A friend or family has moved into a new place. How exciting! It takes work to find a house to buy in Ghana. Now they want to celebrate their new house or apartment purchase with a fun housewarming party. These days even renting a place deserves a celebration. You’ve been invited and it is proper to go with a thoughtful housewarming gift that is cool but ideally would also be very useful in the new home. Not sure what to gift? We suggest some fantastic “congrats on the new home” presents your friend will be sure to love!

1. Doormat

   As they say, first impressions last, so there’s nothing to welcome guests into a new home like a nice front doormat. A great gift is one that is large, quality and with a sentimental or funny inscription. Your friend will laugh and love your housewarming gift for life.

2. Wall Art

   A new home means the walls are freshly painted but likely quite bare. Bring your friend a nice wall hanging to add some life to the blank walls. If you’ve visited before, pick something that fits well with their colour scheme or goes with an art piece that you know suits their taste. They will think of you every time they walk past it. Depending on your budget you can easily create an artwork yourself if you have any artistic flair, find a reasonably priced piece or give them an expensive keepsake painting.

3. Clock
   

   Who said we all have watches and cell phones so clocks are no longer necessary? Perfect for the bedroom, kitchen or living room, a beautiful and large decorative wall clock contributes to interior décor and will allow your friend to be on time with a quick glance.

4. Potted Flowers/Plant
   

   Flowers and plants clean the air, add colour, nice scents and life to a house.  A great gift for a female friend, you can pick up some flowers from the many garden centres around town. You can make this a two-in-one gift by throwing in a beautiful vase to house the plant.

5. Scented Candles
   

   Everyone loves a clean and nice smelling home. Hand pick a set of 4-5 small/medium candles or a large glass-jarred one with three wicks. There are so many lovely scents to pick from, from fresh scents like ocean breeze to popular neutrals like vanilla or cotton to fruity and florals.  Some home decor stores sell nice candle gift sets from popular brands like Yankee Candle. Your friend can light a few from your housewarming gift whenever they want to freshen the atmosphere or have visitors over.
   Perfect.

6. Kitchen Pot Set

   Man or women, your friend will definitely need to cook some food daily. A nice pot and pans set in their new kitchen is a superb idea! These usually include a frying pan, various sized pots, a strainer and even ladles and dishing spoons. Make sure to get stainless steel pots for durability and non-stick for easy cleaning.

7. Gadget Set
   

   Whenever people move newly move into a house, soon enough they realise some key cords they desperately need. Considering the number of electrical gadgets we all use daily, gifting a cool set of basic cords is a sweet housewarming gift. Get a multi-socket extension board, a power-surge protector socket (hello Dumsor!) and an HDMI cord so your friend can watch the latest movies and TV shows from their computer against paying for cable. Now, this is a gift set for both men and women will highly appreciate.

8. Wine
   

   What’s a housewarming party without a good toast of congratulations on getting a new house? Your friend maybe catered or cooked a little something for the invited guests to enjoy but a nice bottle of wine is always a welcome celebratory gift. Pick white or red based on what you know of his or her preferences.

9. Gift Card
   

   

   After the housewarming party is over and everyone has left, the new homeowner will marvel with a full heart at all the wonderful gifts. Truth be told, however, there’s always the need for more. A gift card to a household items haven means your friend can go in and shop according to their preferences and needs. 100 cedis or more to Shoprite, Melcom or an interior décor store is a sweet and useful present. Don’t want to be too fancy? Cash in a nice envelope is very cool still. Maybe throw in a nice themed card.

10. Something Personal
    

    The best gifts are those that are customized and ones your friend will know you put some thought in to. Looking for an apartment to rent or a house to buy can be a stressful process, so with it now behind your friend, a nice personal gift is like a cherry on top.

    Is your friend a tea or coffee connoisseur? How about an adorable tea/coffee set with a mug and different tea/coffee types? If he/she loves relaxing or spas, buy them a nice bath and body set complete with scented soaps and massage oils for some at-home pampering. Does your friend love to host get-togethers or on the other hand, needs to be more social? A group game like Uno, Taboo or Scrabble is a great housewarming gift for future game nights.

No matter your budget or relationship, if you get invited to a housewarming party, take the time to purchase a nice present that your host will appreciate and remember. Have some other amazing gift ideas? Please share with us below.