What are some things for a new home owner to consider getting early on?

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Things I haven’t seen mentioned: Fire extinguisher. Socket set. Battery storage and fill it up. Shelving for backstock items like TP, paper towels, other things you tend to blow through. You don’t want to have to get out during some of those northern winter snow times.

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Depends on the kind of home and how "handy" you feel yourself to be. There are a lot of minor things around the home which can save you boatloads of money (and be faster to deal with) if you do them yourself.

Tools:

A multi-bit ratcheting screwdriver. It's my #1 go-to for assorted small fixes. Wirecutter recently recommended the Megapro 211R2C36RD, for what that's worth.
Multi-tool. Another good "it's not the best at anything, but I use it for everything".
Adjustable wrench and/or pliers. Good for tightening nuts, holding things tight, bending, and other small tasks.
Sponge mop. One of the ones with a little handle to help squeeze it out. Great for cleaning floors without killing your back.
Speaking of which, a good-quality hard plastic bucket. Look for something in the 10-15 liter range. Dirty water, clean water, road salt, supplies, anything which is easy to carry.
If you are comfortable with power tools, a good quality cordless drill can be a huge help as well.
If you're comfortable doing your own minor electrical repairs, one of those little outlet checker tools. Saves a ton of time.
Good quality measuring tools, like a measuring tape and/or bubble level. These needn't kill the budget, but are handy to have.

Comfort:

I am a firm believer in ceiling fans as a great room cooler. Put one up and be amazed as the room feels comfortable at a range of temperatures.
Similarly, a small room air circulator or pedestal fan can really help, especially if you're doing some heavy work.
If you don't have good chairs for the table, I'm a personal fan of Ikea's Bergmund.

Convenience:

"Lazy susan" cabinet organizers. Game-changer for kitchen cabinets.
Mr Clean abrasive cleaning pads. You can scrape off a lot of grime with these.

Lastly, for furniture and other things, unless you're in a really small area, check various community marketplace kinds of sites. You can find a lot of critical stuff for less than MSRP, and non-critical stuff at a point that won't break your budget.

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get a quality ladder, but buy cheap screwdrivers

I disagree, don't buy cheap tools, especially screwdrivers. You don't need to break the bank, but the cheapest options are going to be problematic for a number of reasons. Not only are the cheap tools, themselves, prone to breaking, but they also have the potential to strip your screws. Depending on what you're working on, that screw may be almost impossible to replace, if it's not in a standard sizing.

Personally, I suggest Wiha tools, based on a recommendation I received here on Lemmy about a year ago. They're made with high-quality materials so they're a bit more expensive than your typical Craftsman garbage, but they're not unreasonably priced, and far from being the most expensive in their category. I've got a few Wiha driver sets that I make use of pretty frequently, and they're all still in excellent condition, and none of them have ever stripped a screw yet, despite my clumsy ass handling them.

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Makita gang rise up

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Before you go out and spend a lot of money on stuff, check local resources - tool library, your neighbor, estate sales, etc. You'll still want your own stuff eventually, but setting up your first home is expensive and there's going to be hundreds of things you need to pick up. Borrow what you can, pick up what you can't borrow or will need regularly as inexpensively as possible.

First day or two move-in pack, packed completely separately from everything else, and preferably moves with you in the car so you know where it is: two full sets of clothes, plus nightwear. Cash - for pizza, or tipping, or whatever else might come up. Toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, comb. Shower curtain, washcloth, towels. Shampoo and body wash. Soap for the bathroom sink. Paper towels. Flashlights. Phone chargers. An assortment of bandaids. Sharpie. Packing tape, garbage bags. Drinks. I'm another bag: pillows and one set of bedding.

The most basic toolbox: regular and Phillips screwdrivers, both small and large bits. Hammer. Vice grip, a couple of adjustable wrenches (large and medium), pinch nose pliers.

My best advice: buy a box of heavy-duty quart and gallon sized Ziplocs and a sharpie. As you put things together, you're going to have parts left over ("if installing on a wall, use mounting plate A; if installing on a ceiling, use mounting plate B", etc). Every time you have leftover pieces, even if it's just a couple screws, put them in a separate Ziploc, and label it with a description and the model number of the item: "hoover vacuum, model xyz345", "phillippe cat door, model 17b", etc. Get a decent sized box and all those spare parts go live there together. When you need it, it's in the box, kept separate by the Ziploc, and labeled. And every five years or so, to through the box and, if you no longer have the item, either get rid of it or move it to general use (is, the spare screws).

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Definitely a shop vac. Specifically a wet/dry vac so if something good wrong and leaks all over, you have a quick solution.

Besides a typical big corded model, I also have a small cordless one which is super convenient. Depending what kind of stuff you plan to do, the small one might be enough. Be aware this can be another way to start the vendor-specific battery lock in. (Though you can get adapters.)

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If you're going to want wall-to-wall carpets or need to fix flooring, replace them before you move in -- or at least while things are still sparse and it is easy to move stuff. Paint your walls now, too. Need more insulation? Better sooner than later.

If it is an older house, you probably want more electrical outlets, and may want to add circuit breakers for new lines to the fuse box (I needed to do that to run window air-conditioners plus several PCs on the upper floor).

It seems like all new appliances die in 10 years, but they're more energy effcient. I'm glad I put a water filter on the line into the refrigertaor so I can replace the exterior filter instead of the one for the current refrigerator (which gives ice and water from the exterior with no need to open the doors). How's your water heater? What type of home heating do you have?

Edit: and try to introduce yourself to your neighbors! try to catch them while yuo're both doing yardwork or some such, but neighbors can watch out for one another ... but of course, some are real jerks, so until you get a feel for everyone, it is best to be diplomatic and not share opinions on things like politics or relgion.

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a touchless live-wire tester

This right here. Everybody should have one of these - not just homeowners, everybody. They're cheap and easy to use.

Circuit breakers can fail shorted. Miswiring happens. Just because the switch is off doesn't mean the wire is dead.

You may avoid electrocuting yourself or someone else, or starting a fire. It could literally save your life.

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Start collecting tools from yard sales.

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A couple people have suggested power tools ... I'll add that whatever battery platform you wind up going with (I went with Ryobi ... good enough for my purposes), also pick up an adapter that'll use the battery and give you AC power as well. Having an adapter that'll power anything up to 150W has been a godsend.

I've also got a bunch of flashlights/lanterns that use the same batteries ... super convenient if we lose power and it's great when we go camping too.

I've got a "battery charging station" that's just a plastic shelf, when you come in from the garage and it's got the Ryobi batteries charging, but also our USB charging packs, rechargable AA/AAA/etc... batteries, and it's also where we keep a lot of the tools so it makes it easy to find things in an emergency.

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If your house has a sump pump but no battery backup (and I'd actually recommend the ones that are FULL replacements ... so, you'll basically have two pumps in the sump, one of which is connected to the battery system), I'd definitely recommend you getting one before you need it.

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For myself, my AC unit has two capacitors. One burned up the first weekend we were in the house and one burned out a couple of years later.

The first one, I didn't know anything at the time and it cost a bit more than $600 (we thought we were getting screwed [and we were], but, it was 110deg F with fans running, so, we weren't in a position to argue and the tech knew it). It's a $20 part if you just buy it online and many times it will physically deform when it breaks, so even with no knowledge you might even have a physical indication that it's broken. Go to your AC unit, give it a thorough cleaning (youtube the process) and then look up what capacitors your unit uses and buy a spare set and watch a quick video on how to replace them ... super easy. It's likely you'll pay < $40 for however many you need and you won't have to deal with a massive bill for a $20 part that you've just got to match up the ports and then move the blade terminals from one to the other AND you won't have to deal with a hot house while you wait for a replacement since you'll already have one and you'll just have to buy a replacement for your spare, but, even if that takes a month to ship, it won't be a worry.

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A GOOD tape measurer. I've got a great Milwaukee one that has a magnet on the tip and it also holds without bending for a decent distance and it's been glorious ... always sucks when you're trying to measure something and the tape is just flopping around not able to hold its shape.

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There are a lot of studfinders out there, but I've found the ones that work the best basically just have a magnet that finds the nails/screws that are holding the drywall on. Once you've found a nail, you've found the stud.

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You might need multiple ladders. An extension ladder if you think you'll every need to get up on the roof, clean out the gutters, etc. Definitely a full size step ladder. A really light short step ladder can be handy too.

I'd also suggest a painters tool. A couple of putty knives and a can of patching plaster.

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On the power tools front if you want to save money don't buy into the battery pack craze. The replacements are really expensive and for 99% of tasks corded works just fine.

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I literally just finished installing them in both of our bathrooms. So glad for them.

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Plunger.

Impact driver and bits.

Multimeter.

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You’re up north? I’d be thinking of ways to keep the house insulated, warm and with pipes unfrozen.

Pipewrap. They come in a few different options. The cheap foam works ok, but can be a pain around elbows and expansions. The insulation roll is a bit easier to get done well but takes more time.

Pipe heaters - relatively cheap, somewhere around $20-40. Run it along the pipe and plug it in.

Do you have a well or city water? If a well, make sure that cement encasement is lodged in the ground good and then stuff insulation all in it. Pipe warmer may serve you well here too. If city, then you’re in a bit of an easier situation.

If you have a crawl space, seal the door well. Don’t forget to open the vents in the summer and for sure close them in the winter. If you have a basement, make sure your water barrier is doing its job and get a dehumidifier to prevent mold. Try to get one with a drain tube so you don’t have to empty it all the freaking time like I currently do.

Get one of those foam dohickeys for your outdoor faucets and for the love of all that is unfrozen do not leave your hoses attached in the winter.

Get a preventive maintenance plan on your big ticket items like furnaces boilers and aircons. People neglect these and then end up with an eventual $8k unexpected bill. At least the pms will tell you if you’re close to their expiry so you can prepare. They may also help you prevent mold in your aircon before it becomes a problem.

Get pest control, we do monthly. It’ll help keep out the ants, mice, bats and squirrels.

Get yourself a backup battery that can run a fridge for a day. Or invest in a backup generator.

Figure out what your secondary source of heat will be (e.g wood stove, propane, kerosene.) Make sure you have it stocked. If you burn anything, make sure to get a CO sensor and that your fire alarms are working. Houses are so tightly built nowadays that you’ll need to ensure anything burned has proper ventilation.

Change your air filters every 3 months depending on use. Make sure to clean your fridge air filter every 6 months. If you have a kitchen stove exhaust fan, make sure to clean that up every few months as well.

Invest in some salt and a snow shovel if you don’t already have one. You’ll need it. .

Change out your locks. Who knows who the previous owners gave a key. If your doors have the smart key system, then it’s very easy to do nowadays.

Learn where your electric panel is, make sure you don’t have two or even three elsewhere around the house, sometimes inside, sometimes out.

Don’t be a stranger, talk to your neighbors. They’re your best resource in a pinch

Congrats on owning your own castle. It’s a lot of upkeep but it’s a lot of piece of mind too.

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Fire extinguisher. One for the kitchen, one for the garage, both rated for oil & grease fires, and with metal not plastic valves (don't buy the cheapest model). Do not store them next to the things mostly likely to catch fire (e.g. the stove). Read the directions, know how to use it before you need it.

Check all the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Push the test button. If they're more than 10 years old replace them.

Make a first aid kit

Get a big, high brightness flashlight and/or lantern that will be useful if/when the power goes out, preferably one that takes standard batteries. Rechargeables are great for regular use items to reduce waste, but you don't want to realize that you forgot to charge your emergency light when you suddenly need it and there's no power. Get spare batteries.

You should also learn what easements are on your property, and where your utilities connect to public services - electrical, communications, water, sewage, roads/access paths - where does your responsibility end and the utility company/government's responsibility begin?

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240V electric heater wired with a plug that fits the dryer socket. If the furnace craters, you can probably keep the house from freezing up, especially in the water line areas around and above the laundry.

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There are some great lists here. I am just going to add- put a whole home water filter on the cold water line of the kitchen sink. It has changed my life. I only need to replace the filter at most once a year, it is on the cold water line that is almost as good a fridge water dispenser would be, but with more pressure. And now when I make pasta, fill up the coffee pot, make tea, or whatever other random kitchen thing that needed water, it is filtered water. Not to mention the clean taste.

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Don’t bother buying stuff you “think” you’ll need except for a drill. Buy stuff beyond that as needed.

Depending on where you live get to know the deal spots around you: pawn shops, Craigslist, fb marketplace, ebay, etc. tools are frequently resold for fairly cheap especially if you ever desire stuff that’s a pain in the ass to ship/move like ladders/table saws/miter box/etc.

Brand doesn’t matter regardless of what internet dorks say for the most part but picking an ecosystem means you won’t have 90 different batteries hanging around. Keep in mind with some manufacturers there a sub lines with different batteries (eg ryobi has a battery whereas Makita has 3 different battery types).

Don’t buy Milwaukee. Dogshit tools that work okay until they don’t. Makita, ryobi, dewalt, Bosch, metabo, etc are generally repairable. Makita is my go to because you can generally buy parts (though sometimes cost prohibitive tbf), dewalt too but dewalt is pricier. Milwaukee though tends to have these proprietary pcbs with microcontrollers in everything for some reason that inevitably fail and cannot be purchased so once they fail the $350 tool you just got is junk. Whereas https://www.ereplacementparts.com/makita-parts-c-97.html? And https://www.toolservicenet.com/b2b/dewalt/en//Dewalt/OUTDOOR//p/DCCS623B sells actual oem parts

Harbor freight stuff is fine too especially if you’re not going to use it much (or even if you are, my palm sander is from there and I’ve used that for hundreds of hours. Had to change the brushes but otherwise fine).

Hope you know how to patch drywall.

If you want something like cameras that’s like a whole thing. IMO that’s where you should head over to selfhosted. Easy mode is get some WiFi cameras from whoever like eufy and slap them on your house but then you trade away privacy (uploads to their cloud servers and literally every company has had at least one “security whoopsie”) and connection stability (WiFi connection will inherently drop out several times a week/day/hour depending on your setup/congestion in your area. You go to check the camera and it’s always unavailable when you need it). You also have to either add solar panels to them or recharge them every few months. But this is generally what people do because it’s cheaper and easier

Alternatively you can get power over Ethernet cameras that have much more reliable connectivity and are more likely to run locally (eg record to hardware in your home, either an NVR or a server you make). Downsides here are more expensive (not subsidized by being able to sell your data + the cost of the nvr/server), needing to run Ethernet drops to wherever you want cameras, having to figure out something like tailscale if you want to view cameras remotely and truly don’t want any cloud involved

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If it’s needed. Not all homes need this.

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What are some things for a new home owner to consider getting early on?