What should a home’s condition be on closing day? According to our Texas residential real estate contract, sellers are contractually obligated to deliver the property to the Buyer in the same condition as on the date the contract was executed; normal wear and tear expected. Sound vague? It sure does. Our Texas real estate contract does not go into any further detail nor is there a checklist provided to the seller identifying all the tasks he should do after he moves out.
So as a home buyer what should you expect from the sellers? It is customary for the sellers to leave the house in a “broom clean” condition. Broom clean means the house should be move-in ready with all of the sellers possessions and trash removed from the house, carpets vacuumed but it does not mean professionally steam cleaned, cabinets and shelves wiped down, floors and counter tops cleaned and toilets scrubbed.
But who repairs the nail holes from where the sellers photo collection was once displayed? If the sellers removed the nail, the hole left in the wall should be just that a nail hole and not a large gaping hole. If the hole is a large gaping hole, it would be the sellers responsibility to repair the hole. If the hole is truly a nail hole, it would be the buyers responsibility to repair the hole as a nail hole would be considered ordinary wear and tear.
Repairing nail holes is not a tough job and there are readily available products to make the job easier for you. One of the best products for repairing nail holes is Elite Products Erase-A-Hole. The product has been recommended by Good Housekeeping Research Institute and sells for $6.95 plus shipping. Just consider nail hole repair as one of the many joys of home ownership.
And if you are wondering the answer is No, I do not receive any compensation from Elite Products for mentioning their Erase-A-Hole product. I simply think it is a great product. But if you don’t want to buy their product then fix your hole the old-fashion way and squeeze some white toothpaste in the hole and consider it repaired.
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