What your contract requires

Most Utah purchase contracts require the home to be left "broom clean and free of personal possessions." That's a real obligation in your contract, not just a courtesy, so I wouldn't leave it to the last minute.

That means getting all your belongings, trash, and debris out, including the garage, attic, crawl space, and any sheds. Leave every appliance and fixture that was included in the sale. And give it a final sweep, with floors, counters, and bathrooms in reasonably move-in-ready shape.

Keys, openers, and access

  • Leave all keys, spares included, on the counter or wherever you agreed.
  • Leave the garage door openers and remotes.
  • Pass along any gate codes, alarm codes, or smart lock info to your agent or the buyer.
  • Reset or transfer anything tied to your personal account, like a smart thermostat or doorbell camera, so the buyer isn't locked out of their own device.

Utilities and services

Keep the utilities on through your possession deadline. Don't shut them off early, because the home may still need power and water for the final walkthrough. Schedule the cancellation or transfer for the day after. And cancel or transfer any recurring services, like lawn care, pest control, alarm monitoring, or pool service.

Insurance timing matters more than people expect. If there's a gap between when you move out and when the sale closes, ask your insurance company about switching to a vacant home or renter's policy for that window. A standard homeowners policy may not fully cover a vacant property, and most policies won't adjust on their own.

Address and account updates

Submit a USPS mail forwarding request. Then update your address with your bank, employer, subscriptions, and government accounts (DMV, voter registration), and make sure your insurance reflects your new address.

One last thing

Take your own photos of the home right before you hand over the keys, the same way you'd want a buyer to document their move-in. It protects you if a question ever comes up later about the condition you left it in.

If anything about your timeline needs sorting out, like a rent-back, an extended closing, or overlapping dates, let's talk it through early so it doesn't turn into a scramble at the end.

Talk through your move-out timeline