House sale & completion - Did you leave your forwarding address to your buyers?

Mrs_Z

Well, we are due to complete on our sale on Friday. I'm pondering whether or not we should leave our forwarding address and contact details to our buyers in case of any queries? We have not met them and would be more than happy to answer any questions they may have. Post will be redirected so I'm not worried about that.

DRP

Depends on if you've left them any 'surprises' or not...

dominoman

It's a nice gesture to do so. Yes I would.

DaftyDuck

I always do.

I also use a PAYG mobile for each house transaction, and chuck the SIM when it is all done (so no endless stream of "offers" from estate agents) and, as a result, leave them a mobile number as well that'll work for a month or so. I leave a great long list of where stop - {malechickens} and water meters are, what day is recycling/refuse/paper collection day, where to leave the bins if it isn't obvious, names of neighbours (I ask first), a heap of bus timetables, phone number for paper and milk delivery, a host of takeaway menus, and the like. I also leave a folder with all the instruction manuals in it, lists of useful phone numbers (trusted electrician, plumber, etc.). I leave a list of what colours were used on each room's walls, and any tins of paint in the garage - also labelled with the room.

I also leave them a bottle of wine and bunch of flowers. If I'm leaving a fridge, I leave a fresh pint of milk. If they've been nice, I leave them a good wine. If they have been difficult, I still leave a bottle, but of something repulsive.

I am just a little OCD on such matters. Off to sort my pencils into length before I go home.

TBagpuss

I left my office address, so they can forward on any post which the post office fails to redirect, but they don't know where I live :-) (Not because I left any nasty surprises, but they are, after all, complete strangers!)

I did leave a small pack with useful information - names & phone numbers for the various utilities, milkman, paper shop etc, recommendation for a reliable repair man, menus for local takeaways and so on, together with a small box of chocolates and a couple of bottles of beer.

I was moving relatively locally - if I'd been moving further away,(or possibly if I didn't live alone!) I would have felt more comfortable leaving my forwarding address!

My sellers didn't leave anything - no instructiosn for the (integrated) appliance, no forwarding address - the seller was here when I arrived and showed me a folder they'd left for me to put any post inwhcih they would "call round and collect form time to time" I told them that no, if they gave me a forwarding address I was happy to redirect stuff and pop it in the post box, or for the first week or so i'm willing to drop it off at the estate agents and they can pik it up there, but I don't want them showing up on my doorstep.

It's become obvious that, contrary to what he said, they have not 'to;d most places' that they have moved - there's most post arriving for them than for me. I intend to put a note in with the next bundle that I drop off at the agents to sat they've had plenty of time to update anyone important and that I shall start marking everything RTS and putting it back in the post.

cattie

I never have with any of my sales. I've always been rather concerned that a buyer could blame you months down the line if something went wrong in the house & never wanted to take the chance of a buyer being able to contact me direct. I've taken the view that if they do really need to contact me, then they can do so via the solicitor.

Like another poster here I always leave buyers a bottle of wine & a welcome to your new home card & along with left over paint, with a note of what colours have been used in what rooms, they are left a list of all the info that I feel a buyer would need when moving into a new home, including all instructions manuals etc.

It's nice to see that other posters do leave gifts such as wine & flowers when selling as I have to say that although it's something I've always done, I've never ever found such a gesture to welcome me into any of my new homes.

agrinnall

Depends on what I think of the buyers. I did for my recent sale, along with phone number, email address and a full welcome pack of useful information. But the previous one I felt no personal attachment to the buyer, she was just the highest bidder, so left nothing - had she wanted to contact me she could have done so through my solicitor.

Hermia

cattie wrote: »

I never have with any of my sales. I've always been rather concerned that a buyer could blame you months down the line if something went wrong in the house & never wanted to take the chance of a buyer being able to contact me direct.

This happened to a relative. The buyers kept phoning them with queries like how do they care for the plants in the garden and complaints about how the neighbours were mean! When I sold I did not leave a contact number for this this reason. I just left instructions for the appliances, some bulbs and some loo roll! I am glad I did as the buyers (who I never met) turned out to be right trouble makers.

DaftyDuck

.... Hence I always use a PAYG phone in house sales. My brother, who is a hitman for MFI (or is it salesman for MI5... I get confused ) says the correct term is a "burner".