Change the locks after you sell the home

Q: When you wrote about real estate closings, one of the things you did not mention was to change the locks, or have the lock cylinders changed, so that the old keys no longer work.

We trust that the old owners would not have kept any keys, but we don’t know who else might have been given a hard copy over the years, like a house sitter or tenant. — J. M.

A: You’re right, of course. Sellers should turn over all keys to the buyers. Then, prudent new homeowners should call a locksmith promptly to make the changes.

Golf course cozy

Q: In response to your reader fed up with the homeowner’s association and its cozy relationship with the owners of the neighboring golf course: As a former homeowners association board member, it sounds as if the HOA board members may have a conflict of interest between their relationship with the golf course and their fiduciary duty to the HOA.

The reader may want to check the HOA bylaws or other governing documents to see whether there is a policy on conflicts of interest. I’m not sure what the reader would do if the board weren’t following policy. Maybe complain to the state attorney general? Just a thought. — askedith.com

A: As it happens, that reader was putting his apartment on the market anyhow, so I don’t suppose he was in the mood to follow through with a complaint.