9 Surprising Guests to Invite to Your Housewarming Party If You Want to Make It Unforgettable

You survived bidding wars, the mortgage process, closing day, and are finally settled into your new home. Now, it’s time to celebrate and show off your new abode with a housewarming party!

Sure, you could just invite close friends and family, but where’s the fun in that? If you really want your party to be the talk of the town (for better or worse), consider expanding the guest list to some unexpected attendees.

Here are 9 guests who will make your housewarming party truly unforgettable:

1) The People You Beat in the Bidding War

Is this a little insensitive? Perhaps. But then again, if they love the house so much, why wouldn’t they enjoy seeing it one more time?! And who knows, maybe they’ll bring their checkbook and offer to pay you double what you just paid for it.

2) The Old Owners (Every. Single. One.)

Don’t just invite the people you bought the house from, invite the people who owned it before them, all the way back to the 1800s settlers who originally built the place if your house is old enough! Who doesn’t love a good séance with a side of charcuterie?

3) The Nosy Neighbor

You know they’re already watching from behind the curtains. Might as well invite them in, hand them a drink, and let them do their snooping in the open. Plus, this way, you can get all the neighborhood gossip straight from the source.

4) Your High School Ex

You’ve come a long way since they left you for someone “more mature,” and what better way to prove it than by hosting a party in a house you own? Watch as they walk in, eyes scanning your well-decorated space, suddenly realizing they peaked in 11th grade. Bonus points if they show up still driving the same car from senior year and still live with their parents.

5) Your Boss

It’s a calculated risk… Once they see you can afford a house, they might assume you don’t need a raise. On the other hand they may see how much updating the house needs and give you a huge bonus right on the spot!

6) Your Rich Distant Relative

You know the one. The one who casually talks about his investment portfolio and owns several vacation homes “but doesn’t really get to use them much.” Best-case scenario: he writes you a check after seeing the fixer-upper you just bought. Worst-case scenario: he brings a really nice bottle of whiskey. Either way, you win.

7) The HOA President (Even if You Don’t Have an HOA)

Every neighborhood has one—self-appointed or otherwise. This is a great chance to butter them up before they start passive-aggressively citing obscure zoning laws at you, or commenting on how long you leave your garbage cans at the curb on trash pick-up day.

8) The Delivery Driver Who Has Only Seen Your Front Door

They’ve seen you at your worst—disheveled, in pajamas, fumbling for your wallet as they hand you your 10th takeout meal of the week. Yet they’ve never seen more than a couple of feet beyond you into the house! Invite them over for a plate of food they didn’t have to deliver, and let them stop imagining what your house is like inside based upon your front porch.

9) The Real Estate Agents Who Didn’t Sell You the House

Of course you should invite the agent who helped you buy your new home, but if you want to spice up the party, you should also invite any agent who showed you homes but then you ghosted them. Just make sure there’s enough popcorn for all the guests to munch on as they watch the agents fighting over how they could have negotiated a better deal, or would never have recommended buying this place to begin with. And don’t be surprised if they leave behind a stack of business cards—just in case you ever decide to sell.