HOW SHOULD I LEAVE MY HOME?

Many sellers wonder what their responsibilities are when they turn over possession of the home they just sold to the new owners.  How clean should the home be, where do they leave the keys and remotes, when do they turn off the power, etc.  I feel the Golden Rule sets a terrific guideline here:  "Leave the home as you would like to receive it if you were the new owners."

Would you like to move in to find out that the water was already shut off, the carpets need cleaning before you bring your furniture in and there are bags of garbage on the side yard?  Of course not.

Here are my basic recommendations in these areas.  Arrange in advance with your real estate agent an appropriate place to leave your keys (house, mail box, pool, etc), remote controls, paperwork, alarm codes, etc.  The paperwork should include original builder manuals and warranties as well as those from any improvements such as a pool or new appliances. 

Schedule the phone, tv/cable, mail service and any other non-essential services to be transferred to your new home or turned off as of your last day in your old home. 

Schedule the PG&E and water services to be turned off 2-3 days after you give possession to the new owners.  Keep the garbage service in your name until the garbage is picked up after you move out.  Communicate this timing to the new owners, through your agent, so they will know when to make sure these items are set up in their names, ensuring uninterrupted service.

It is a great idea to leave the new owners a note detailing what you've left them, basic instructions on the systems of the home (alarm, spa, sprinklers, etc), the names and numbers of service providers such as gardeners, and simple stuff like your mailbox # and garbage pickup day.  Your buyers will appreciate your extra effort, just as you would if you were moving in.

Every seller has a different view on how clean they should leave their home for the new owners, just as each buyer has different expectations on how clean it should be when they move in.  Most sellers are very conscientious about how clean they leave the home, while a few do not seem to care.

So how clean should you leave your home when you move out?  Contractually you are usually obligated to a minimum standard of maintaining your home in "substantially the same condition as on the date of acceptance" of the buyer's offer.  This means that if your home was filthy when the offer was made, you may leave your home dirty and if your home was immaculately clean when you accepted your offer, you're obligated to leave it very clean.

In addition, the standard California Association of Realtors® Purchase Agreement states that "all debris and personal property shall be removed" unless agreed upon otherwise.  So you may not leave your old car parts, unwanted furniture or bags of garbage when you move out.

Beyond these minimal contractual obligations, many agents will tell their sellers that after moving out, they should do a final ‘wipe down' of all surfaces and leave the home and garage ‘broom swept'.

Since the buyers of your home likely just paid more than a half a million dollars for your home, why not have a professional home cleaner do a ‘move-out' cleaning, have the carpets steam cleaned and have a yard care service maintain the yard for a week or two after you move out.  All of this will cost you less than 1/10^th of 1% of what you sold your home for in most cases. 

If you decide to clean your home yourself, make sure you leave enough time to do the job properly.  Remember that you've just moved most of your worldly possessions, which often takes longer than you think it should and you'll be tired.