Gather keys and openers in one envelope
Put every key, garage opener, and gate code in one labeled envelope before closing day.
A few days before closing, search for every key and opener that operates the house. Check the hooks by the door, the kitchen drawer, the car cup holder, and the coat you wear to the mailbox. House keys, deadbolt keys, mailbox keys, garage door openers, gate remotes, and shed keys all go in one pile. Buyers expect the pieces that make the house work, not a promise that a spare is somewhere in a box.
A standard house-key copy at a hardware store is usually a few dollars. Make the copies you are missing before closing week, while you still have a working original. A garage remote is a different purchase. If one is missing, look again before you buy a replacement, because a new remote can cost much more than a key and may need programming. Write down how many openers you are handing over so the count is not a surprise at the table.
Put the pile in one envelope and label it with the property address. Slide a card inside with gate codes, alarm codes, and the garage keypad code if you use one. Keep a copy of that card in your closing folder until the sale is recorded, then destroy the copy you do not need. Do not pack the envelope in a moving box. Carry it in the same folder as your identification.
On closing morning, count the keys against your card. An example: two house keys, one mailbox key, two garage openers. If a count is short, you still have time to check the car. An envelope you packed at dawn in a carton labeled HALL is the one you will not find when someone asks for the mailbox key.
What to do
- Search hooks, drawers, and the car for keys and openers.
- Copy a missing house key while you still have the original.
- Label one envelope with the address and put codes on a card inside.
- Carry the envelope to closing instead of packing it.