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Original poster

Completion Day - Did you leave anything for your buyers?

77 replies

FigandHoney · 03/07/2023 17:21

We are completing on our house sale tomorrow.
I intend to leave a card for the buyers welcoming them to their new home with a couple of handy tips (bin days, etc).
Did you leave anything else? Is it common to leave some prosecco?

OP posts:
2bazookas · 03/07/2023 20:50

We leave a card, a bottle of wine and two glasses, an unused toilet roll and bar of soap in the bathroom, and a sheet of local information about bin day, the septic tank, the fusebox, stopcock etc, a contact number for us if they have any queries.

GnomeDePlume · 03/07/2023 20:51

The last two sales have been renovations so we left a folder with all building regs certificates, details of kitchen model, paint colours, etc etc plus a box of chocolates.

BarrelOfOtters · 03/07/2023 21:01

We were left a bottle of wine and instructions and names of neighbours. We did the same when we left that house. New house there was a lovely letter saying how much they’d loved it and instructions for the weird shower and for looking after the frogs.

bjkmummy · 03/07/2023 22:09

Gosh - I'm going to sound too nice now. We are living the shed full of wood for the log burner plus all the bits to make the fire, I'm having the oven professionally cleaned, hubby will cut the grass and hedge so that's all neat and tidy, the house will be left clean with all cupboards cleaned as well. Plus a folder with all the instruction manuals plus guarantees and then a bottle of wine and flowers. We are also leaving all the current tin of paint colours for touch up, plus spare wood floor tiles in case they need them. I'm leaving all the blinds plus even put up new replacement curtains on the landing so they can get by for the first few days. Where we e taken our light fittings down we've put up new plain shades, leaving lightbulbs and toilet roll for them as well. Weve also as we take things down filling, sanding and touching up the holes. I've moved into some absolute state of houses so determined that I leave this house in the state I would love to move into it.

Gardenhair · 04/07/2023 19:03

I would, some right misery guts in this thread, obviously I wouldn't if they'd been dicks or anything.

Echio · 04/07/2023 19:39

Recently completed - my seller left me a card and prosecco. Which was nice.

But also filthy appliances (oven and washing machine truly unusable) and home in general - a toilet that had never seen a brush by the looks of it, omitted to say the solar panels didn't work and needed a new inverter (homebuyers survey didn't say so either), dog shit in the garden and the 'nasty' rubbish bin overflowing.

So - yeah, they left me stuff!

ShowOfHands · 04/07/2023 19:48

We left a bottle of wine, flowers and a letter with lots of info about the house, where we had left paint for touching up walls, bin days, recommendations for restaurants and takeaways etc.

Our vendor's estate agents left us a large fruit hamper, some sweets for the children and a card with a lovely message. They had been great to us and even phoned up the next day to check everything was as it should be. They were working for the vendor but they were a local independent and were very kind to me and still say hello and ask how we and the house are if we happen to pass their premises.

caringcarer · 04/07/2023 20:33

We did a really good clean then had professional carpet cleaners and oven cleaners. We left a welcome to your new home card and a good bottle of red. Also takeaway leaflet, window cleaner mobile number and leaflet stating how many wheely bin washes were prepaid for so they had I think 4 free bin washes.

namechanger563 · 04/07/2023 20:39

Our seller left takeaway menus with post it note comments about his favourite dishes and recommendations. Quite liked that actually.

StubbleTurnips · 04/07/2023 20:50

The older chap we bought off left cakes for our two children and wine for us, plus a lever arch file of instructions for the house and post it notes! We still refer to it now 😂

Our previous house we had professionally cleaned and left wine, a card and a bird feeding thing / book for their children. It sold during covid so felt the need for a deep clean when our things had moved out.

fromtheshires · 04/07/2023 21:33

We had a FTB so left all the instructions like bin day, stopcock etc on a pad of paper and a bottle of wine. The house was cleaned and apart from the hallway which i couldn't mop due to someone packing the mop in the van! We also left the paint tins for the colours used in case they wanted them.

We got in return….. a garden full of kids toys they couldn't be bothered to pack, shit in the garage, a freezer full of their food, missing hob rings (who tf takes them,) and a stolen box of our possessions - they were still there at 4pm packing despite completing at 11:30. We had no choice but to move in as they were moving out as we needed to get the van back. Im super annoyed as it was all my baking trays, moulds etc.

He then had the cheek to come back the following day for a mirror he had left. Needless to say they didn't get it as it had been disposed of along with all the other shit they left.

Wyewaving · 04/07/2023 21:43

We left a file containing all of the info on the windows/cavity wall insulation etc. Also left the paint we had used around the house with a note explaining what had been used where. A note on bin days etc and who the neighbours were. We left a bottle of wine too. We had cleaned the whole house from top to bottom, mown the lawn and I’d deadheaded all of my beloved roses the day before too so the garden was nice for them when they arrived.

When we got to our current house we had been left a big tub of chocolates, a bottle of Prosecco, all of the keys and a note wishing us well in the house (the son was selling his deceased parent’s home). The son popped back a few weeks later with more keys he had found.

clpsmum · 04/07/2023 21:53

I left a card a plant and bottle of Prosecco

potplantsinparadise · 04/07/2023 21:59

When I bought my first house 15 years ago, the sellers left a bottle of champagne for me. When I sold it earlier this year, I left a bottle of champagne for the buyers (who had been lovely) and they passed a message on through the solicitors saying what a nice surprise that had been.

IsItYoursOrIsItMine · 04/07/2023 22:03

Our vendor (who we are in touch with) has already put an info pack together, had the air pump heating serviced and the chimney swept - searches aren’t even back yet!

When we sold the old house we left wine, flowers, chocolates and a booklet of info.

mondaytosunday · 04/07/2023 23:18

Yes. I leave a sheet about bin collection, a few contact numbers (plumbers etc), and anything they need to know (the apple tree will fruit early in July, the pool takes X chlorine etc). Plus a bottle of wine or box of chocolates and card. And of course a clean house with all rubbish removed.

WetBandits · 04/07/2023 23:22

I was left a filthy oven complete with burnt chips, mouldy walls and a shit ton of old cardboard in the garage, plus a bunch of keys with no clues as to which locks they went in!

BoattoBolivia · 04/07/2023 23:31

The sellers of our first home were selling the family home after mum had died. Their parents had bought the house from the builders in 1933, so we were only the second owners. They left us a lovely card wishing us as much happiness as their family had had there and a bunch of flowers. It made me cry. We are still here 27 years and two children later. It was a beautiful way to welcome us.

justtype · 05/07/2023 07:01

My seller left a car on the driveway full of her ex's stuff and a broken toilet seat.

A card with practical info and a bottle of Prosecco is such a lovely touch, and they won't forget it. I'd do it. Great idea OP.

barbarahunter · 05/07/2023 07:14

I also left a card and prosecco, plus some info leaflets. As she was a FTB also left some bags of topsoil and some BBQ briquettes for the garden. I had cleaned everywhere too. But again, she was a nice buyer.

FourChimneys · 05/07/2023 07:34

We left a folder of useful information, a bunch of flowers, a bottle of wine and a good quality teddy bear (the woman was 7 months pregnant) as they were lovely first time buyers.

The people we bought from left us breakfast crumbs on the worktop and dog poo on the front lawn.

canonlyhopexo · 05/07/2023 07:40

My buyers were prats, they messed us around for three more months than necessary. We were due to exchange on a Wednesday and complete on the Friday and the morning of exchange said they'd pull out unless we left all our furniture and white goods as they'd had a condition come up on their mortgage which meant they had to pay off a 12K car finance deal and had no money left to furnish or buy anything like a fridge. I was 7 months pregnant at the time and had a 3 year old. She had the lot apart from my bed and my sons bed, toy storage unit and my dining table. Even had my bbq and hanging baskets. Weird thing is, when she came to look she said both times she'd have the house exactly as I had it. So yes, I left her something!!!

YukoandHiro · 05/07/2023 07:41

A bottle of wine

Iamnotalemming · 05/07/2023 07:47

I left a clean flat and a bottle of wine when I sold last time. Buyers were well behaved. I think it is a nice thing to do.

Lovelydovey · 05/07/2023 07:50

When I sold my parents house I left pre-agreed furniture and curtains as well as manuals for all the appliances left, the original deeds for the house and previous correspondence and photos of the house (around a hundred years old). They all belonged with the house rather than the owners per de.