Maker
$30–$50
The classic handheld label maker: type on the ABC keys, check the label on the screen and print. A date stamp is handy for pantry jars and files, and the Plus pack adds a clear plastic tape to the paper one. DYMO started out in California in 1958, making handheld embossing label makers.
What owners say: Easy enough for children as well as adults, owners say, and its tapes cost less to replace than many. Print quality and label grip vary, and a few machines gave out within weeks.
A closer look: It runs on four AA batteries, not included, and switches itself off when left alone to save them. Clear plastic tape suits jars and canisters where a white label would look busy, while the paper tape is fine for files and boxes.
- Paper, plastic or fabric labels
- 2 label tapes included
- Built-in date stamp
A four-step ladder
A house has ceilings the kitchen stool can’t reach: the smoke alarm that chirps at 3 a.m., the light fixtures, the top shelf in the garage. Four steps and a pair of handrails get them up there steadily.
KINGRACK 4-Step Folding Ladder with Handrails (white)
$50–$75
Four wide 14 x 11.3 in treads, soft sponge-covered handrails and a grip-style safety lock that’s easy to work, on a steel frame KINGRACK rates for 800 lb. At 15.1 lb it’s still light enough to carry from room to room.
What owners say: It comes out of the box ready to use, moves around easily and feels secure, owners say, with handrails and treads wide enough to stand on comfortably while painting or cleaning.
A closer look: With four steps it reaches high shelves, ceilings for painting and light fixtures. Squeeze the grip on the safety lock to fold it, and the textured rubber feet hold on tile, wood floors and the patio alike.
- Holds up to 800 lb
- Four steps with handrails
- 14 x 11.3 in treads
A wet/dry shop vac
Every garage needs one, and every basement sooner or later shows why. A wet/dry vac takes care of the drywall dust from the first project and the water from the first big storm.
DEWALT DXV12P 12-Gallon Wet/Dry Vac
$100–$150
A big poly drum on four wheels with a 5.5 peak HP motor, a 20 ft cord and a drain at the bottom, so a flooded basement can be emptied into a floor drain instead of lifted and tipped. The washable cartridge filter handles fine dust and water alike.
What owners say: Owners talk about the suction first, one claiming it would pull a softball through a garden hose, and they like how the big rear wheels and casters roll around the garage. Several are surprised by how quietly it runs.
A closer look: Open the drain over a floor drain or out on the driveway and the water runs out without lifting a full drum. Rinse the cartridge filter after a wet job and let it dry before vacuuming dust again, and fit the disposable bag from the box for fine drywall dust.
- 12-gallon tank
- 5.5 peak horsepower
- Doubles as a blower
A pressure washer
The driveway, the deck and the siding are theirs to keep clean now. An electric pressure washer takes a winter’s grime off in an afternoon and makes the place look like the listing photos again.
Westinghouse ePX3500 Electric Pressure Washer (2,500 psi)
$150–$200
A compact 19 lb machine on four swiveling wheels with a low center of gravity, so it follows you along the driveway without tipping over. It gives up to 2,500 psi (2,000 rated), with five quick-connect tips, a turbo nozzle among them, and a 20 oz soap tank on board.
What owners say: Owners are struck by how much power comes out of such a small machine, and they like that it goes together quickly, steers easily on its four wheels and has a spray gun light enough to hold in one hand.
A closer look: The pump stops whenever the trigger is let go, so it isn’t running flat out between bursts. Use the 25-degree tip for the car and siding and save the 0-degree and turbo tips for concrete. At 16.5 inches tall it slides onto a garage shelf afterward.
- Up to 2,500 psi
- Corded electric
- 20 oz onboard soap tank
A garden hose
There’s a spigot on the side of the house now and nothing on the end of it. A hose that lies where it’s dropped without kinking waters the lawn, washes the car and fills the kids’ pool all summer.
Flexzilla Garden Hose (5/8 in x 50 ft)
$30–$50
A fixed-length hose of hybrid polymer with zero memory, so it lies flat wherever it’s dropped instead of springing back into coils, and it stays flexible on cold mornings. The crush-resistant fittings are anodized aluminum, and it’s made in the USA.
What owners say: Owners rave about how flexible it stays, even in the cold, and like the bright green color and the leak-free spigot connection. Whether it truly resists kinks splits them, as does how long it lasts.
A closer look: It doesn’t shrink like an expandable, so a wall hanger or a reel near the spigot is the tidiest place to keep it. With no fabric cover to soak up dirt, it wipes clean after a muddy afternoon in the beds, and its bright chartreuse is easy to spot in long grass before the mower finds it.
- 50 feet long
- Aluminum fittings
- Flexible on cold mornings
Outdoor string lights
For the first summer evenings on their own deck or patio, with friends over and the grill going. A run of globe lights along the rail makes the backyard somewhere to stay out after dark.
Brightown 55 ft Outdoor String Lights (25 G40 bulbs)
$10–$20
Twenty-five round G40 globes hang 2 feet apart along 55 feet of black cable, enough to frame a patio or run the length of a deck rail, and up to 14 strings link end to end for a bigger yard. Rated IP65, it can stay up through rain and snow.
What owners say: Owners keep them up on patios and front porches all year, cold winters included, and like a glow that’s bright without overpowering. Some find the globes too small for a big patio, and a few sets didn’t last.
A closer look: Each socket has two hooks, so clip them to cup hooks or a tensioned guide wire rather than letting the cable carry the weight. The bulbs light independently, so one dead globe won’t darken the rest: swap in one of the two spares and the string keeps shining.
- 55 ft, 25 globe bulbs
- Weatherproof, rated IP65
- Links up to 14 strings
A fire pit
The backyard’s best feature once fall comes: chairs in a circle, s’mores and one more log. A low-smoke fire pit means nobody spends the evening moving seats to dodge the wind.
Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 Fire Pit with Stand (Gunmetal)
Over $300
Its double-walled steel drum draws air in low down and feeds it back over the top of the fire, so the logs burn hot and clean with very little smoke, and nobody goes to bed smelling of campfire. The stand keeps the heat off a deck or the lawn. Solo Stove was started by two brothers, Jeff and Spencer Jan, with a small wood-burning camping stove.
What owners say: Owners say even green wood burns with hardly any smoke, that it gives a cozy heat on cool evenings and gets going in minutes, and that it gets through less firewood than an open pit. The price splits them: worth it to most, too much to some.
A closer look: Expect a little smoke while the fire gets going: it clears once the steel walls heat up and the air starts feeding the top of the flames. Once it’s cold, the base plate lifts out and the ash pan empties straight into a metal bucket, with no shoveling around the inside.
- 19.5 inches across
- Stainless steel, ceramic coated
- Stand keeps heat off decks
A cordless lawn mower
The yard came with the house, and the grass won’t wait for them to finish unpacking. A battery mower starts at the push of a button and needs no gas can in the garage; it’s the one for the family to split.
EGO Power+ LM2112 21-Inch Push Mower (56V 4.0Ah kit)
Over $300
A 21-inch push mower on EGO’s 56V battery, with a brushless motor, seven cutting heights from 1.25 to 4 inches set with one hand, and LED headlights for a mow at dusk. It mulches, bags or side-discharges, and folds flat to take up little room in the garage.
What owners say: Owners say it’s easy to push, very quiet and leaves a clean, even cut, and they’re happy with what they paid; one mows a half-acre lawn on a single charge.
A closer look: Press the button and it starts, with no pull cord or choke. On a bigger yard a second 56V battery is worth adding, since one charge won’t always finish the job, and the same batteries run EGO’s trimmers and blowers. Set the handle height to suit you before the first mow.
- Cuts 21 in wide
- Runs up to 35 minutes
- Push-button start, no pull cord
Tips for new homeowner gifts
- Ask about the outside before buying for it: a townhouse with a small patio wants string lights, not a 21-inch mower.
- If they already own cordless tools, stay with that battery where you can. A drill, a trimmer and a blower that share one battery save a drawer full of chargers.
- Check the town’s rules before the fire pit goes up: many places ban open fires in dry spells or set how far one must be from the house.
Photos are illustrative, some computer-generated. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. It costs you nothing extra. How we pick · How this works.
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