What to Write in a Housewarming or New Home Card
What to write in a housewarming card when the move is happy, and what to write when it follows a separation, a downsize or something worse.
- Write about the home rather than the reason they moved. It works in every case, including the ones nobody wants to name in a card.
- Not every move is a celebration. A separation, a bereavement or a forced move needs a card about the person, not about the house.
- The most useful line acknowledges that moving is exhausting. Almost every card congratulates and almost none of them commiserate.
- Skip the mortgage jokes for a first home. They are the default and they land as a warning rather than a joke.
A new home card is straightforward when the move is a happy one and quietly difficult when it is not, which is more often than card wording assumes.
The move that solves it is to write about the home rather than about the property. A wish about the life somebody will have inside a place works whether it is a first house, a rented flat, a downsize or a move nobody wanted.
The structure
- Mark the move.
- Say something about the life in it, not the building.
- Acknowledge that moving is horrible.
- Offer something practical, or sign off.
Lines that work for any move
- Wishing you every happiness in the new place.
- Here is to a house full of noise.
- May it be warm, and may the neighbors be quiet.
- A new home and a new start. Enjoy both.
- Hope it feels like yours very quickly.
That last one is worth keeping. It names the thing nobody says: a new place does not feel like home for a while, and being told it will is reassuring.
For a first home
The temptation is a mortgage joke. Everybody makes it, and it lands as a warning rather than a joke on somebody who has just signed the largest document of their life.
Better to mark the achievement.
- Your first house. That is a genuinely huge thing and you should be extremely pleased with yourself.
- Congratulations on the keys. Enjoy the first evening with nothing in it, that is the bit people remember.
- The first one is the hardest to get. Well done.
That middle line is one people write back about, because the empty first evening really is the memory that lasts.
For a rented place
Renting gets left out of new home cards entirely, which is odd given how many moves it covers. The wording is the same, minus the ownership.
- New flat, new start. Very pleased for you.
- Hope this one has a working shower.
- Congratulations on the move. Enjoy having your own space.
For a downsize or a later-life move
Often a mixture of relief and loss, particularly if a long-standing family home has just been sold. Acknowledge both.
- A new chapter, and a much easier one to heat.
- I know leaving the old house was not simple. I hope this one is very happy.
- Wishing you every comfort in the new place. Less garden, more time.
For a move after a separation or a bereavement
This card should be about the person and not about the house.
- A new start, and about time. Thinking of you.
- I know this year has been a lot. I hope this place is kind to you.
- New house, same you, and that is the good news.
- Here whenever you want company or help with flat pack furniture.
Do not congratulate. Do not mention the circumstances in detail. Warmth and a practical offer are the whole card.
Acknowledge that moving is exhausting
Almost every new home card congratulates and almost none of them commiserate, which is strange given that the recipient has just had one of the worst weeks of their year.
- Congratulations, and I am sorry about the last fortnight.
- Hope you have found the kettle.
- I am told it stops feeling like a building site eventually.
- Whoever packed the boxes deserves a medal and a lie down.
That sort of line gets a real laugh from somebody sitting on a floor surrounded by cardboard.
Funny
- Congratulations. May your neighbors be dull.
- New house, new places to lose things.
- Congratulations on the mortgage. See you in twenty five years.
- Sorry about the housewarming. We will bring wine and leave early.
Offering help is the best line in the card
Specific beats general, as always.
- I am free the weekend of the 14th for boxes, painting or standing about holding one end of something.
- Say the word and I will bring the drill and a takeaway.
What to avoid
- Mortgage jokes on a first home.
- Opinions about the area, unless you know they are welcome.
- Comparisons to their old place.
- Anything about when they will have children, which appears in new home cards constantly.
- Suggesting improvements. They have a list already and it is longer than yours.
When it is more than a card
A first home or a long-awaited move is the kind of thing people mark. The same details you would write in a card, the years of saving, the flat with the broken boiler they finally left, make [a song about the move](/create?occasion=new home) work.
Our guides to housewarming gift ideas, a housewarming gift for a couple and a custom new home song cover the rest.
For every other occasion, our what to write hub has the wording.
Frequently asked questions
What do you write in a housewarming card?
Mark the move, say something about the life they will have in the place rather than about the building, and acknowledge that moving is exhausting. Hope it feels like yours very quickly is a line that works for any move.
What do you write in a first home card?
Mark the achievement and skip the mortgage joke, which everybody makes and which lands as a warning. Telling them to enjoy the first evening with nothing in it names the memory that actually lasts.
What do you write when someone moves after a separation?
Write about the person, not the house. Do not congratulate and do not detail the circumstances. Warmth plus a practical offer of help is the entire card.
What do you write for someone downsizing?
Acknowledge both sides. Leaving a long-standing family home is a loss even when the move is sensible, so a line recognizing that alongside the wish for the new place reads as attentive rather than cheerful.
What should you not write in a new home card?
Mortgage jokes on a first home, opinions about the area, comparisons to their old place, suggested improvements, and anything about when they will fill the spare room. The last one appears constantly and is never welcome.