Some Home Sellers Want to Take Everything, Including Kitchen Sink

Real estate agents are seeing more deals in which sellers want to take items like appliances, chandeliers, or plants with them when they move out. What does and does not convey in the transaction can range from the trivial to the bizarre. One seller, for instance, negotiated a contract that allowed him to return to harvest his strawberry patch. When sellers want to take something with them, it is always best to take it down, replace it, and pack it away before the home is even put on the market. Cindy Jones, an independent real estate broker in Woodbridge, Va., says this strategy saves time and possibly a misunderstanding later. The approach is just good business. The rule of thumb for fixtures is that if it is attached to the house or property, it stays. “When a seller starts keeping things that should stay with the house, I guarantee that the contract negotiations will be painful,” adds Eve Alexander of Windermere Real Estate in Orlando, Fla. | Read More