When moving out of your house during a residential move, the last thing on your mind is the family moving in. After all, you have enough on your own plate. You’ve already busted your buns getting moved out and you’re looking at an even bigger job moving in to your own new home.

Taking time to go above and beyond for the new owners of your home goes a long way in rolling out the welcome mat for the homebuyers. It only takes a little effort from you, and it allows the new residents to enjoy a fresh start in their new home.

Spick-and-Span and – Sold!

There’s no such thing as too clean when turning your home over to new owners. Wait until the movers leave and the house is completely empty, and then clean every surface in the house. It’s extra nice to have the house – including the carpets – professionally cleaned, but if that’s not possible, gather up those friends who offered to help you during your move and give the house a good cleaning.

Patch nail holes in the walls

If you’re having interior rooms painted right before your move, patch nail holes where you had pictures and paintings hung on the walls. If you’re not painting an entire room, touch up over the nail hole patching.  The new owners may want to paint anyway, but don’t make them have to do it within the first few weeks of moving in. Let them enjoy their own artwork where they want it, until they can repaint.

Remove carpet indentations

Your house’s new owners are going to want a blank canvas on the floors, too. You can help them out by getting rid of the deep gouges that your heavy furniture has left in the carpet. The best hack to remove carpet indentations is to place an ice cube on the indentation and allow it to melt slowly. When the ice cube has completely melted, gently brush and fluff up the spot, allowing the carpet fibers to spring back.

Let there be light!

One of the cruelest things you can do as an exiting homeowner is to take all the light bulbs out of the ceiling lights and chandeliers that are staying. (Picture them walking into the house for the first time – at dusk!) And one of the kindest things you can do is to replace all burned out bulbs and even leave a few spares in a storage closet.

Small repairs are a huge bonus

Replace cracked switch plate and electrical outlet covers. Oil that door lock that sticks. Replace the screw in the built-in china cabinet drawer handle that’s been broken since you moved in. We all put off these little repairs, but moving out is the perfect time to get it taken care of.

Deodorize and de-pet your home

You may love your cat, but your home’s new owners may not love the smell that Kitty has left behind. If you’ve lived with a pet for a long time, you may not even notice the odors that are associated with their beds, food, litter box and their favorite spot on the living room carpet. Clean and deodorize rugs and upholstery and spray a mild deodorizer – no overbearing perfumes, please! – to rid your home of your pet’s presence.

And speaking of odors . . .

 Home sellers who leave Glade Plug-Ins in every socket and douse the house with potpourri, scented candles and sprays are not doing the homebuyers any favors. The house I moved into in New Jersey had all the toilet paper holders replaced with strawberry scented spindles . . . not exactly my bag. I couldn’t get to the hardware store fast enough to buy replacements. When it comes to our noses, everyone is different in likes and dislikes. A fresh, clean, “blank” smell is the best for a home that is changing owners.

What you leave behind

Don’t leave junk that you didn’t have time to donate or trash. Don’t leave furniture unless you’ve spoken to the buyers’ real estate agent first.

Do leave:

• Extra tile, building materials and paint for replacements and touch-ups. And please do label the paint by room.

• All warranty and product information for appliances and anything in the house that is conveying.

• Homeowners association information, important contact information (don’t forget the best pizza joint in town!), and a list of the landscaper, exterminator, handyman and other contractors that you’ve used and who are familiar with the house. They may want to continue working for the new owners.

• House keys – all of them!

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Diane Laney Fitzpatrick is a writer, blogger and author of Home Sweet Homes: How Bundt Cakes, Bubble Wrap, and My Accent Helped Me Survive Nine Moves. She writes about moving and other adventures in coping at www.DianeLaneyFitzpatrick.com.