Mine may seem a little ridiculous. My loved ones were so thoughtful, and I received so many nice things for my first home, but my favorite housewarming gift was a DoorDash gift card on move-in day. The first two weeks of homeownership were a circus, but not having to plan and cook for several nights was amazing.
It’s pretty small and cheap, but when I bought my first house, my real estate agent gave me a nice return stamp with my name and address on it.
The only one I got was pretty funny. My first real estate agent handed out wooden plaques with his last names on them. My last name is Wood… so it’s just a wooden plaque with “Wood” written on it.
Here in Korea, toilet paper is a traditional housewarming gift. When we moved in, we already had enough to last us two years.
I don’t think I’ve ever received a housewarming gift. But I’m eagerly awaiting Buzzfeed’s article with the ten best posts from this thread.
What I gave as a gift before buying a house: A high-quality garden hose. They were always well received. What I would give today: A blacklight flashlight and a tripod. You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve repaired dishwashers with them. And with pets, a blacklight flashlight helps detect accidents, whether caused by your pets, by them, or by a previous owner.
I’ve never received one, but when a friend bought her first house this year, I gave her a small toolbox with everything I thought would be useful around the house: a replaceable screwdriver, a good can of WD40, a package of anchors and screws, putty, etc. She didn’t like it much at first, but once the repairs started, she was delighted with it.
A P100 respirator. We submitted a quote two weeks before the COVID pandemic began and closed it a month after it was announced. The house is being remodeled, and I wanted to replace the floors before moving in, but due to the pandemic, PPE was in short supply. I was pleasantly surprised when a friend, an auto body specialist, sent me a box of the necessary PPE for the job.
A $100 gift card to a great Chinese restaurant down the street. Almost everything else was crap.
My best friend gave me an embroidered dove with the phrase “I don’t give a damn what you want” when I moved into my own apartment after my divorce. It’s been a fixture in every home ever since.
I don’t remember much, but a friend, now an enemy, gave us a flower arrangement. I planted the daffodil bulbs in the garden, and even 24 years later, they’re still beautiful every spring. They also remind me of the girl who sent provocative texts to my husband. Oh my! I love daffodils!
The book “Homemaking for Dummies” was extremely informative; I’m still reading it! A beautiful Japanese chef’s knife, the “only knife you’ll ever need”—seriously. Oh, and an air fryer! It wasn’t a gift, but a friend who works at a nice furniture store gave me her employee discount and recommended specials and display items for a month… I saved thousands of dollars.
Some friends have commissioned a painting of our house.
My parents gave us a Miele vacuum cleaner. I’ll never buy a cheap vacuum cleaner again.
Nice things from friends!
The previous owner left us a note with the keys and remote controls. He was very kind and encouraging. He also left us $20 and told us that pizza would be free the first night.