So, you’re selling your home, and it’s time to start packing up. Not sure what you’re allowed to take with you when you move?
Read more to learn what you’re allowed to take and what must stay.
If it’s nailed down, bolted, or mounted – it stays
Most buyers and sellers know that ‘fixtures”, immovable elements of a home such as built-in furniture, fences, etc., must stay behind. However, it’s circumstantial and there are a few gray areas.
For example, you have a big-screen TV that’s mounted on the wall. Unless the TV is included with the home, the mounting mechanism bolted to the wall doesn’t stay.
Follow this rule: if the house has been modified for an item, it’s probably a fixture and stays with the home.
Leave the landscaping behind
Unless the property listing specifically mentions that you intend to take your garden, you cannot remove it.
You can’t just dig up a plant and take it with you.
If something holds near and dear to your heart, make sure to specify its removal in the sales contract.
If it’s anchored down – it stays
Backyard items can be misunderstood between buyers and sellers. If something is cemented or bolted into the ground, it technically stays with the property.
Free-standing items in the driveway or lawn can go with you.
For example, if you have a swing set that’s anchored into the ground and you want to take it with you, say so up front.
Say goodbye to your favorite light fixtures
Are you in love with your dining room chandelier? It’s time to say goodbye!
You can remove it and replace it with another if specified in the contract.
However, this often becomes a sticking point between buyers and sellers. If this is something you truly want to keep, replace it before listing your home.
Curtains and window treatments stay too
Those custom blinds might have cost you a fortune, but technically they stay too. Curtains are considered personal property and can slide off.
However, the rods and blinds are fixed and attached so they’re considered part of the home. Mirrors are another gray area.
Like other items, if they’re hung like a picture on the wall, they can go. But, if they’re bolted to the wall, they stay.
Don’t be greedy or you might lose the sale
Often, the smallest things cause the most heated debates. Which can lead to the derailment of the sale.
If that prized chandelier is going to make or break the sale, consider if it’s worth it.
Talk with your Realtor and evaluate the value of your home with the fixtures in tack and list accordingly.
When it comes to selling your home, be specific and firm. If you want to keep it, say so up front.
