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heck, we had to HELP the previous owners finish getting stuff out of the house so we could get moved IN!! They were pretty "laid back" and we showed up hoping to get in a couple hours early - not unusual - most people are gone day before - clean - leave. Not this time. Instead, we had to send our movers off to lunch, and when they came back, our carpet installers were there to remove all the old carpet. They were ripping it out as fast as the previous owners were pulling the last items from each room.
We had cleaners come a couple hours later and started putting the primer on everything the second they left so the carpet guys could come back the next day (and the kids who helped us move came back to get the big stuff upstairs - they had to leave it all on hardwood the first day).
Couple hours after the handover time, the previous owners were still in the front packing final items in to the truck (from the yard) and saying good bye's while we were already ripping their house apart - probably not what they expected
Didn't you do a walk through prior to closing? My two prior homes were both vacant at the time I bought so it wasn't an issue on that end, but my buyer did a quick walk through the morning of closing and I would have expected there to be a problem if the house hadn't been empty and broom clean.
It was helpful for both of us that the place was vacant, because he had a few questions about some of the systems and what I had left behind (light bulbs, filters, etc) and he wouldn't have noticed them if he hadn't been in the vacant house.
Yes...its a question of manner, respect and courtesy...
I do not understand people who actually leave their home nasty, dirty, under the excuse that there is no time to clean...well pay someone...
And it is not about "who cares...you are not going to see them anyway...."
It is about who you are...what kind of person do that...
And do you really like to enter a new home and move in ready...nice smell...cleanless..and spotless..fresh paint, cleaned carpet etc...you.ll be happy...
How angry or sad you feel moving into a dirty home..smelling cat/dog pee
Stained carpet with all your moving boxes in the living room...what do you say to that...kids hungry...got to go to work..start school...etc... Do to other what you want for yourself and your loved ones...
Moving is hectic and a pain. I have vacuumed after moving out, and clorox wiped counters, but that's about it. The only time we cleaned or paid for cleaning was after moving out of a rental, and after moving out of a house we owned that was about to be a rental.
Honestly, why should I take my valuable time to deep clean a house that doesn't belong to me anymore? I would rather pay someone or do it myself after taking possession and know it was done right, than rely on the previous owner.
I'm not lazy. Sometimes there is little turnover time. Once we were moving out of state and had to get on the road to meet our stuff at the new house. All circumstances are different. I'm surprised that so many posters supposedly clean after they move out.
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
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I have never moved into a house that was spotlessly clean. I didn't judge the previous owners or take it personally. I cleaned it or hired the professional and moved on. It did not occur to me to even ask for anything more than broom clean.
It also never occurred to me to hire professional cleaners for the new buyers. Fortunately, that is an unrealistic expectation on the part of buyers in my neck of the woods.
Insect infestations (like roaches) are something else entirely. That is totally unacceptable unless previously disclosed.
I wouldn't care if a house has been professionally cleaned. I don't care if it looks spotless. I'm going to spend several hours cleaning it myself anyway. I'm just very particular about the level of cleanliness.
I've mostly only dealt with rentals. I used to kill myself deep cleaning only to be charged by management for extra cleaning costs. Now I don't care. I'm already a clean person so most things are pretty clean anyway. I simply do a quick wipe down and vacuum/sweep a few minutes before turning in keys.
I've helped a lot of people move when they bought new houses. The hardest part is that there just isn't enough time. You can't have utilities in your name in two different places so you have to move on the exact day rather than allowing a day or two of cushion to give enough time to do things like extra cleaning. Most people are left in tears because rushing around to sign the papers, get the keys, loading and unloading is just too stressful to deal with in a single day.
We're about to close on a new house. At the inspection I mentioned to our realtor that the homeowner had better clean the oven. Our realtor said that they're only required to leave the house in "broom swept" condition. I asked what that meant and she said there really is no definition. The online consensus seems to be "Surfaces will be delivered free of noticeable debris and not unreasonably dirty."
So my plan before we move in is to have the house bug bombed to ensure that it's bug-free, followed by a professional cleaning from top to bottom, and then have the carpets shampooed. And then it'll be in the move-in condition that I want.
I was cleaning my house til 3am the day we moved everything out. I was exhausted, but I wanted everything as clean as possible. I even filled the picture holes with spackling and touched up with paint.
Have you left the home in a condition in which you'd be OK moving in to?
Or, have you arranged for someone else to clean the home after you vacated so that you'd be Ok moving back into it?
Of course, some folks are going to clean behind you anyway, because their personal needs exceed yours, or the average person's.
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