It means a different thing to me.

To me, move-in ready can't happen until I have the chance to paint all the rooms I want to change and carpet/refinish floors as necessary.

I don't want to do those things AFTER I move in!

Around here it means that everything is current and pristine - fresh paint, updated baths, newer appliances. In other words - there is nothing that needs to be done. Just move in.

LuAnn, if the property is freshly painted (although perhaps not your specific choice in colours), wood/tile floors finished, carpets professionally dry-cleaned, and house professionally cleaned, would you consider it adequate?

CelticMoon, love the word "pristine" :-) Current has me scurrying in fear. Current to me means "replaced within the last 6-months/1-year" and "not from the bargain bin or 10-cent rack" afa decade-appropriate.

I've lived in 36 different houses lo these past 50+ years. They've all been considered "move-in ready". Some yes. Some...not so.

People's feed back is very helpful!

To me, move in ready would include quality basic window coverings. Shades, blinds, whatever. Every house I've moved to, starter to high end, had a mix of nice, none, cheap and broken.

"LuAnn, if the property is freshly painted (although perhaps not your specific choice in colours), wood/tile floors finished, carpets professionally dry-cleaned, and house professionally cleaned, would you consider it adequate? "

Close! Really close.
I still would paint BEFORE I move in.

To be honest I'd expect to repaint every room eventually, as I decorated to my taste. Fresh paint wouldn't be an expectation of mine.

Around here, move-in ready means "no updating/remodeling needed." Along the lines of what celticmoon said. The opposite of "as-is."

"The opposite of "as-is.""

I like that!

Broom clean and everything works.

The house we just bought was NOT move-in ready, despite having been professionally cleaned (per our contract). The carpetting was old, stained, and torn in one place. There were holes in a couple of doors (that we didn't catch on inspection! So did they happen after that? We don't know) and a scrape on a piece of the wall covered up by furniture. The oven and dishwasher were original appliances (builder grade, likely installed in 1997) and there was rotting trim on the outside of the house. Oh and the screen door was leaking air. Window Screens were torn and missing and the blinds, inside, were in sad shape. (bent/missing slats/etc)

Move-in ready was what happened to the condo I bought a few years back. I went to closing, paid my money, signed the papers, got keys, and moved stuff in. I did nothing more to the house until I was ready to sell it.

Move-in ready to me (and around here) means there is nothing to fix, and nothing outdated or horrifyingly taste-specific. Or really outdated. It's what I am striving for on this house before we list it. There will be a Godawful blue 1977 one-piece shower surround in an upstairs bathroom, but other than that, everything in this place has been updated/replaced including big stuff and little stuff. The oldest update should be from around 1997, when the kitchen was last updated in a major way. I am still amazed it was a 1997 upgrade because it looks great even today. Well, especially now that I replaced both light fixtures and the two kitchen faucets. The previous homeowner must have worked with a great kitchen designer to pull it off. It's not a 2012 kitchen but it's certainly one that is move-in ready and even a selling feature.

Move-in ready to me means that nothing is broken and everything works. I don't *have* to do anything to any part of the house before I move in. I might *want* to do some things, like paint, but it isn't necessary.

So, all appliances work. The heating/cooling system works. The roof doesn't leak. There aren't holes in the walls. There are no odd paint colors--I wouldn't like to move into a purple or lime or hot pink room, say, but any neutral color would be fine. (Eventually, I'd probably paint every room, but I like to live in a house and get a feel for the light before painting.)

It should be broom clean--there might be a bit of dust here or there, but I shouldn't have to scrub gunk off the toilet before I can use it and there shouldn't be years of grease coating the inside and outside of the stove.

I guess I'm less fussy than most--dated doesn't bother me, as long as it works. In a way, I prefer dated things, because then I can make the changes I want. If there's new carpet or kitchen counters or bathroom fixtures, and I don't like them, it seems such a waste to rip them out and replace them. Whereas replacing something that is 20 or 50 years old isn't such a mental struggle for me. But then, I'd love to find a home with a 1950s pink bathroom, which I wouldn't change at all.

See the link.

Here is a link that might be useful: RE humor

OMG lacking anything on windows LOL Do I have stories to tell about inquisitive neighbours & postmen *grin*

There's so much difference depending upon region & neighbourhoods. Custom, tradition, and expectations aside.

BrickeEye, I'll have to read the RE Humour later. Definitely need some chuckles. Loved your quip about "broom clean". I've been flying mine battling spiders the size of the USS America CV66(6).

Funny no one mentioned the yard! I'd at least expect grass mowed and flower patch mulched as part of "Move-in Ready". Unless the property has been vacant for some time.

"Broom clean" is a pretty standard RE sales contract condition.

Asking for window decorations (even shades or blinds) is something you would have to write in.

Even a brand new house is not likely to have them.

If you want to purchase a furnished house, be ready to pay.

In our state, shades and blinds fall under the same category as lights. They are attached. And, a seller is not allowed to take them with unless it was in the contract that x item would not be sold with the house (blind, curtain, dining chandelier).

I'm with brikckeye : "Broom clean and everything works."

You could move in and live there without having to call a plumber or electrician.

Brickeyee, that's why we'll be stating: Major Appliances Convey. The 3/4-size convection oven, small microwave, apartment-size refrigerator, and Kureg coffee brewer aren't part of the appliances dealio.

Really don't know if anyone would want the furnishings. They're old...very old and, ehem, out-dated, yeah, that's the term. Who would want old stuff from the old world... Eeeeeew, it's probably, at least, three-hundred years out-dated!

KirkHall, interesting about shades/draperies/curtains. I can understand bracketing & rods as they are more permanent fixtures. The textiles...not so much. Then again, I change window treatments quarterly, for the refreshing seasonal atmosphere it brings to rooms.

Wonder if shoji screens are considered part & parcel, too. Since painting & repairing, all of the windows are bare. I'm using shoji screens instead (woohoo for double-hung windows *grin*).

It's hard figuring out just what potential Buyers are accustomed to. Being a govt/military town it's a game to guess with people from all over the world filtering through. Discussions like this are very helpful =).

Move in ready means no 80's teal carpet and whitewashed kitchen cabinets, and that you're being charged extra for the priviledge of them putting in ugly new .99 beige carpet and slapping a poor quality coat of paint over the whitewash. It means that it's been "updated" to current trends, although it doesn't mean that updating has been done well or at a price point that makes sense for the home or neighborhood.

I'd much rather see "well maintained" advertised along with a shot of all of the service records that the homeowner has kept of everything that's been done. Let me pick out my own ugly beige carpet and DIY the bad paint job for the cabinets in my own color. I might want the much trendier gray than the trendy white! LOL!

"In our state, shades and blinds fall under the same category as lights. They are attached."

What state?

Blinds and shades are hung like pictures, not attached.

The can easily be removed without any damage.

Here in Minnesota, window coverings typically convey with the house. Perhaps it has something to do with the popularity of custom, insulating shades in our cold climate?

Dave Ramsey sent me an email today about just this issue.

"what's included in the sale of a home"

"The "Law" of Fixtures

Basically, all "fixtures" are included in the home sale. This includes obvious items like faucets and cabinetry as well as personal property that has been attached to the home. The window blinds are an example of a fixture�they are permanently attached to the structure."

But he does mention it depends on the culture of the area you are in so you should make sure it is listed in the contract if you want to be sure.

"Move-in ready" means the same as the following commonly used terms:

Outstanding opportunity
Shows pride of ownership
Desirable location
Cute

All mean absolutely nothing. They're marketing doubletalk used to fill the boxes on listing forms and ads.