Things vary from state to state, and it is never good to presume something is included if it is not in writing. You do not suddenly want to have to find the money for something you thought was included. As you can see in this photo below from a Pennsylvania agreement of sale, a lot of things are included, but some things are not. In the agreement below we added the refrigerator.
In some countries, especially in Europe, kitchens are not included and owners remove all the cabinets and reuse them in the next home. Can you imagine turning up to find the kitchen gone? I know with some short sales we discovered owners had removed appliances and copper piping.
Generally, in Pennsylvania, anything viewed as a fixture, attached to the wall is included. However this includes curtain rods and blinds but not curtains. It is always worth asking what is included and what is not.
I always tell owners who are selling, if they have a family heirloom, such as a chandelier that has been passed down through the family, to remove it and replace it ahead of listing the house, so that it does not become an issue with a buyer who falls in love with it.
With the advent of wall mounted TVs the mounting hardware has become a fixture that is expected to be included in the sale.
Going back to kitchens, refrigerators, freezers, are generally not considered included unless added as part of the agreement. However, stoves, stove tops and ovens are included. I believe that many mortgage providers will not give a mortgage without these in the house. Likewise, washers and dryers are generally not included unless made part of the agreement of sale.
If you read through the long list of items that are included you will see that shrubs, trees etc. are included, so before a seller removes that rare example of a certain color azalea they need to exclude it from the sale or agree to replace it before the listing. You do not want to arrive at the final walkthrough to find an empty yard when it was all flowering shrubs when you viewed the home.
In Pennsylvania, and especially where I work along the Main Line and Chester County, I always make sure we put everything in writing as required by the Pennsylvania Real Estate Commission. If a homeowner mentions something we put it in writing so that there are no nasty surprises later.
Buying or selling along the Main Line and Chester County, contact Nick Vandekar with Realty ONE Group Advocates, office 484-237-2055, cell or text 610-203-4543, or email Nick@VandekarTeam.com, my goal is for you to have the confidence to make the right decisions throughout the transaction. So, contact me today and let's sit down and discuss your goals and make sure we are a good fit to work together.
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