How clean should you leave your house when selling? That’s what this new homeowner wants to know after the sellers left a mess for her at move-in.
Q: I want to know how clean should a seller leave a house after the closing? My husband and I recently took possession of our new home this past weekend in Salt Lake City. When we took possession, we discovered she left her clothes in the closets, a fully stocked fridge (no room for our food), and a huge mess in the kitchen full of her belongings. (She has since been back to pick them up.) Yet we then discovered that she threw all her food out in our trash can outside which is now completely full.
Further Issues Discovered During Move-In
In taking another look at our contract, we confirmed the seller checked that the water softener was to be included with the home, and that she would be taking her washer and dryer with her. As it turns out, there is no water softener, and she ended up leaving her old gas dryer hooked up in the basement. Obviously, this is inconvenient as we will be moving our own dryer in, and I do not want to be the one responsible for having a professional to unhook the gas line and then removing the dryer. Also, our Realtor just told us the water softener box was checked by accident (as apparently she never had one to begin with–admittedly, I did not notice). Though it was an accident, both parties signed off on the contract with that “included” box checked.
What does this mean? Does the seller still owe us a water softener even though she says one never existed (she is probably telling the truth because I don’t remember seeing one)? In fact, she has already been back to pick up more of her items. What happens if she doesn’t come back to collect the dryer? What should we do about the “nonexistent” water softener that was checked to be included on the signed contract?
How Clean Should You Leave Your House When Selling?
A: Sellers should leave a house in very clean, if not pristine, condition for their buyers. And, there are plenty of good reasons for that, but mostly, you want the buyer to love living in your house and having a good first impression is important.
Your experience is a good reason that every home buyer must inspect a home right before they close on the purchase. Sam usually tells his purchasers that they need to stop by the home right before settlement to see if the “home is still standing”. While the point he makes sounds extreme, houses have been known to burn down and literally blow up in the day or so before closing. If you’re making the single biggest purchase of your life (which is what a house usually is), you need to know exactly what you’re getting before the money leaves your hands.
Real estate contracts will usually contain a reference to personal property and fixtures that are currently at the property including the items checked in the contract. If an item is checked but didn’t exist, it’s unlikely that you’d have a claim for a water softener that never existed. A bigger issue would be if the water softener was there when you signed the contract but was taken by the seller prior to closing. In the case of a water softener that was removed, you’d have a good claim against the seller.
Preparing for Closing When Buying a Home
The bigger issue for us is your lack of preparation when it came to buying the home. We know that in some parts of the country buyers don’t use real estate attorneys to represent them. Fair enough, but in those instances, buyers must take it upon themselves to become educated and know what to ask, what to expect and what to do.
You should have asked to see the home before you closed on the home. This process is called a final walk-through and it happens in almost every home purchase. During the final walk-through, you should have made sure the home was free of the seller’s personal belongings and that the home was clean as required under the contract. You should have made sure that the seller removed the clothes dryer and didn’t leave you holding the bag having to disconnect it and pay for its removal. You should have made sure that the seller was prepared to deliver the home in the manner required under the contract before you agreed to give the seller the money for the purchase price. That’s your moment of leverage.
Had you taken the steps that I’ve written about in my books for buyers and what Sam tells his purchasers, you wouldn’t be in the situation you are in now.
Assessing the Situation and Next Steps
Overall, we think you’re pretty lucky. The seller could have just left the mess and never come back. At least this seller came back to take her stuff and clean out the refrigerator. While she dumped the trash in your garbage cans, at least she did the cleaning. You might get lucky and ask her to have someone remove the dryer and she’ll do that at her expense. We wouldn’t waste time trying to get a water softener that didn’t exist and focus on making sure the seller’s belongings are removed.
One more thought: It’s possible that things weren’t going well for this seller. It’s possible she’s getting a divorce, or has a partner who really didn’t want to leave, or had a number of other reasons why she couldn’t get the house cleaned before the sale. If that’s the case, then it explains why the house didn’t get cleaned out before the closing, though it doesn’t really excuse it.
As for your original questions of how clean should a seller leave a home when selling? Our answer is “very.” Cleaning out your stuff ahead of time makes it a better home buying/home selling experience for everyone.
More on Topics Related to Buying, Selling and Moving-In
What to Look for in Your Final Pre-Closing Walk-Through
Home Closing Costs Every Buyer and Seller Should Expect to Pay
Should I Sign the Seller Disclosure if I Have Unanswered Questions?
2 Moving Tips to Make Your Big Move Easier
Does Seller Disclosure Cover Plumbing Problems?
Moving This Month? 5 Questions To Ask Moving Companies
When a Lack of Seller Disclosure and a Bad Home Inspection Collide
Problems With Seller Disclosure: Moving a Manufactured Home
shouldn’t the real estate agent fix this problem? He or She should have guided these buyers. Our agent was with us when we did the walk through and noted the points in her form. The agent should compensate them for this trouble.
vj
VJ:
Yes, I think that the agent should have guided these buyers. I think buyers should educate themselves. It’s one thing to be casual about buying a car, which might cost $25,000 to $30,000. But when you’re getting a mortgage for $200,000 to $300,000, I can’t understand why buyers aren’t more informed.
Thanks for your comment.
Ilyce Glink, Publisher
The buyer neglect from “fake’ buyers agents frosts my soul…
General agents claim to be a “buyers agent”, yet they don’t want to do anything for the buyer. It is up to the Buyers Agent to do the walk thru WITH OR WITHOUT THE BUYER, because that is what “working in the buyers best interest means”.
Here is reality:
Buyers have no clue that they can do a walk thru and even if they do, they have no clue what that means. They don’t know what rights they have because they don’t read contracts…and if they do, they usually don’t understand it. The buyers agent is supposed to be the expert who makes sure the buyer gets what they contracted for.
During a final walk-thru, buyers (or buyers agent) have the right to turn on all the appliances to make sure that they are still working, check the AC, look for NEW roof leaks and make sure that the seller did not abscond with the window treatments, light fixtures, security system, ceiling fans, and all the other stuff that some sellers think they can take.
The property should be in the same condition as when they decided to buy it, or when they inspected it and agreed to accept it. The contract typically states how the seller needs to maintain the property and what level of clean the seller needs to leave the property.
Finding some clothes and food is the least of the buyers problem…we have found windows bashed in, all the appliances takes and the A/C missing. You bet we make sure that the buyer is compensated before the closing.
We ALWAYS do a walk thru for the buyer and most of the time buyers are not there. We take the lead on what to check or expect…because that IS our job…and no I do not worry about liability. If I was worried about liability I would not be exclusively representing buyers for the last 25 years. Representing a buyer means that you put buyers interest above your own.
Eve Alexander
Buyers Broker of Florida
Eve,
You’re right! No one reads contracts these days and that’s nuts, particularly when you’re making the single biggest purchase of your life. Thanks for sharing your insights with our readers.
Ilyce Glink, Publisher
Ilyce Glink, I don’t think I’d ever want you as my agent.
Concerned buyer,
Thanks for your comment. I am not a licensed real estate salesperson, so unlikely I would be your agent. But I’m curious. Why?
Ilyce
I agree that you need to know what exactly you’re getting before handing over money. That’s important when it concerns big investments like buying a house. I feel like that’s why I’ve heard it’s important to stay proactive when hunting for a home.
I like how you talked about buyers being able to see the house in its pristine condition when looking around. It’s true that buyers would definitely want to see the house before they close on the property. One of my friends is looking to sell her house and was worried about how clean her house should be. She’s got some cleaning ahead of her.
What about old barns and garages and sheds on a property with a house is the seller responsible for leaving them in pristine condition or just cleaned out.
I agree given tips for selling your house. They are providing best tips for them.I never thought before about.Thank you for this post and sharing to other users.
Thanks for the advice about cross-checking the appliances and equipment listed on the contract with the displays on your house. We are moving overseas, and we want to sell our house before we leave to add money to our savings. I think that renovating the house and replacing old appliances can help us market our house and sell it in the market effectively.
Wow. You were unnecessarily rude to the person asking the question. While I agree with your sentiment, diplomacy is important.
Thanks for telling me that it is advisable for us to leave the house in a pristine condition after closing the deal. My husband and I want to sell our house since we’re caught in a financial bind right now and turning our property into cash is the only solution we can think of. I’ll take note of your tips and hope that we can find a broker who’ll agree to put up our house on MLS for a flat-fee.