Seller Closing Checklist – What To Do Before You Hand Over The Keys

If repairs were negotiated after the inspection, get them done well before closing — not the morning of. Keep all receipts and invoices. The buyer is entitled to verify the work was completed during the final walkthrough, and showing up to closing with incomplete repairs is a problem that can delay or derail the closing. If a repair runs into complications, communicate early and don’t let it become a closing-day surprise.

This sounds obvious but it’s one of the most common sources of closing-day friction. The contract specifies what conveys with the home. Everything else needs to be gone before the buyer’s final walkthrough — not in the garage, not in the attic, not “I’ll get it next weekend.” If it’s not specifically included in the contract, it leaves with you.

Check the attic, check under-stair storage, check every closet and cabinet. People consistently leave things they didn’t realize were still there. The buyer is not responsible for disposing of items you left behind, and finding a garage full of your belongings at walkthrough is a legitimate reason to delay closing.

Florida contracts don’t have a formal “broom clean” standard in the same way some states do, but the expectation is that the home is left in a reasonable condition — not spotless, but genuinely clean. Appliances wiped down, floors swept, bathrooms cleaned. A buyer walking into a home that smells like neglect on closing day has a legitimate complaint even if they don’t have a legal one. Leave it the way you’d want to find it.

All house keys, garage door openers, mailbox keys, gate fobs, pool or amenity access cards, and any smart lock codes. If you have a keypad entry, reset the code before closing and leave the default code or the instructions. This sounds like a small thing but a buyer who can’t get into their new home on closing day because there are no keys is not a happy buyer.

Appliance manuals, warranty documents, HOA documents, security system instructions, irrigation system documentation, pool equipment manuals — collect everything you have and leave it in a kitchen drawer or a folder on the counter. The buyer doesn’t need all of this immediately, but they’ll want it eventually and having it saves them from having to track down information about their own home. If you have digital copies, pass them along to your agent to forward to the buyer’s agent.

Electric, water, gas, trash — schedule all of these to transfer to the buyer or cancel in your name effective on the closing date. Don’t cancel early and don’t forget to do it. A house with no power during the final walkthrough or on moving day creates an unnecessary problem.

For ongoing services like lawn care, pest control, and pool service — let the buyer know who provides them and when the next service is scheduled. They can decide whether to continue with the same providers. Leave the contact information in the documentation folder.

In Florida, many homes have an active termite bond — a contract with a pest control company for ongoing treatment and monitoring. If your home has one, the bond can usually be transferred to the new owner for a fee. This is worth doing: buyers value an active termite bond because it means the property has been under professional monitoring and they’re not starting from scratch.

Contact your pest control company before closing to initiate the transfer. Leave the documentation and the pest control company’s contact information in the folder for the buyer. The transfer fee varies by company but is usually modest.

This is the one that causes the most last-minute conflict at walkthroughs. The contract specifies what stays — appliances, fixtures, window treatments, ceiling fans, light fixtures, built-ins. If it was listed as conveying, it stays. Period.

The most common mistake: sellers take a chandelier or a specific light fixture they have sentimental attachment to and replace it with a cheaper one, thinking the buyer won’t notice or won’t care. Buyers notice. If there’s something you want to take, address it before the contract is executed — not after. Once it’s in the contract, it stays.

This is optional but consistently appreciated. A brief handwritten or typed note left on the counter covering things like: which trash day is which, where the irrigation shutoff is, which circuit breakers control which rooms, quirks about the garage door, contact info for a neighbor who has a spare key or can answer questions. Nothing lengthy — just the practical things you’d want to know if you moved in tomorrow. It costs nothing and leaves a good impression.

The buyer’s final walkthrough typically happens the day of or day before closing. The home should be empty, clean, and in the condition you agreed to. Don’t be in the middle of moving out when they arrive. If your timeline is tight, communicate through your agent and coordinate. A buyer who finds the seller still moving things out at the walkthrough is put in an uncomfortable position — and it doesn’t start the relationship on a good note.

Set up USPS mail forwarding before closing. Update your address with banks, subscriptions, the DMV, your employer, and anyone else who sends you mail. This sounds basic but it’s easy to forget until something important gets delivered to your old address — which is now someone else’s home.

Keep your homeowners insurance active until the deed has transferred and closing is funded. Closing can be delayed by wire issues, title problems, or other last-minute complications. A property without insurance during that window is your risk. Cancel your policy the day after confirmed closing, not the day before.