Need to Know Before Closing Day

Closing day has a way of sneaking up on you. One moment you are celebrating an accepted offer, and the next you are standing in an empty house wondering if you remembered everything. After more than twenty years of helping buyers and sellers across Halifax and Dartmouth, I have seen what makes a smooth closing and what turns it into a stressful scramble. Whether you are handing over the keys or picking them up, a little planning in the final days makes an enormous difference.

Here are my top tips for both sides of the transaction.

5 Tips for Sellers: Leave the Right Impression

How you leave a property says a lot about how you cared for it. New buyers notice everything on possession day, and leaving a well-prepared home behind sets a positive tone for the next chapter for everyone involved.

1.  Remove Every Last Piece of Garbage

This sounds obvious, but you would be surprised how often it is overlooked in the chaos of moving. Clear out every garbage bag, recycling bin, donation box, and piece of packing material from the interior, the garage, the basement, the crawl space, and the yard. Do not leave anything at the end of the driveway and hope the municipality pickup comes in time. Arrange a private junk removal service if needed. Buyers should not be handling your garbage on the day they take possession of their new home.

2.  Mow the Lawn and Tidy the Exterior

Aim to mow the lawn one or two days before the closing date, not a week before. First impressions carry over from the listing right through to possession day, and pulling into an overgrown yard takes the shine off an otherwise smooth transaction. While you are at it, remove garden hoses, clear any tools or equipment left in the yard, and make sure the walkways are tidy. In winter, ensure snow and ice are cleared from paths and the driveway.

3.  Do Not Leave Unwanted Items Behind

Old paint cans in the basement, partially used bags of fertilizer, that ancient propane tank in the shed — none of this is a gift to the new owners. It is a burden. Hazardous materials like paint, solvents, and pool chemicals need to be disposed of properly through your municipality’s household hazardous waste program, not left on the property. The same goes for furniture you assumed the buyers would want but never actually confirmed with them. If it is not in the Agreement of Purchase and Sale as an included chattel or fixture, it goes with you or it gets disposed of properly.

4.  Ask About Leftover Building Materials First

There is one big exception to the rule above. If you have extra materials that match the home like leftover flooring from a recent renovation, a bundle or two of matching shingles, a few pieces of siding in the original colour you can ask the buyers before you toss them. These are genuinely useful for future repairs and many buyers are thrilled to have them. A quick message through your agent is all it takes. If they do not want the materials, then dispose of them cleanly before closing.

5.  Leave Manuals, Keys, and a Helpful Note

Gather every key to the property including the front door, back door, garage, mailbox, storage lockers, gate/shed and leave them in one obvious place, typically on the kitchen counter. Include appliance manuals, the garage door opener codes, the alarm system instructions, and any warranty documents for recent work. A brief handwritten or typed note about the quirks of the home, when garbage pickup day is, or where the shutoff valves are located — is a generous gesture that new owners genuinely appreciate.

5 Tips for Buyers: Start Your New Chapter Right

Possession day is exciting, but it is also a logistical marathon. The buyers who navigate it most smoothly are the ones who take care of a few key details before the moving truck ever arrives.

1.  Change the Locks on Day One

You received the keys from the seller, but you have no way of knowing how many copies exist. Previous owners, family members, contractors, house sitters, and old neighbours may all have had a key at some point. Booking a local locksmith for the afternoon of possession day or the following morning is one of the smartest investments you can make. It is relatively inexpensive and gives you complete peace of mind. While you are at it, if the home has an alarm system, change the access codes before the first night.

2.  Book a Professional Cleaning Before You Move In

Even if the sellers did a thorough job cleaning, a professional deep clean before your belongings arrive is the best way to start fresh in your new home. Cleaning companies can get into the corners of kitchen cabinets, behind appliances, inside oven elements, and into the grout lines in bathrooms in a way that is difficult to do once your furniture is in place. Schedule it for the morning of possession day or the day after, before the movers show up. You will be glad you did.

3.  Keep Your Toolbox Accessible — Not on the Truck

This is one of the most practical pieces of advice I give to every buyer. Pack everything else in boxes and load it onto the truck, but your toolbox travels with you in the car. Moving day always involves assembling furniture, tightening something that has come loose in transit, hanging a curtain rod, or dealing with a minor surprise. A cordless drill, a set of screwdrivers, a hammer, an adjustable wrench, and a measuring tape will be needed before the day is out. Do not let them disappear into a pile of boxes in the garage.

4.  Take a Walk-Through Before the Moving Truck Arrives

If your timeline allows, arrive at the property a little ahead of the movers and do a full walk-through while the home is still empty. You will never have a better opportunity to notice anything that needs attention — a scratch on a hardwood floor, a window that does not latch, or an outlet that does not work — before furniture covers everything up. It also gives you a chance to identify where each piece of furniture will go, making direction-giving to the movers faster and less stressful.

5.  Set Up the Essentials Before Anything Else

Before the movers leave, make sure your beds are assembled and linens are on them, the coffee maker is plugged in and accessible, your bathroom basics are unpacked, and the WiFi router is set up and connected. Moving day is exhausting, and when it finally winds down, these four things are the only ones that truly matter. Everything else can wait until tomorrow. Going to bed in a properly made bed in your new home, even surrounded by boxes, feels like a small victory — and it is.

Ready to Buy or Sell in Halifax, Dartmouth, or the HRM?

With over 20 years of experience and a 4.99-star rating on RankMyAgent, I am here to guide you every step of the way — from your first showing to your possession day walkthrough.

Call or text: 902-240-0768  |  dale@halifaxdartmouth.com  |  HalifaxDartmouth.com

“Don’t Be Caught Saying I Should Have Bought It When I Saw It!”

Dale Cameron  |  RE/MAX Nova  |  32 Akerley Blvd, Suite 101, Dartmouth, NS  |  #dalecameron #remax #remaxnova #halifaxdartmouth