In the wacky world of short sales and REOs, finding the home trashed by former owners or vandals calls for new levels of salesmanship.  The foreclosure crisis has resulted in a rash of trashed, smashed, and stripped-bare homes for the next set of owners to deal with.  Many homeowners, strapped for cash, have ripped out counters, appliances, light fixtures, or cabinets to sell and may have intentionally damaged what's left, out of anger.  Vandals have often come into to finish the job of gutting the home of anything of value.  It takes a buyer with vision and sometimes deep pockets to overlook the damage and see a liveable home underneath. It takes a real estate agent with the ability to help buyers see past the missing parts.

There was a time when people had more common sense and even in the absence of that, an innate sense of what you should be packing up when you move from your home.  Whether you are going by choice or moving after foreclosure, the same rules apply. 

Even people who are not moving because of foreclosure have liberalized the definition of what should go, what should stay.  In the old days, the rule was basic: anything that is attached to the house should stay.

This would include: 

• Doors and windows
• Furnaces and air conditioning unit
• Floor, ceilings, and walls
• Electrical wiring
• Counters tops and cabinets
• Sink drains, and faucets
• Built in appliances
• Plumbing fixtures, including toilets, tub, and pipes
• Built in medicine cabinets, sinks, and showers
• Built in shelving and bookcases
• Landscaping, fences, built in pools and spas

You can hardly read this list without alternativeely snickering and shaking your head.  Doors and windows taken?  Walls?  Unfortunately, we are too used to homes being gutted for copper piping to react much to that.

If you as a seller want a favorite light fixture, you should be swap it with another suitable fixture before buyers come in.  Make sure to tell your agent if free standing appliances, custom-made drapes, or other appointments are included in the house, available for sale, or going with the seller; these exclusions should be noted in the contract so there is no misunderstanding.

On the other hand, owners can take

• Furnishings and personal property
• Mirrors
• Arts work and photographs
• Pets and their things, including dog house, aquariums, or bird cages
• Refrigerators, televisions, computers, stereos
• Throw and area rugs
• Indoor plants
• Portable fans and heaters.

Maybe some people think they are only getting back at the bank, so don't care about the condition of the home.  If sellers take more than they should or if they damage the home and take the bathtub and copper pipes, they or their insurance companies can face consequences  Banks often file claims against the home owners' insurance of former owners who have damaged the home - or come after the former owners. 

Regardless of why you're moving, the last thing you want following you to your new home is a lawsuit or an angry insurance company.  Even if moving is not your choice, do the right (and LEGAL) thing.  Leave your home intact for the next owner.  You may not care about the bank, but the next owner is a person just like you who only wants to be a homeowner.

N & Y Team

Nebi Adhanom Direct: (702) 277-9922

Yonas Woldu Direct: (702) 236-8997

Fax: 702-898-9738

www.VegasRealProperty.com

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