The Real Estate Browser Volume 8, Issue 8 | Page 8
8 — Say you saw it in The Real Estate Browser of Lynchburg — Volume 8 Number 8
www.LynchburgRealEstateBrowser.com
But What About All This Stuff?
by Dan Vollmer, Associate Broker, ReMax 1st Olympic
When you buy a house,
you are truly buying REAL
ESTATE - which is different
from personal property. Personal property is
the ‘stuff ’ contained in (or in some instances
ON) the real property. So in a traditional
transaction, anything ‘attached to’ the real
property conveys with the sale - unless other-
wise stated in the listing or the contract. And
folks will exclude everything from a chande-
lier that has been in the family for decades, to
antique rose bushes or other prized plantings.
It runs the gamut.
In the majority of cases, the main items of
concern are the appliances, specifically those
in the kitchen. And most sellers will offer (in
the MLS) to convey the stove, microwave (if its
attached) and the dishwasher. The refrigerator,
since its moveable - and also the most expen-
sive - is often kept by the sellers and taken to
their new home. In some cases, they do offer
to convey it as well.
Then there’s the washer and dryer. Most
folks take those too, although some offer them
as an incentive to buyers. This is especially
helpful if the likely buyer of the home is a first
time home buyer. They are usually putting all
their available cash into the closing costs and
down payment, so if they can save on having to
buy a washer and dryer, that does sweeten the
deal.
The next thing buyers will specify are the
blinds, drapes and curtain rods. Since blinds
are physically attached to the property, they are
considered to convey. Same thing with curtain
rods - although if they are custom or expen-
sive, sometimes sellers will try to make off with
them. Drapes are a gray area. Technically,
they aren’t literally attached, so they can be
removed. But often times if the drapes are cus-
tom designed to fit the specific windows of a
particular home, they won’t be of any use to the
sellers in a new home, so they’ll stay too.
Ultimately its best to be as specific as pos-
sible to avoid confusion. One other thing to
keep in mind: the information in the MLS,
including what stays and what goes, is essen-
tially an ‘offer’ from the person selling the
home. But it is NOT a contract between the
seller and buyer, so don’t simply rely on the
MLS listing for what conveys. Spell it out in
the contract to be certain everyone is in agree-
ment.
So if you are selling a home, make sure any-
thing you want to keep for yourself is specifi-
cally noted in your listing agreement and the
MLS listings. And if you are buying a home in
the near future, make sure anything you want
left with the house is similarly itemized.
Questions, comments, or have an idea for a
future article? Email me at dan@DanVollmer.
com.