In the same way that you expect your new home to be left in a good condition by the previous owners, so too is it respectful to do the same for the home you are leaving. Moving home is just as busy for you as it is for the new owners, and its always good not to burn your bridges.
Here are some tips on how to prepare your house for its new owners. Obviously these are optional and depend on your level of goodwill.
Clean
When packing during the preparation to move, it is always a good idea to clean as you go. As cupboards become empty, vacuum and wash. As rooms become empty, sweep and mop. Toilets, showers, baths and kitchen appliances such as the oven and stove, should also be considered for a sparkling finish.
Once all your items have been removed, sweep, dust and remove cobwebs, vacuum, and polish up metal items such as light switches, taps and fixtures. Even window cleaning is recommended.
If you know the house will be standing empty for a while, spray the corners and perimeter with insect spray, especially if there are ant-trails.
Tidy
The garden and yard are often forgotten in the cleaning stage. It is important to remove any rubbish or unwanted items to the dustbin, and leaving that out for the refuse removal crew, but not to the point of overflowing. Here it may require a couple of runs to the municipal dump site, especially if some of the items are unused or of-no-value building supplies.
The last thing anyone wants to do is tend the garden when there is so much packing and unpacking to do, so it is a nice gesture to mow the law and tidy garden beds. This can be very welcoming to the new owner, especially if this has played a big role in the purchase decision. The same goes for the pool. Treating it with chemicals enough to keep it blue for a couple of days will add to the welcoming effect.
Keys
It is polite to leave keys marked for the new owners. An easy way is to colour code each key, across all sets of keys including any that you may have left with a neighbour or friend for emergencies. This can easily be done with nail varnish. Don’t forget smaller keys for outside gates, or the swimming pool pump, especially if these are not part of the keychain.
Lists
A simple but very useful list of things a new owner should know, could include details such as refuse removal days, and phone numbers of local municipal services such as police, ambulance and fire brigade. Attach to the list any manuals such as those for the stove and alarm system (don’t forget to give them a code or instructions how to reset) and other appliances that remain. If the house has any peculiarities such as a certain way to open a window, or blinds, explain how this is done. This type of list avoids the new owner having to call you for explanations or advice.
Building supplies
Make sure you put together a ‘leftover’ or ‘spares’ pile. This includes items such as roof or floor tiles, laminated flooring planks, paint, carpet offcuts, bulbs etc. These will likely have no use in your new home anyway, and have value for the new owner if they need to do some maintenance.
Goodwill gestures Leaving a roll of toilet paper and soap is a simple gesture but can be quite helpful saving the new owners a search for their supplies. It is also a gesture of kindness to leave a note wishing them well in their new home, and perhaps a small gift of a candle, incense, bottle of bubbly/wine, or sweets.
