The title says it all. I bought an apartment in Boan Stravenue Lofts for my kids and there's a gnome outside that we can't control. When somebody sells their house and leaves a gnome behind, the gnome ownership should transfer to the new owner of the house. Or perhaps it should just appear in the old owner's inventory or something. In any case, when you buy a house it shouldn't have things like that that you can't do anything with.
I guess the same goes for things like butterflies, chickens, etc.. I'm sure a lot of people lately left quite a messy menagerie behind to move to alakol and the new players that buy those houses might not be happy with so many piggies trampling over their garden.