Buyers: Know What Items are Included in the Home Sale

A home buyer’s guide to understanding what stays and what goes during the home closing process.

Love a lighting fixture or appliance? Don’t assume it will stay after the home closes.

There are few events during the home buying process that are better than walking into a beautiful property and seeing crystal chandeliers, top-of-the-line appliances and updated, energy-efficient fixtures. For buyers who are on the fence about the purchase, these small features may be enough to steer them toward buying a home. However, buyers should be aware of one of the most common misunderstandings that can occur when viewing a home: what they see is not always what they get.

In many cases, certain items that may be on display are not included when they actually buy the home. This can be disappointing for new owners, making it important to clarify what will stay and what will go after they have closed on the property.

Common features that are not included

There are several types of home features that sellers may forget to remove and store before showing a home. These include kitchen and bathroom fixtures, such as faucets, light coverings and even handles and door knobs, according to the Boston Globe. Most wall mounts and materials that are used to bolt other fixtures to a wall are also not included. In addition, most sellers do not plan to leave major appliances than they purchased, such as refrigerators, ovens, washers and dryers. Lastly, buyers should not assume that window coverings will remain in the home after the previous owner has sold the property.

All items should be included in a contract

Most sellers will remove items they don’t plan to include in the home sale prior to an open house. However, this is not always the case and if buyers have questions about what will remain in the home after the sale, they should not hesitate to ask their real estate agent. After these points have been clarified, they should also be listed in a contract to avoid confusion or disputes down the line.

Negotiations for items

It’s not uncommon for buyers to try to negotiate with sellers to leave certain items in the home. Buyers who are interested in the new kitchen fixtures that match the granite counter tops perfectly should not hesitate to at least throw out an offer to the seller. Buyers may also simply ask sellers where they purchased certain items and price them separately to determine if it would be more affordable to negotiate with the owners or purchase the features after the home sale.

Have more questions? Leave us a comment.

Lindsay Listanski

Lindsay is the the Director of Media Engagement for Coldwell Banker Real Estate and manages the brand’s media and social media department. She is also a licensed real estate professional. In 2017 & 2018, she was named a top 20 social influencer in the real estate industry in the annual Swanepoel 200 power rankings.

Lindsay lives in Livingston, NJ with her college sweetheart and now husband Joe and rwelcomed another Joe into her life as she became a mom in June 2016.