Couple Buy First Home Together, Find Handwritten Note From Former Owners

Two new homeowners have revealed how the unexpected handwritten note they received from the property's previous residents on moving day left them in tears.

When Laura Rudd and her fiancé bought their first home in June 2020, family and friends were so excited to celebrate the special occasion with sentimental gifts to help them decorate their new place. But as it turned out, it was something that the previous owners left behind for them that immediately captured their attention.

In a now-viral TikTok post (@laurajrudd), Rudd, 28 revealed that a handwritten letter was left on the kitchen counter, next to a celebratory bottle of wine. The heartfelt letter explained that the house in Lincolnshire, England, had been the previous owners' home "since the mid-50s," and in that time it provided them with "so much happiness and love, and sadly a little grief."

Finding the letter was a moment that Rudd will never forget, telling Newsweek that she "cried when [she] read it." Although they have since bought a new property and moved again, they kept the letter and it's gone with them to their new place.

Rudd said: "We thought the note was so thoughtful, and of course we kept it. It was propped up with a bottle of prosecco when we entered the house. It was obvious that the family loved the home, and we knew that when we bought the property."

A post featuring a picture of the letter warmed hearts on social media after being shared by Rudd, being viewed over 1.3 million times and gaining more than 93,000 likes in a matter of days. Alongside the image, a caption read: "We loved that home very much, it was filled with our love too."

In the two years that Rudd and her fiancé lived there, they spent ample time renovating the property, and they discovered countless more surprises from the previous owners.

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"We found many little pockets of love when renovating, such as a note under the wallpaper saying, 'I did this 18/12/65' and there were names carved into cement where they'd installed a door as a later date," Rudd continued.

"We actually told the new owners everything we knew about the house too. I hope the previous family would have been happy with the changes we made."

Rudd tried to connect with members of the family who lived there prior on social media, but sadly her searches came to no avail. But at least she will always have the letter they wrote for them before moving.

The social media response has been so unexpected, but Rudd has loved seeing how many people were moved by the handwritten letter. Among the 1,000 comments on the TikTok post, one person wrote: "This brought a tear to my eye. The end of an era is someone else's new beginning. How truly wonderful. Wishing you all the best in your new home."

Another person responded: "This made me cry! How lovely!"

While another comment reads: "I think this is beautiful and a very lovely lesson about life that time doesn't stop, and possessions come and go, but memories last forever. Enjoy your home just like the previous family."

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