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Leave it in the House, And the Buyer Will Want It

By Sandy Shores FL Realtor®, Melbourne Real Estate

Real Estate Broker/Owner with M & M Realty of Brevard Inc. BK629999

February 28, 2011 12:57 PM

Leave It and the Buyer will Want it Occasionally we see it. A seller moves out of their house and puts it on the market for sale. They leave a couple of items; a chair, a motorcycle, a lawnmower, or a freezer. They're coming back - they're just leaving the items there in storage. They figure on coming back and getting the things out of the house when it sells, before a buyer takes possession.

Well, be careful, with this thinking.

If a seller has a house listed for sale, and it is 99% empty, and the seller leaves an item or two, typcially, buyers assume that those items are being left with the house. So, when an offer to purchase comes in, you can bet your bottom dollar that chair, motorcycle, lawnmower or freezer will be written into the contract.

Buyers see those items and automatically want them. Who can blame them, right? A nearly empty house, 'oh, look at what the seller is leaving with the house.'

The seller says, 'I had no intention of leaving those items. I just didn't get them out, yet.'

But, the buyer figures, 'They were there when I looked at the house, I figured they were staying.'

Often times, these items can be the focal point of a battle. I have seen and heard of this happening on more than one occasion.

Years ago, a local agent showed a house, where the buyer wanted the old singer sewing machine that had been left in the otherwise empty house. The buyers wrote it on their contract to purchase the house. The seller said no. When the buyer did the walk through on the property, the machine was gone. The buyer refused to close. Both agents tried everything - they volunteered to give the buyer money, buy her a sewing machine, but NO, the buyer wanted the machine that had been in the house!

The buyer got so enraged that she decided she wasn't going to live in "THAT" woman's house. So, she walked away, at closing, and did not buy the house!

There can be a lot of emotions involved when buying a house.

So, when a house goes on the market, especially when vacating, sellers shouldn't leave any miscellaneous items. Remove those items BEFORE the for sale sign goes up.

Leave it, and the buyer will want it.

Let me that for you

Sandy Shores Melbourne FL Realtor

Sandy Shores, Melbourne FL REALTOR

Specializing in Residential, Investment and Relocation Real Estate

Melbourne Real Estate / Palm Bay Real Estate

321-253-4545

____________________________________________

Serving Brevard County Florida for 15 Years

Brevard County Resident for 36 Years

Melbourne, Palm Bay, Suntree, Viera, Rockledge, Titusville, Mims,

Indialantic, Indian Harbour Beach, Satellite Beach, Cocoa Beach, Cape Canaveral

______________________________________________

I buy, sell, rent, own and manage Investment Property.

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Myrl Jeffcoat

Sacramento, CA

Greater Sacramento Realtor - Retired

Boy is that ever true! I will never forget I had sellers that had left a washer and dryer out of the laundry room. They had bought new appliances for their new home. The old pair was to go to a daughter, who was slow picking it from the old house. Sure as shootin' the buyer "assumed" it was to remain. It gave anxious moments, but at the end of the day, the seller decided to let the buyer keep the washer and dryer.

Mar 01, 2011 11:01 AM

Keith Pentz

RE/MAX ADVANTAGE 1 - Shrewsbury, MA

Keith Pentz

Maybe we should use this info to start leaving items in the house we are trying to get rid of! Great post Sandy

Mar 01, 2011 11:13 AM

Margaret Woda

Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc. - Crofton, MD

Maryland Real Estate & Military Relocation

I've never experienced any of these things... 'guess I'm just lucky!

Mar 01, 2011 11:15 AM

Denise Hamlin, Broker/Owner

Cardinal Realty ~ 319-400-0268 - Iowa City, IA

Helping Happy Clients Make Smart Choices

@Margaret, you are very lucky. I haven't been in real estate that long and I have experienced this several times, not to say MANY times!

Love the title Sandy, it is SO true. Almost all buyers will assume items left behind are not needed. (After all, sellers would have taken them if they were needed, right?) Sellers should really leave the house exactly the way they want to sell it and not use it as a place for storage. It's the only way to avoid situations like the one with the sewing machine at closing.

Mar 01, 2011 11:43 AM

Silvia Dukes PA, Broker Associate, CRS, CIPS, SRES

Tropic Shores Realty - Ich spreche Deutsch! - Spring Hill, FL

Florida Waterfront and Country Club Living

Sandy, it seems to happen a lot with pool tables! :-) Congrats on your feature!

Mar 01, 2011 11:58 AM

Don Hintz

2D-enterprises / HAUS Design, LLC - Anderson, IN

Sandy,

Yep, pool tables, and gas powered outdoor tools left in the garage. Too bad they don't latch on to the things the sellers leave that they really don't want.

Mar 01, 2011 12:31 PM

Patricia Aulson

BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOME SERVICES Verani Realty NH Real Estate - Exeter, NH

Realtor - Portsmouth NH Homes-Hampton NH Homes

Good point made here today in this post. I've seen sellers leave a vintage car and the buyers thought they would negotiate it in to the sale.....well it didn't work. It's not real estate, it's personal property and should be bought seperatly.

Patrica/Seacoast NH & ME

Mar 01, 2011 12:39 PM

Sandy Shores FL Realtor®, Melbourne Real Estate

M & M Realty of Brevard Inc. - Melbourne, FL

Brevard County Real Estate, Florida's Space Coast

Hi Rob, Oh boy, I haven't run into that yet, but I'm sure it can be quite the situation. I can see a buyer requesting those furnishings. They see it, and they want it.

Michael, Sounds like good business. If it's a couple of small items, through it in for goodwill and close the sale. Good for you!

Mitchell, You bring up another great point. Any furnishings that are intended to stay with the house, should be completely separate from the sale of the home. I tell my sellers, that they should have a separate garage sale to get rid of those items. As Linda indicated real estate sales and furniture sales don't mix.

Hey Miss Myrl, That's a really sticky situation! Sometimes it's not worth a fight, it's better to just let it go for the sake of getting the property to close.

Keith, Too funny - never looked at it that way before.

Margaret, You are a very lucky lady. Hope it doesn't happen.

Mar 01, 2011 12:43 PM

Sandy Shores FL Realtor®, Melbourne Real Estate

M & M Realty of Brevard Inc. - Melbourne, FL

Brevard County Real Estate, Florida's Space Coast

Denise, Sellers really shouldn't use the house as storage. I think it sends out mixed messages to buyers that come in to look. It can be a real bugger.

Silvia, Funny, I bet it would. I can see a buyer eyeballing a pool table left in a vacant property.

Don, Often buyers want the lawn equipment that the seller has left behind, so they can maintain the yard until the property sells.

Hi Patricia, Ah, a Vintage Car - now that's something I don't ever seeing a seller letting go of with the house sale. That baby was probably the seller's pride and joy.

Mar 01, 2011 12:47 PM

Malik Crichlow

GoodBuy Homes NJ Essex & Union County Real Estate specialist - Maplewood, NJ

Maplewood,SouthOrange,Union Real estate

Sandy, this is so true...I just had a problem with this the other day...over a old car in the backyard that would of normally been junk but of course it created a fight, became such a mess. Thanks for sharing.

Mar 01, 2011 12:47 PM

Barbara Altieri

Better Homes and Gardens RE Shore and Country Properties - Shelton, CT

REALTOR-Fairfield County CT Homes/Condos For Sale

Sandy - It's hard to believe that an old Singer sewing machine blew the deal. But it happens. It's certainly not the first time I have heard of this. Get it in writing or clearly mark the items that are NOT staying.

Mar 01, 2011 01:27 PM

Mel Ahrens, MBA, Kelly Right Real Estate

Kelly Right Real Estate - Hood River, OR

Customized Choices for your Real Estate Needs

Wow, that never occurred to me. I've seen such situations before, but never have I seen it break the deal. Thanks for the heads up. I'm going to pay more attention to that.

Gretchen

Mar 01, 2011 01:55 PM

Chris Olsen

Olsen Ziegler Realty - Cleveland, OH

Broker Owner Cleveland Ohio Real Estate

Hi Sandy -- Your post really underscores the fact that agents need to advise their clients on the distinctions between real versus personal property as well as the fact that lenders won't loan money on personal property.

Mar 01, 2011 01:57 PM

Amy Law

Alliance Properties - Crosby, TX

Amen, Sister! I could not have said it better my self! And, don't forget those garbage cans and water hoses. Of all the silly things to kill a deal...yup. No garbage can nearly did. What saved it? I went and spent $30 for a new garbage can for the closing gift.

Mar 01, 2011 02:05 PM

Vickie McCartney

Maverick Realty - Owensboro, KY

Broker, Real Estate Agent Owensboro KY

Hi Sandy~ Oh! It happens and it can cost you a deal! I had some trouble over a porch swing a while back!

Mar 01, 2011 02:09 PM

Ginger Harper

Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage~ Ginger Harper Real Estate Team - Southport, NC

Your Southport~Oak Island Agent~Brunswick County!

I have found this to be true too.

Great post - thanks.

By the way, if you know of anyone looking to move to the Coastal area of North Carolina... refer them to me and I will gladly pay a 30% referral fee on any resulting closed transaction.

Ginger

Mar 01, 2011 02:14 PM

Mary Douglas

United Country Ponderosa Realty, Red Feather Lakes, Colorado - Red Feather Lakes, CO

REALTOR, Red Feather Lakes, Colorado

Hi Sandy, good advice as usual! I haven't run into this problem yet, but I can see how it could happen.

Mar 01, 2011 04:10 PM

Evelyn Kennedy

Alain Pinel Realtors - Alameda, CA

Alameda, Real Estate, Alameda, CA

Sandy:

Its the little things that cause a buyer to walk. As Lenn said, if the seller doesn't want to loose a valuable possession the seller should put a sign on the item "Not included in the sale" or words to that effect. Otherwise, the seller should consider that the item will stay with the house. No sense in killing a sale because of a piece of furniture.

Mar 01, 2011 05:04 PM

Sandy Shores FL Realtor®, Melbourne Real Estate

M & M Realty of Brevard Inc. - Melbourne, FL

Brevard County Real Estate, Florida's Space Coast

Malik, Isn't this interesting? You would almost think that a seller would be happy to get rid of his old junk car, sitting in the yard.

Barbara, That's what I heard. It seems a bit outrageous, doesn't it? But, I suppose some people want what they want.

Gretchen, I've seen buyers, as well as sellers get very emotional about personal items. I think because selling a home is such an emotional experience anyway.

Chris, Well said - lenders won't lend money on personal items. That's a great way of looking at it.

Amy, Wow, a garbage can! Good for you! If you need to buy a $30 garbage can to have the transaction close, then, by all means, do it.

Mar 02, 2011 03:40 AM

Sandy Shores FL Realtor®, Melbourne Real Estate

M & M Realty of Brevard Inc. - Melbourne, FL

Brevard County Real Estate, Florida's Space Coast

Vickie, Uh oh, I can see where a buyer would want a porch swing. Get it out of there before the house gets listed for sale.

Ginger, I've heard of it happening on a couple of different occasions.

Hey Mary, Thanks, hope all is well with you. Sure as you say that, one day you'll run into it.

Evelyn, I agree, it seems pointless to squabble over a piece of furniture - ridiculous.

Mar 02, 2011 03:47 AM