Moving question, leave a list?

[binny]

I was thinking that it would be nice to leave the new homeowners a list of what is what. I mean as far as trees, shrubs that sort of thing and when things were done, where stuff is etc.

I know its not going to be my house anymore but I know when we moved in here I would have loved to know what half of the plants were and where the shut offs for everything were.

Would this be considerate or pushy?

 

[piglet too]

I think it would be a very nice thing to do.

 

[CarolG]

I think it would a wonderful idea!

The people we bought our current house from left the manuals for all of the appliances, and we've referred to those several times. And I really like the idea of identifying the trees and shrubbery, especially if any of them respond to particular fertilizers or watering schedules.

And it was also nice to find all of the circuit breakers labelled showing which one went to each room or area. That came in handy when we replaced some light fixtures!

 

[tar heel]

We had a map of the yard with all the trees, shrubs, bulbs, etc., marked for our first house.

 

[beckmrk04]

I think it would be extremely considerate and thoughtful! I know I would certainly appreciate the gesture.

 

[ChrisnSteph]

We did that for the people that bought our last house, and they were so appreciative! We left manuals for all the appliances, the thermostat and the sprinkler timer, the warranty for the Palm tree we put in the back, a packet with paint chips of all the interior and exterior colors used in the house plus any extra paint, a sample of the carpet and information on where we bought it, extra pieces of laminate floor, the warranty info and the place where we bought it. We also left notes on trash days, local pizza places that deliver, and numbers for all the utility companies.

 

[Brianne]

We had a house built a number of years ago & had taken photographs during the framing/wiring phase & so on. When we sold that house, we gave the buyers a CD of all those pictures since we knew how hard it is sometimes to know where a pipe is, studs, etc. They really appreciated it. It's an unusual thing to leave the buyers though.

 

[Micca]

Very thoughtful I guess we'll leave a note that says "weeds"

 

[DVCLiz]

Very thoughtful I guess we'll leave a note that says "weeds"

 

[golfgal]

I am hoping the current owners of our new house will do this. They have put in pretty extensive landscaping and my flower knowledge consists of "I like that red one over there". When we bought this house they left all the manuals etc. When we have sold other houses I have always made sure I left toilet paper on the rolls, a couple extra lightbulbs, a phone book when they have moved in from outside of the area and a roll of paper towels since you always need those right away and can never find them.

 

[Ava83]

Not only did we leave a list, DH took them to lunch to explain everything (it may have been a bit overkill) but they were a young couple like we had been when we moved in out townhouse (mind you I am just 33 now) and it just felt right.

 

[Conkozan]

We left all booklets, lists of plants and house "quirks" (ex:the radiators bang the first time heat comes on in autumn if you don't open the valve in the back bedroom to bleed the system).

We also left a list of important phone numbers (pizza delivery, trash man, kid who shovels sidewalks) the neighbors names and phone numbers and "quirks" (if you see Joe next door acting odd-he is diabetic, call his wife)

We also left a Bottle of Champagne, 2 glasses and chocolates.

There was a bottle of wine hidden in the cellar with a note that said "Congratulations! Finding this bottle means that you know this house from top to bottom! Hope you are as happy here as we had been"

They called us a 16 months later to tell us they found it in the hidden stone cubby.

The house sold again and our buyers did the exact same thing for their buyers. Weird thing was-I knew their buyers!

Once while driving by the old house the people who bought it from us (and sold it) were driving by as well. The owners and neighbors were all outside. We both parked and visited. It was a hoot!

 

[Deb & Bill]

When we moved into our house about 8 yrs ago, the sellers gave us a binder with all sorts of information about the appliances, security system, paint color/brand info for all the rooms. They got it from the owners before them. We're trying to keep this up, but we plan to stay in this house for a long time.

 

[mickeyfan1]

I think it is a great idea. I wish the people that we bought our home from in AZ had done that, we had no experience with desert plants, trees, etc. I think we killed 8 tree by over wtering, had we known what kind of trees they were, we might have been able to find out how much water, food, etc they needed.

I always leave to appliance books and anything else that 'goes with' the house. Binny, if they donb't want it, they can pitch it, you are just being nice. I am sure they will appreciate.

 

[Servants of Evan]

It's wonderful to do. I've never gone to that length, but I have done things like mark those light switches which operate outlets, and switches which go places you'd never think of...

 

[ducklite]

We left all the instruction manuals for every appliance. We left a folder with other info written up on one side, and menu's and fliers from local restaurants and businesses they might need/want (plumber, etc.)

We walked them through everything in the house twice, they were too overwhelmed teh first time. DH stopped over a couple times after they had moved in to show them how to work something and pick up mail that hadn't gotten forwarded.

We also left them a bottle of Vueve Cliquoet champagne in the fridge with a congratulations card--it was their first home.

Anne

 

[lynetteSC]

you guys are so sweet to leave a bottle of wine! how thoughtful! to the OP I think it is a great idea. we built our first house, but the builders left a similar notebook for us and we have used it often!

 

[disneynutt1225]

It sounds like a great idea! A bit of a welcome packet, if you will.

 

[hlbtimes2]

We tried to do that when we sold our last house. However I'm pretty sure they didnt look at it. They called 2 weeks later to ask how to shut the alarm off. They burnt their breakfast, the alarm went off, and the fire dept showed up. Had they read the note they would have found the code, directions, etc. As well as the info that said I called the alarm company and was told it would take 30 days for them to disconnect the service.

 

[SetzKitten]

We also left a Bottle of Champagne, 2 glasses and chocolates.

We did this, too. Our buyers were first time homeowners and they were so excited and nervous. We left everything we could as far as instructions, manuals, favorite restaurants, even the petsitter's name. We mapped out all of the plants and tagged the property lines and left things they didn't have like custom curtains for the windows, a chiminea and a birdbath. (They told us they would take anything we left.) They were so greatful, they sent us a gift certificate to Home Depot for making their home buying experience so pleasant.