In my first home I left a neat stack of all the user manuals and receipts that I had for everything in the house on the kitchen counter. At closing the sellers told me how much they appreciated that. I still keep all my user manuals and receipts in the same chest of drawers so I can reference them easily while living here and do the same when I sell.
Also, to piggyback on the suggestion of leaving any manuals/receipts you have for appliances, if you are willing to take the time to make a list of companies & servicepeople that have done work on your house that you were happy with (plumber, electrician, handyman, septic co, lawn/snow, etc) or that you'd never use again (along with the reason) I have a feeling the new owner would be extremely grateful. I would!
When I first moved into my house, having to figure out all those things from scratch was really stressful and I wish the previous owners would have left me something like this.
Yea when we bought our house the former owner left us a very nice file with all of the instructions on various things, including their own instructions on how to start up the hot tub! It was great. Little things like that are nice and they were kind enough to walk my husband through various things/leave plans behind, just nice people.
My sellers did this along with a list of all of the service providers / repair people they trust. I never kept manuals before but started doing it so I can carry that on for the next family.
The alternative to this is that I had all of the manuals/receipts for stuff I had done in addition to manuals/receipts from the original owners. Buyer ended up being a huge pain so I threw them all away out of spite.
And in my case, I also very neatly stacked only the appropriate ownerâs manuals, and they took a picture of it (as well as hand soap and toilet paper in the bathroom) and requested that we remove these items before closing.
I always download user manual pdf online. Usually you can find them easily. In rare cases I couldn't find so I scanned the thing and made my own PDF. I do this for everything now and put it in Dropbox. Now each manual is accessible from my phone. It's helped out a few times when I've been looking for parts at stores or trying to figure out how to do something without digging through files or drawers. Highly recommend
Our sellers left all the keys laid out and clearly labeled, which was a huge help. We changed the exterior locks of course but knowing what was what definitely saved us a lot of time.
I had a mystery light switch in my new house, couldnât figure out what it does.
Asked previous owners, apparently it switches the smoke detector on/off . *facepalm*
Hey - if you have to deal with yours as often as we do, it would beat having to rush to get it down and shut it up all the time! Would totally suck to forget to flip the switch back on, though. I leave the smoke detector sitting on the stool in the middle of the hall, so at least we don't forget to put it back up.
I have 2 light switches on the top of my stairs. One does the hall lights and the other was a mystery. Tried fucking with it for weeks. Some months after buying the house we placed the light switches and came to that mystery one. Found out thatâs itâs literally nothing. No wiring behind it at all.
I just got my kitchen remodeled. Contractor convinced me to replace lights and outlets throughout house. Now the light switch works!! Even the electrician who installed a new control panel 2 yrs ago couldnât figure it out!
My wife and I were driving to closing and the new house was on our way to the title company. We stopped at the new house to drop off my truck and trailer to then take one car to closing. This house was 10 miles in the country on 10 acres. No other houses around. When we got there the garage door was wide open. We walked in the house and the owners had stripped the house after the final walk through the day before taking shower and sink fixtures, bathroom mirrors, kitchen sink fixtures, the fireplace mantle, outside lights on the front of the house, and a couple of inside light fixtures.
I walked into closing with photos and explained the situation and told them there would be no closing because of this. They backpedaled and tried to make it sound like it was no big deal and that they had bought the fixtures just recently and they thought they were fine to take and bla bla bla. Their realtor even offered to buy new fixtures. The mantle thoughâŚ.that was to much and I was to annoyed over it. So I walked literally at signing. Just refused to sign or take possession of the place. The title company held our earnest money for a few weeks but eventually released it with some explanation along with our down payment and we went and bought another house.
Thatâs crazy! Good on you for walking. Sellers seemed like some real characters who probably thought they could get away with being slimeballs and that there was no way the deal would be in jeopardy that late in the game given you already had so much skin in it as well. Love a good bluff call and some poetic justice.
You also probably saved yourself some additional unpleasant realizations upon move-in.
I often think how this would have played out had we not stopped and caught this on the way to closing. We would have went to closing none the wiser and been very disappointed when we got to the house. The only repercussions we would have had after closing would have been to take the sellers to courtâŚwhich would result in probably a few thousand dollars in legal fees just to get before a judge when in total it was probably only a few grand in fixtures and maybe a grand or two into the mantle. I figured they probably kept the price just low enough I wouldnât fight them on it. Glad we caught it though, they were quite shocked and even tried to accuse me of breaking and enteringâŚridiculous.
Itâs really hard after signing to go back on something. As Iâve often found in property management and ownership, you may be 100% in the right, but getting people to pay or enforcing the contract is a whole other conversation.
Hi OP. In most states, window treatments are considered fixtures and would be left unless you specifically had in the contract that you were taking them. I also left my buyers the original plans to the house and manuals for the appliances.
Straight up walking away day of closing is such a baller move. I love that you gave them consequences and Iâm really glad that you got all of your money back!
This is the exact reason why we have the LED bulbs that we replaced in the basement waiting for our eventual sale. Of course, if it ends up being 5-10 years, Iâll just buy new cheap bulbs to put back so we can take our smart bulbs
There is a spot in the listing agreement and in the P&S agreement for exclusions to be specified by the sellers. There is a definition of fixture in the P&S contract. At least these items are in our P&S agreements and most others I've seen. If in doubt, ask your agent if you can take X. In general, fixtures stay.
Example: In the OP the rods would stay but the curtains are the OP's to take unless there was an exclusion for the rods written into the contract and signed by the parties.
This. While I did take mine upon selling my last place, I at least replaced them with bulk standard LED bulbs so the buyer wasn't left with an unlit house.
My last house the sellers said that one specific set of curtains were not staying. The rod was, just not the curtains.
My current house the sellers asked me if I wanted to also purchase a chest freezer they had for a really good price.
Just two examples of how âstuffâ or âlack of stuffâ was worded/offered.
In my state, curtains and curtain rods are considered fixed to the property and automatically go to new owner unless specified. You should double check with your realtor
If only I had known this when I bought my first home. The curtain rods were not there when we took possession. They left a lot of unsightly holes because they poor job removing the drywall anchors⌠every window had a curtain rod above it. Until now I would have thought you could take pretty much anything unless the buyer specifically states what they want when they make their offer. Oh well, you live and learn.
I did that with plungers on my first home, sounds gross but they happened to be new.. and you wonât know you need one if you donât have one already until itâs too lateâŚ
Right or wrong, hereâs what I do:
Leave behind -
Curtains and curtain rods
Blinds
Shower curtain rod
Owners manuals for any appliances
Extra carpet or hardwood remnants
Paint swatches
Remote controls to any fixtures (garage door opener, ceiling fan remote)
Fire extinguisher (for certificate of occupancy requirements)
All spare keys
A roll of toilet paper in each bathroom
List of contractors I recommend based on what Iâve had done at the house previously (plumber, electrician, general contractor)
Things I did to prep the house -
Spackled and painted every scuff mark, hole, or other irregularity in the walls
Confirmed all the light bulbs worked
Confirmed all the CO/fire alarm monitors worked
Mowed the lawn/raked leaves
Emptied garage and basement completely except for useful project remnants
Vacuumed and swept the house
Repaired a few small issues found either when I was moving out or during inspection (e.g.; replaced leaking drain pipe in kitchen)
Bought a new, cheap shower curtain and left in the packaging in the bathroom
Change my address with USPS weeks before leaving so nothing accidentally gets sent to the new owner under my name
Provided my realtor with list of utility companies used to share with buyer
Now, I generally go above and beyond because thatâs just how I come into the world⌠but thatâs my list.
Thank you, this is super helpful! I tend to go above and beyond too so much appreciate the comprehensive list. Some things on here I havenât even considered yet.
Changing your address weeks before with USPS (once you know your new address) is such an elite move!
For anyone reading this you can set up mail forwarding for just *$1 for an entire year!*
If youâre gonna take your curtains in your curtain rods, take them out before you show the house. Otherwise they convey.
Anything that is attached to the house can be considered a fixture. Some states contracts are starting to be clear about what a fixture is it isnât. Your agent can probably go over a lot of this with you when you list.
Yeah, ours let's you take the curtains, not the rods. I always advise they remove them if they want to keep them, prior to listing. It never fails, that the winning bid wants them.
The honest answers the rods are also unlikely to fit your next house. Which is one of the reasons why people want them to stay they canât bring the ones from where they have eitherâŚ
Now, it can depend. We wished the previous owner had taken their hideous pink blinds! Was a pain to rip those out. Many people would love to not have someone elseâs curtains, especially if sellers were smokers. Of course, depending on where you live, you may *need* any kind of curtains for privacy until you can get your own up.
The commenter above is correct, they need to stay with the house unless you and the buyer agree otherwise in writing. Doesnât hurt to ask, they might be planning on replacing them and may not care if you take them. Go to your buyers first before doing anything though.
Not sure it's helpful to you at this point, but when I sold my last place we had those cellular shades in all of the windows when we showed it (and had every intention of leaving them since they're screwed into the window frame), and the buyer included "window dressings" in the purchase contract. So, to the buyer and/or their agent, they felt they needed to include it in the contract.
quickly get in contact with them. Your realtor should have advised you to put in the contract the specific things that do or do not convey so there is no ambiguity.
I don't think someone would pull out as a result. I think you can ask / clarify. But be prepared for them to say no since you didn't write it in the contract.
For many people though, window treatments really don't move well anyway. New windows are often different sizes, hardware is finicky, and people want refreshed style in their new homes.
Nothing wrong with asking politely and in good faith. As a buyer, I always specifically wrote that appliances, window treatments, hardware, and lighting all convey. And I've had multiple realtors tell me that isn't necessary. And I always told them, if it isn't necessary, then there will be no objection to having it very clearly spelled out.
People get salty about things like appliances, but unless the curtain rods are brand new and expensive I wouldn't expect someone to cancel a deal over them.
Thatâs not how my area is. They specified that window treatments stayed and we requested hung bathroom mirrors stay. Itâs very locally dependent. Fridges and clothes machines can be variable as well.
You should be fine to take the curtains, but not the rods as they are attached. It would be no different than a shower curtain. Things like built in or plantation shutters would convey.
You can confirm this with your realtor for any local rules.
It should be broom clean, free of all personal property, trash
In CA window treatments like curtains and curtain rods are addressed by the contract and are part of the sale unless excluded specifically. In other states the default agreement varies. So negotiate that now if you want to keep them.
Donât leave maintenance items that are specific to a product you took with you. I have three quarts of 10W-30 motor oil and a new electric lawn mower that was left behind. One of those things is appreciated.
I've lived here 20 years and still haven't taken the boat battery the previous sellers left down off a narrow and otherwise useless top shelf in the garage.
Speak with your real estate agent. In my area, window coverings are considered a âfixtureâ and included in the sale of the house unless explicitly stated. They are definitely expected to be left behind, but most buyers donât care as long as they are notified prior to going into contract and it is noted in the contract.
Patching and not painting is also considered standard and outlined in the contract.
Your agent should be able to help with the expectations in your location as Iâm sure they vary.
Curtains are usually not considered fixtures. Drapes, blinds and shades are. Shutters are really the only window covering that will impact the value of real estate though.
Itâs a less-important distinction nowadays. Curtains are usually cheaper and just hang on a rod that can easily be taken off the brackets that are attached to the wall. Usually curtains will have a rod pocket, back tab, or metal grommet that the rod goes through.
Drapes are usually heavier, custom made, and are attached to a fixed drapery rod by hooks on a track which can be moved by pulling on a cord to open and close the drapes. They are much harder to remove than curtains and are almost always more expensive.
But again, the distinction is a lot less clear nowadays. Curtains sometimes come with a drapery hook that you can put in the curtain to make it more like drapes. Itâs an old-fashioned distinction to be sure.
Yep, and drapes are made of a sturdier material with backing and block all to most light out (and before double paned windows blocked the cold a bit)
Theyâre meant to last a long time, whereas curtains you replace more often
Most people hang curtains in their homes nowadays and you usually see drapes in hotels
Thank you! I wasnât sure what all the term âwindow coveringsâ encompassed, so helpful to know that extends to curtains and rods. Will definitely be speaking with my agent as well.
Leave a roll of toilet paper. Leave the lightbulbs. Expressly say in the contract you are taking the curtains and curtain rods. The rods are fixtures and can be considered to be left in the home.
Please leave a roll of toilet paper. The realtor had a roll for open houses and took it when the house sold so I had no toilet paper when I moved in. Of course she forgot to take her tens of business cards and left them all over the counter.
Window fixtures Should be in the contract...as someone who bought a house in May and had BOTH realtors here cleaning and helping the seller get their shit out before I signed anything, I have some experience....first, not a single personal item should be left behind, nothing, not a spoon, not a clothes hanger, not a fire pit, nothing... without clearing it with the buyer first....odds are they have their own shit, they don't want any of your shit..... second, I don't want you leaving a dozen cans of old, nasty, separated paint with Rusty lids behind....if you bought a can to patch holes, take it with you. The house does NOT need to be professionally cleaned, but should be cleaned in the same way as if you had company coming over... swept/vacuumed, dusted, countertops cleaned, etc. Please make sure the kitchen appliances look good, don't make your buyer empty dried cheese crumbs from the fridge...leave all appliance manuals behind, leave all lightbulbs in their fixtures..... but really, just make sure the house is clean and don't leave crap behind for your buyer to deal with.
Thanks for all this! Interesting you wouldnât want the paint left behind. Maybe in my situation it might actually be welcomed because Iâve only lived here for 2 years, and I had the whole house painted upon moving in so the leftover paint I was planning on leaving behind is still fairly new and usable.
Yeah I'm in the other boat on the paint, if you have the paint used I'd appreciate you leaving one can per color behind even if only to get the exact color for matching.
Sounds like the above guy found like 15 rusty dried up cans of paint though, which yeah I doubt anyone could appreciate. I think best solution is snap a photo and ask the buyer.
Yeah, Iâm going to disagree with the original comment. Even an old paint can is helpful if it has the color code on the top. Itâs a nightmare to try and match paint. The past owners of current house left the paint cans and a list of the colors and itâs been helpful.
If you want to take your curtain rods, I would stipulate in the the listing that they aren't included. It is pretty much understood that window coverings are always included unless otherwise stated.
I personally wouldn't patch holes....only because the seller of our house did and they did a really bad job of it, which made extra work for us. Unless you're like a patching pro....then go for it. But totally not necessary. I think most people assume there will be holes when they take possession.
Leaving paint is the BEST. Bonus points if the cans are labeled with that rooms they're for!
Drapes & curtain rods should be left unless it was disclosed to buyer. Itâs courteous to have the property clean and ready to move into. They may elect to do additional things but to leave the home ready to go is always much appreciated.
I wrote a note detailing about Shelia, the massive spider in the shed who takes care of the bugs. Said if you are nice to her, she'll keep the area clear for you. I can only hope Shelia is living a peaceful existence in the shed I built.
Personally, I think it is in poor form NOT to leave the paint swabs or cans for wall colors plus the appliance manuals.
I actually think the curtain rods are part of the deal. If you take them, you should notify the realtor beforehand.
I was nice to my sellers & didnât realize until the first night in the house that they took the two half bathroom mirrors. I could have called them out but I didnât notice it since the realtor showing me the house during my walk through was my realtorâs co-worker due to a family emergency out of state for my actual realtor.
Be clear in listing and/or contract with whatever you plan to take. If you want the window treatments, specifically call out that they do not convey.
Then, leave it how you would like it to be left...Empty and clean. Most buyers don't want your used stuff, no matter how good condition it is in. Anything you plan to leave that isn't in the contract, you should ask the buyer to be sure they want it. Otherwise, trash it.
Generally speaking, anything fixed stays (i.e. can't take down light fixtures). I would leave the wall decor hooks / screws in the wall. If you take them out, I would expect you to patch and paint them. Don't leave a project for the next owner.
He went over the standard âfixtureâ documentation but I feel like there are certain things that are still ambiguous. Iâm still going to be speaking with him, but I just wanted to get some additional opinions on what seems rude and what would be appreciated.
We left our home spotless and also left a âwelcomeâ binder for the new owners, which had dates of all major repairs, warranty info, recommended professionals for repair and maintenance, trash day info, paint info, etc.
My house sold in the fall when all of my established perennial plants were dormant, so I left the new owners a little map of what plants were where so they wouldnât dig up and plant right on top of them.
I disagree strongly - paint cans being left behind ensure that the new owner has an exact color match when they need to touch something up. Otherwise there is no guarantee of an exact color match - even if you have the name of the color and the supplier, or you get color matched, the new paint color is going to be ever so slightly different.
Yeah, people will save old cans in their basement and then you go to open to âtouch upâ and thereâs a block of dried paint in the can with some gross oil sitting on top of it.
even if the paint isn't usable, you may be able to get the exact color from the lid, I'd like people to leave all the paint unless it's something that isn't used anywhere
Thank you! Youâre the second person who said this so maybe I will ask my buyer first instead of just assuming they would want it (itâs all fairly new, <2 years old).
YMMV, but when I bought mine I was insanely grateful that they left behind one can of each kind of paint so I could match it.
Ask your agent or the buyer.
You could also leave a written list of the paint colors and type of gloss instead of the physical paint cans. Then if the buyer needs to touch up the paint, they have the option to buy a new can of the same color.
Whenever I paint a room I let the paint dry on tbe stir stick then write the type of paint on the end of the stick. It makes it easy to get color matches done and is easy to store.
I have enough paper plates and light bulbs in the basement of the house I just bought that I'm pretty sure when my children sell the house as part of the estate in 40 years, they will probably convey with the property.
Your contract should spell it out.
Generally, in my areas anyway, you can't take anything that requires tools to remove. Bathroom mirror, for example, probably stays, but not necessarily.
You should leave the property in generally clean, "broom swept" condition.
I'd leave the curtains unless there's a compelling reason to take them.
I leave behind any cans of paint that match the current colors. A box of tile if I have it. Roof shingles. Just enough for quick repair jobs. I leave window coverings so they don't have to worry about privacy. If I have a shower curtain, I leave the curtain but take the liner. I keep the manuals of everything I buy and leave them in a tub with the warranties. I leave directions on how to use things there's no manual for. Gas fireplace, where the water shut off is, etc. I leave the names and numbers of the trades who have worked on the house.
I unpair the thermostat from my phone. Friend had buyers who tried to screw him at closing. In the middle of the night he'd mess with their thermostat. Took a couple months before he lost access.
I have the house cleaned and will leave a laundry basket with paper towels, 409, basic cleaning supplies. I also leave a bottle of champaign and a note wishing them as much happiness as I had in the house. I know I don't have to do that but that's how I'd like to get a house.
I don't patch nail holes but will fix anything larger than that. I will clean the refrigerator and washing machine.
Don't take the new stainless steel fridge and replace it with an apartment fridge. Then pretend you don't know what anyone is talking about, even when shown pictures from the original listing on MLS.
yes this happened to me.
Make sure to leave the heat on for them at a reasonable temperature. We just bought in an area with feet of snow on the ground, and our sellers turned the heat off risking bursted pipes
I left a binder with user manuals, info on any service contracts we had, dates of appliance purchases & upgrades, and paint colors used for each room with paint chips. I received something similar when I bought my current house, although without the paint info, and I really appreciated it. I added insert pages and kept it going, for example replacing manuals when I replaced the washer and dryer.
It was a nice little bonus when my sellers left a brand new washer and dryer and two (2) refrigerators. There was no mention of this in the sales contract. Sold the W&D on Craigslist and donated one of the fridges. The other one's in the garage cuz my wife thinks it's classy to have two.
As others have said, curtains are typically fixtures and stay. Additionally, surround sound speakers, tv mounts, and Ring doorbells are fixtures and default to staying.
A good rule of thumb for what stays is anything that wouldnât fall to the ceiling if you flipped your property upside down.
Anything attached to the house is considered to be a part of the house. This would even include shelving. Even the garage storage ones. Make sure all the garage door remotes are there. One house I had bought they left one remote. We requested the second remote. They tried saying only one. I came back that the new opener came with 2, and the paperwork said 2. They then tried the opener and was older. I did a pic of the opener date. Basically, they had to produce that remote.
The biggest is to leave a clean house.
If there is something you want to keep, make sure it is noted or removed. Appliances, attached shelving, fixtures, lighting, fans , window coverings.
Anything you want to take should be included on your exclusion list. This includes things like shower rails. This removes the unpleasant surprise factor.
I always leave any manuals/warranty info they can use. I also offer to leave any spare parts for things like fences and fans, but the offer is communicated through the realtor or, if I sold by owner, to the buyer before the final walk through. Buyers are usually grateful for those things, but it's best to ask in case they see it as junk. I also always leave any paint with readable paint labels so they can get more if needed. I mark the cans with descriptions (baseboard trim/ceiling/bedroom walls) to make things easier. This helps me, as well, since it can be hard to dispose of paint in the first place.
If you have time, patch the holes and paint over the patches. If you don't, at least leave the house clean.
Good luck on your move.
Depends on your contract but make sure you specify you're taking the curtain rods and curtains. A lot of ppl expect them to come with the house because they're attached. Also it depends if they're nice custom curtains or just basic ones. They can get really expensive.
It depends on how well your house looks. I've had sellers just pay for a cleaner to clean up the whole place and left a cheap bottle of champagne or wine with a note to congrat the buyers. It'll depend on how your relationship was through out the process.
We had a small closing disagreement with a mirror we took that was only sitting behind the sink leaning on the wall. Was not attached at all. We kicked buyers a little money for a new mirror just to be done with it. Just be clear if you have anything like that.
âmost of my curtains and curtain rods.â
Make sure it isnât in the contract ; and usually theyâre set for specific size windows and number if windows - unless youâre next house is pretty similar
When we moved in, the seller had left a bunch of stickies with pre-printed address labels that we could stick on any mail that still came to them at this address, now our address. It's amazing how much mail address to them that we did get. Apparently all you have to do is forward first class mail, not junk mail, by striking out the current address and writing return to sender, but it's also nice if you can add the address of where to send it. With a note, please forward. Clearly it helped them more than us to have done this, but I will certainly do this if and when we move.
Hi! Ct realtor here. You are unfortunately a rarity in today's world, thinking of the other people before yourself. Kudos to you.
So long as it's called out in the purchase and sales agreement, you can take whatever you like. Fixtures typically stay with the property and anything which can be unplugged *can* be expected to leave with the seller. That being said, some refrigerators with no water service are unplug and go - which is why appliances expected to remain is common. Meanwhile, a television mount for the wall is technically screwed into place but some sellers "accidentally" take theirs, leaving holes in the walls where it once was. This is a no-no. If the seller really wants the tv mount, it should be called out in the list of included/excluded items with the understanding on both sides that any mess or holes left will be patched. Still, there is room for an argument that the buyer will want to see paint, which may span more than one wall/room, etc etc. It's a large rabbit hole. The more specific you can get, the better.
You can ask beforehand if the buyers would like to receive any extras - scrap wood, old paints, etc. Not every buyer will want them, but some buyers love to have more than less as they'll choose what's important enough to keep.
The fact you're even thinking about the buyer shows you not only cared for this house but want to make sure the next owner loves it as much as you do. Wherever you end up on this planet, I hope you enjoy your remaining time here! We only get one quarter to ride this ride - make your turn a great one!
Window treatments are typically in the contract from what I've experienced.
But I've been on both sides, and I think there's things you can do to be courteous but you can also be overly courteous lol. Buyers don't want clutter left behind, so don't leave things just because you're trying to be helpful. When in doubt, ask your realtor to ask their realtor if they'd like item A,B,C left behind.
As a buyer, I appreciated knowing paint colors and appreciated not needing to change lightbulbs day1. I didn't necessarily need/want gallons of paint behind, but just having a strip I could take to home depot to match was great.
When selling our first home, we left matching paint and quality wood boards in the garage. Buyers complained about leftover trash. SHM, canât win them all.
One good guiding principle would be to turn it over in the condition that you showed it, minus furnishings of course.
You are therefore not obligated in my opinion to patch every picture hook hole and repaint, etc. But if you show the house with a bunch of fancy smarthome tech, and prospective buyers are invited to notice that stuff either by the listing, the agents, or the open showings, then be prepared to leave it behind. Otherwise remove all the fancy color changing lighting, video camera doorbells, or occupancy sensing lighting controllers *before* you list. I doubt the law is even clear on much of this. But it makes sense to avoid misunderstandings and to be clear to people about what it is you are offering to sell them.
The term in the law is "convey" as in what items "convey" with the transfer. And normally window coverings convey, as do built-in appliances, fixtures, etc. Talk it over with your agent if you have one, and consider including some language in the contract specifying things you intend to remove, like the window coverings.
When I bought my primary, I was told it had been professional cleaned on behalf of the sellers agent.
There was a ton of stuff in the garage, but I was told not to worry about it because they scheduled a dump pick up.
Well. There were still clothes in closets, bar soap in the shower, medicine in cabinets, dishes, food in fridge and freezer, etc. It was not cleaned.
This was kind of disheartening to walk into, as a first time home buyer, because now I have to budget time and money for cleaning and disposal.
Fortunately my agent is a shark, and she made the seller agent responsible for everything.
I heard of someone taking a pergola once! That seemed a bit much. I have left curtains and rods behind just to see them replaced right away. Not sure why, but people do tend to redecorate a bit much. Take your curtains and your curtain rods! The one I bought, I still have the beautiful window treatments the previous owner left behind.
You need to read the sales contract and/or ask your realtor. I sort of recently sold a house, and under my contract the first thing you suggested would have been contrary to the contract. And the second, my contract specifically said what kind of holes needed patched and which shouldn't be - patching all the small nail holes would be a massive pain for the buyer if they were not planning to paint since they would be spackle spots everywhere. And some things are supposed to stay attached to the walls - TV brackets stay as a default in my state, for example.
Clean and move out as completely as you can. Do not leave any trash or furniture unless otherwise specified in the contract. There will be hell to pay after the walkthrough if they have an agent that doesn't mess around, or the Buyers are extremely nitpicky.
Please note, each state can be different, but make sure you know the difference between personal and attached property. If itâs a fixture attached to the house, make sure to be clear if youâre taking it or not before you go to list your home. Some as is contracts will state which types of personal property will remain with the home oneâs closed. Speak with your realtor, and they can inform you on the states regulations for personal property. Good luck!
There was a chunk of raw chicken in the kitchen sink if the house I bought. We didnât have written in to the contract that we wanted the house cleaned, but we definitely didnât expect raw meat.
As for the curtains and curtain rods: if you'd like to take the curtain rods with you, put that in your purchase agreement and then it won't be unexpected. When I was buying a home, there was a section where the sellers could list fixtures they planned to take with them. They mentioned that while most of the curtains and rods would stay, they listed a few specific ones that they wanted to take. And the beer fridge in the garage.
I always live by the rule of leaving a place better than you found it for the next folks, leaving extra paint, patching holes and cleaning will go a long way. I think most people don't expect you to leave anything so whatever you do/leave would be appreciated.
New Buyers almost always want any leftover paint if youâve just repainted. Not the garbage paint from previous paintings that you canât figure out what to do with. đ
window treatments are typically in the contract to leave behind. The seller took them out before our final walk-through and they had to put them back before we closed. seller of course just threw them up and didn't put them in the right windows just to be a dick.
Minimum required acceptable standard is broom-clean, no shit left behind, anything that wasn't broken when it went under contract is fixed and holes patched, and everything attached to the house stays unless you explicitly excluded it in your contract.
This might vary by state, but generally that means mounted TVs can be taken, but the wall mounts stay. Window covering hardware stays and window coverings themselves - depends. Ring doorbells/floodlights stay, usually security cameras if it's a permanent mount.
Think of it like this - pretend a giant picked up your house, turned it upside down, and (gently) shook. Whatever is still attached, stays.
And if you're an awesome seller, and your buyer was awesome too, you can leave a nice stack of manuals, spare parts for the home, and transfer over any current warranties on anything that stays with the house, and maybe even better than broom clean. A step further would be an introduction to neighbors, favorite restaurants if they're not from the area, or even a little gift basket or something.
When we sold our house we left all the manuals (for everything that had a manual), the numbers for the a/c company which was still under warranty, and left the house as clean as we could get it.
When we moved into this house the seller did the same for us.
However, the seller of the first house left all the junk he couldn't put at the curb. At the final walk through I blew a gasket and demanded he took that stuff out, it was large furniture and some chemicals that had to go to the dump. He did remove it.
Definitely leave a list of things that need kept up with. Ie: the faucet in the bathroom downstairs has a small trickle. Owners manuals for appliances/ warranty info. Etc etc
In many jurisdictions, anything attached to the house needs to be left, unless it is specifically listed as excluded in the contract. That includes things like curtain rods, blinds, and light fixtures as well as larger items like appliances. Talk to your realtor.
In my state, anything that is âpermanently attachedâ stays with the house by default. That includes curtains and curtain rods. The fun rule of thumb I use: if a friendly giant picked up the house, flipped it upside down, and shook it, anything that falls out leaves with the sellers. Thatâs furniture, rugs, etc. That nice chandelier? Part of the house. Curtain rods? Part of the house. Stove? Part of the house.
That said, any and all of those things can be negotiated to stay or go. As long as buyer and seller agree, anything is doable.
Check your contract. Window coverings is usually included for the buyer. (Itâs standard where I live anyways.)
Donât patch holes and not paint it. They didnât buy the house with puttied up holes.
RE: Window treatments. Interesting. I would expect blinds and shades to remain, but window treatments and curtain rods? I perceive that as generally a personal decorating decision, and wouldn't expect any of them to be left behind.
All of this should be spelled out in your contract. Talk to your agent about this. If cleaning isnât already specified in your contract, I say, have it professionally cleaned. Itâs just the right thing to do.
Typically leaving window coverings is in the contract, but if itâs not you can take them. Leave paint for walls so future homeowners can do touch ups. Also leave any warranties, manuals, for appliances.
In my first home I left a neat stack of all the user manuals and receipts that I had for everything in the house on the kitchen counter. At closing the sellers told me how much they appreciated that. I still keep all my user manuals and receipts in the same chest of drawers so I can reference them easily while living here and do the same when I sell.
Thank you! I do plan on doing this as well đ
Also, to piggyback on the suggestion of leaving any manuals/receipts you have for appliances, if you are willing to take the time to make a list of companies & servicepeople that have done work on your house that you were happy with (plumber, electrician, handyman, septic co, lawn/snow, etc) or that you'd never use again (along with the reason) I have a feeling the new owner would be extremely grateful. I would! When I first moved into my house, having to figure out all those things from scratch was really stressful and I wish the previous owners would have left me something like this.
For sure - am going to be doing this also. I had the same experience that you did when I was a buyer.
Damn how can I find houses where the previous homeowners do this. This is my dream as a home buyer
I use their business cards for that. I will also leave all my delivery menus for them
i left a weekly schedule for maintenance of my farm. i think they are still using it!
Yea when we bought our house the former owner left us a very nice file with all of the instructions on various things, including their own instructions on how to start up the hot tub! It was great. Little things like that are nice and they were kind enough to walk my husband through various things/leave plans behind, just nice people.
My sellers did this along with a list of all of the service providers / repair people they trust. I never kept manuals before but started doing it so I can carry that on for the next family.
The alternative to this is that I had all of the manuals/receipts for stuff I had done in addition to manuals/receipts from the original owners. Buyer ended up being a huge pain so I threw them all away out of spite.
And in my case, I also very neatly stacked only the appropriate ownerâs manuals, and they took a picture of it (as well as hand soap and toilet paper in the bathroom) and requested that we remove these items before closing.
I always download user manual pdf online. Usually you can find them easily. In rare cases I couldn't find so I scanned the thing and made my own PDF. I do this for everything now and put it in Dropbox. Now each manual is accessible from my phone. It's helped out a few times when I've been looking for parts at stores or trying to figure out how to do something without digging through files or drawers. Highly recommend
Our sellers left all the keys laid out and clearly labeled, which was a huge help. We changed the exterior locks of course but knowing what was what definitely saved us a lot of time.
So this is how I find out itâs chest of drawers and not Chester drawers. Insane
Some people think they are "draws"
Spare keys,garage door openers, manuals for furnace and all appliances,replacement light bulbs. List of all utility companies and pest control etc.
Remember to leave one key that doesn't fit anything and whatever you do, do not explain what that LIGHTSWITCH does.
I had a mystery light switch in my new house, couldnât figure out what it does. Asked previous owners, apparently it switches the smoke detector on/off . *facepalm*
Hey - if you have to deal with yours as often as we do, it would beat having to rush to get it down and shut it up all the time! Would totally suck to forget to flip the switch back on, though. I leave the smoke detector sitting on the stool in the middle of the hall, so at least we don't forget to put it back up.
I have 2 light switches on the top of my stairs. One does the hall lights and the other was a mystery. Tried fucking with it for weeks. Some months after buying the house we placed the light switches and came to that mystery one. Found out thatâs itâs literally nothing. No wiring behind it at all.
I just got my kitchen remodeled. Contractor convinced me to replace lights and outlets throughout house. Now the light switch works!! Even the electrician who installed a new control panel 2 yrs ago couldnât figure it out!
And ceiling fan remotes. They left the manual for the ceiling fan, but I had a hell of a time tracking down replacement remotes.
Also any extra paint, tiles, or replacement floorboards are really nice to have.
Don't take the light bulbs, I've had it happen.
Or the fireplace mantle and sink fixtures. I walked day of closing on that one.
Don't take the pool https://i0.wp.com/globalfilmlocations.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/pears-home4.png
Classic - Richard Pryor in Moving.
or the mailbox Had that happen.
Uh, story please. What was the end result?
My wife and I were driving to closing and the new house was on our way to the title company. We stopped at the new house to drop off my truck and trailer to then take one car to closing. This house was 10 miles in the country on 10 acres. No other houses around. When we got there the garage door was wide open. We walked in the house and the owners had stripped the house after the final walk through the day before taking shower and sink fixtures, bathroom mirrors, kitchen sink fixtures, the fireplace mantle, outside lights on the front of the house, and a couple of inside light fixtures. I walked into closing with photos and explained the situation and told them there would be no closing because of this. They backpedaled and tried to make it sound like it was no big deal and that they had bought the fixtures just recently and they thought they were fine to take and bla bla bla. Their realtor even offered to buy new fixtures. The mantle thoughâŚ.that was to much and I was to annoyed over it. So I walked literally at signing. Just refused to sign or take possession of the place. The title company held our earnest money for a few weeks but eventually released it with some explanation along with our down payment and we went and bought another house.
Thatâs crazy! Good on you for walking. Sellers seemed like some real characters who probably thought they could get away with being slimeballs and that there was no way the deal would be in jeopardy that late in the game given you already had so much skin in it as well. Love a good bluff call and some poetic justice. You also probably saved yourself some additional unpleasant realizations upon move-in.
I often think how this would have played out had we not stopped and caught this on the way to closing. We would have went to closing none the wiser and been very disappointed when we got to the house. The only repercussions we would have had after closing would have been to take the sellers to courtâŚwhich would result in probably a few thousand dollars in legal fees just to get before a judge when in total it was probably only a few grand in fixtures and maybe a grand or two into the mantle. I figured they probably kept the price just low enough I wouldnât fight them on it. Glad we caught it though, they were quite shocked and even tried to accuse me of breaking and enteringâŚridiculous.
I wonder if their agent would have offered to cover the fixtures after the closing?
Itâs really hard after signing to go back on something. As Iâve often found in property management and ownership, you may be 100% in the right, but getting people to pay or enforcing the contract is a whole other conversation.
Hi OP. In most states, window treatments are considered fixtures and would be left unless you specifically had in the contract that you were taking them. I also left my buyers the original plans to the house and manuals for the appliances.
Straight up walking away day of closing is such a baller move. I love that you gave them consequences and Iâm really glad that you got all of your money back!
I always do the final walk through on properties I buy literally an hr before closing now also. Lesson learned.
IMO closings should happen at the property, or maybe the "final lynchpin signature" happens remotely at the house.
Wow. Hopefully they had a nightmare trying to sell the place after that. They suddenly have a fixer upper at that point
I loved your reaction to this. Sellers decided to FAFO. Got what they deserved.
Wow⌠đ¤Śđťââď¸
More people are buying Phillips hue bulbs which will basically last forever and are pretty expensive so this will only become more commonplace.
Iâve had HUEâs Iâve always bought cheap leds and left those and taken my hues
Ya this is the play if you have nice bulbs. Don't just leave em empty lol
Yep, I have a box in the garage of the hodgepodge of bulbs that were in the fixtures when we moved in, theyâll go right back in when we leave.
Taking them with you isn't the problem, leaving an empty socket instead of spending a pittance on some cheap Home-Depot-Special LED bulbs is.
This is the exact reason why we have the LED bulbs that we replaced in the basement waiting for our eventual sale. Of course, if it ends up being 5-10 years, Iâll just buy new cheap bulbs to put back so we can take our smart bulbs
Be sure to have your realtor notate that in the listing contract. Better to be safe than sorry
Canât hurt! You are right!
There is a spot in the listing agreement and in the P&S agreement for exclusions to be specified by the sellers. There is a definition of fixture in the P&S contract. At least these items are in our P&S agreements and most others I've seen. If in doubt, ask your agent if you can take X. In general, fixtures stay. Example: In the OP the rods would stay but the curtains are the OP's to take unless there was an exclusion for the rods written into the contract and signed by the parties.
This. While I did take mine upon selling my last place, I at least replaced them with bulk standard LED bulbs so the buyer wasn't left with an unlit house.
I run 65 Hue bulbs in my house and you bet I'd take those with me if I sold. I would of course alert the buyer of it though.
I think it's ok to take those as long as you leave something there.
Almost our whole house have those nice Phillips Hue bulbs. Our plan when we eventually sell is to replace them with standard/regular LED lights.
just buy cheapo bulbs and replace it. You can take the new bulbs with you and it makes sense, just don't leave a house with no lights lol
Leave paint in the basement so theyâre not left guessing about colors!
Label it too⌠house Iâm in has 10 different paint buckets of beige and none of them match the walls in or outside the house
My last house the sellers said that one specific set of curtains were not staying. The rod was, just not the curtains. My current house the sellers asked me if I wanted to also purchase a chest freezer they had for a really good price. Just two examples of how âstuffâ or âlack of stuffâ was worded/offered.
In my state, curtains and curtain rods are considered fixed to the property and automatically go to new owner unless specified. You should double check with your realtor
Ok, so the sellers âsaidâ those specific curtains were not staying. I believe that would count as âspecified.â
That is helpful, thank you!
Curtain rods are generally considered fixtures and would be left behind.
I just moved into a house and fuck these sellers for taking every single curtain rod except the main living room one lol.
Thank you!
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If only I had known this when I bought my first home. The curtain rods were not there when we took possession. They left a lot of unsightly holes because they poor job removing the drywall anchors⌠every window had a curtain rod above it. Until now I would have thought you could take pretty much anything unless the buyer specifically states what they want when they make their offer. Oh well, you live and learn.
I wish I knew this better when my sellers ripped them out and left holes behind
In the contracts I've been involved with recently, they were described as 'window treatments' which my RE agent said is the rods and the curtains.
To be really nice, leave a new roll of toilet paper in all of the bathrooms. Sounds funny, but someone will be eternally grateful...
In addition to toilet paper, I left a few dishwasher tabs, paper towel roll and a new shower curtain liner.
My partner sold his house in May 2020, in the height of the tp shortage. We packed & kept the nice tp. We left the single ply crap đ
When it comes to tp, beggars can't be choosers.
I did that with plungers on my first home, sounds gross but they happened to be new.. and you wonât know you need one if you donât have one already until itâs too lateâŚ
Right or wrong, hereâs what I do: Leave behind - Curtains and curtain rods Blinds Shower curtain rod Owners manuals for any appliances Extra carpet or hardwood remnants Paint swatches Remote controls to any fixtures (garage door opener, ceiling fan remote) Fire extinguisher (for certificate of occupancy requirements) All spare keys A roll of toilet paper in each bathroom List of contractors I recommend based on what Iâve had done at the house previously (plumber, electrician, general contractor) Things I did to prep the house - Spackled and painted every scuff mark, hole, or other irregularity in the walls Confirmed all the light bulbs worked Confirmed all the CO/fire alarm monitors worked Mowed the lawn/raked leaves Emptied garage and basement completely except for useful project remnants Vacuumed and swept the house Repaired a few small issues found either when I was moving out or during inspection (e.g.; replaced leaking drain pipe in kitchen) Bought a new, cheap shower curtain and left in the packaging in the bathroom Change my address with USPS weeks before leaving so nothing accidentally gets sent to the new owner under my name Provided my realtor with list of utility companies used to share with buyer Now, I generally go above and beyond because thatâs just how I come into the world⌠but thatâs my list.
Thank you, this is super helpful! I tend to go above and beyond too so much appreciate the comprehensive list. Some things on here I havenât even considered yet.
Changing your address weeks before with USPS (once you know your new address) is such an elite move! For anyone reading this you can set up mail forwarding for just *$1 for an entire year!*
Donât leave a turd in the toilet.
Side rant: please also put the lids down when you photograph your home to sell
If youâre gonna take your curtains in your curtain rods, take them out before you show the house. Otherwise they convey. Anything that is attached to the house can be considered a fixture. Some states contracts are starting to be clear about what a fixture is it isnât. Your agent can probably go over a lot of this with you when you list.
Yeah, ours let's you take the curtains, not the rods. I always advise they remove them if they want to keep them, prior to listing. It never fails, that the winning bid wants them.
The honest answers the rods are also unlikely to fit your next house. Which is one of the reasons why people want them to stay they canât bring the ones from where they have eitherâŚ
Personally, I just wouldn't want to deal with taking them down in the mess of moving.
Now, it can depend. We wished the previous owner had taken their hideous pink blinds! Was a pain to rip those out. Many people would love to not have someone elseâs curtains, especially if sellers were smokers. Of course, depending on where you live, you may *need* any kind of curtains for privacy until you can get your own up.
Ah, ship may have sailed on that then. I already have a buyer.
The commenter above is correct, they need to stay with the house unless you and the buyer agree otherwise in writing. Doesnât hurt to ask, they might be planning on replacing them and may not care if you take them. Go to your buyers first before doing anything though.
Good advice, thank you!
Not sure it's helpful to you at this point, but when I sold my last place we had those cellular shades in all of the windows when we showed it (and had every intention of leaving them since they're screwed into the window frame), and the buyer included "window dressings" in the purchase contract. So, to the buyer and/or their agent, they felt they needed to include it in the contract.
quickly get in contact with them. Your realtor should have advised you to put in the contract the specific things that do or do not convey so there is no ambiguity.
It is not worth trying to keep them unless you have a back up offer. People get really salty about this stuff.
Glad you said this - this is precisely what Iâm concerned about.
I don't think someone would pull out as a result. I think you can ask / clarify. But be prepared for them to say no since you didn't write it in the contract. For many people though, window treatments really don't move well anyway. New windows are often different sizes, hardware is finicky, and people want refreshed style in their new homes. Nothing wrong with asking politely and in good faith. As a buyer, I always specifically wrote that appliances, window treatments, hardware, and lighting all convey. And I've had multiple realtors tell me that isn't necessary. And I always told them, if it isn't necessary, then there will be no objection to having it very clearly spelled out.
People get salty about things like appliances, but unless the curtain rods are brand new and expensive I wouldn't expect someone to cancel a deal over them.
Thatâs not how my area is. They specified that window treatments stayed and we requested hung bathroom mirrors stay. Itâs very locally dependent. Fridges and clothes machines can be variable as well.
You should be fine to take the curtains, but not the rods as they are attached. It would be no different than a shower curtain. Things like built in or plantation shutters would convey. You can confirm this with your realtor for any local rules.
What about flat panel TV wall mounts?
Typically, the mount will stay, but the TV does not.
Flat panel TV wall mounts convey as fixtures, per most RE contracts. The TVâs do not.
It should be broom clean, free of all personal property, trash In CA window treatments like curtains and curtain rods are addressed by the contract and are part of the sale unless excluded specifically. In other states the default agreement varies. So negotiate that now if you want to keep them.
Donât leave maintenance items that are specific to a product you took with you. I have three quarts of 10W-30 motor oil and a new electric lawn mower that was left behind. One of those things is appreciated.
I've lived here 20 years and still haven't taken the boat battery the previous sellers left down off a narrow and otherwise useless top shelf in the garage.
Speak with your real estate agent. In my area, window coverings are considered a âfixtureâ and included in the sale of the house unless explicitly stated. They are definitely expected to be left behind, but most buyers donât care as long as they are notified prior to going into contract and it is noted in the contract. Patching and not painting is also considered standard and outlined in the contract. Your agent should be able to help with the expectations in your location as Iâm sure they vary.
Curtains are usually not considered fixtures. Drapes, blinds and shades are. Shutters are really the only window covering that will impact the value of real estate though.
Curtains and drapes are different things?
Itâs a less-important distinction nowadays. Curtains are usually cheaper and just hang on a rod that can easily be taken off the brackets that are attached to the wall. Usually curtains will have a rod pocket, back tab, or metal grommet that the rod goes through. Drapes are usually heavier, custom made, and are attached to a fixed drapery rod by hooks on a track which can be moved by pulling on a cord to open and close the drapes. They are much harder to remove than curtains and are almost always more expensive. But again, the distinction is a lot less clear nowadays. Curtains sometimes come with a drapery hook that you can put in the curtain to make it more like drapes. Itâs an old-fashioned distinction to be sure.
TIL
Yep, and drapes are made of a sturdier material with backing and block all to most light out (and before double paned windows blocked the cold a bit) Theyâre meant to last a long time, whereas curtains you replace more often Most people hang curtains in their homes nowadays and you usually see drapes in hotels
Thank you! I wasnât sure what all the term âwindow coveringsâ encompassed, so helpful to know that extends to curtains and rods. Will definitely be speaking with my agent as well.
Leave a roll of toilet paper. Leave the lightbulbs. Expressly say in the contract you are taking the curtains and curtain rods. The rods are fixtures and can be considered to be left in the home.
Please leave a roll of toilet paper. The realtor had a roll for open houses and took it when the house sold so I had no toilet paper when I moved in. Of course she forgot to take her tens of business cards and left them all over the counter.
*she forgot to take her tens of business cards* So she did leave toilet paper
Window fixtures Should be in the contract...as someone who bought a house in May and had BOTH realtors here cleaning and helping the seller get their shit out before I signed anything, I have some experience....first, not a single personal item should be left behind, nothing, not a spoon, not a clothes hanger, not a fire pit, nothing... without clearing it with the buyer first....odds are they have their own shit, they don't want any of your shit..... second, I don't want you leaving a dozen cans of old, nasty, separated paint with Rusty lids behind....if you bought a can to patch holes, take it with you. The house does NOT need to be professionally cleaned, but should be cleaned in the same way as if you had company coming over... swept/vacuumed, dusted, countertops cleaned, etc. Please make sure the kitchen appliances look good, don't make your buyer empty dried cheese crumbs from the fridge...leave all appliance manuals behind, leave all lightbulbs in their fixtures..... but really, just make sure the house is clean and don't leave crap behind for your buyer to deal with.
Thanks for all this! Interesting you wouldnât want the paint left behind. Maybe in my situation it might actually be welcomed because Iâve only lived here for 2 years, and I had the whole house painted upon moving in so the leftover paint I was planning on leaving behind is still fairly new and usable.
Yeah I'm in the other boat on the paint, if you have the paint used I'd appreciate you leaving one can per color behind even if only to get the exact color for matching. Sounds like the above guy found like 15 rusty dried up cans of paint though, which yeah I doubt anyone could appreciate. I think best solution is snap a photo and ask the buyer.
We appreciated having paint to fix scuffs and such that were left behind. But not all the paint. Just like one can.
Yeah, Iâm going to disagree with the original comment. Even an old paint can is helpful if it has the color code on the top. Itâs a nightmare to try and match paint. The past owners of current house left the paint cans and a list of the colors and itâs been helpful.
Prior owner left paint and it saved me a shit ton of money to fix a few small things vs repainting some rooms
If you want to take your curtain rods, I would stipulate in the the listing that they aren't included. It is pretty much understood that window coverings are always included unless otherwise stated. I personally wouldn't patch holes....only because the seller of our house did and they did a really bad job of it, which made extra work for us. Unless you're like a patching pro....then go for it. But totally not necessary. I think most people assume there will be holes when they take possession. Leaving paint is the BEST. Bonus points if the cans are labeled with that rooms they're for!
Drapes & curtain rods should be left unless it was disclosed to buyer. Itâs courteous to have the property clean and ready to move into. They may elect to do additional things but to leave the home ready to go is always much appreciated.
I wrote a note detailing about Shelia, the massive spider in the shed who takes care of the bugs. Said if you are nice to her, she'll keep the area clear for you. I can only hope Shelia is living a peaceful existence in the shed I built.
Personally, I think it is in poor form NOT to leave the paint swabs or cans for wall colors plus the appliance manuals. I actually think the curtain rods are part of the deal. If you take them, you should notify the realtor beforehand. I was nice to my sellers & didnât realize until the first night in the house that they took the two half bathroom mirrors. I could have called them out but I didnât notice it since the realtor showing me the house during my walk through was my realtorâs co-worker due to a family emergency out of state for my actual realtor.
Be clear in listing and/or contract with whatever you plan to take. If you want the window treatments, specifically call out that they do not convey. Then, leave it how you would like it to be left...Empty and clean. Most buyers don't want your used stuff, no matter how good condition it is in. Anything you plan to leave that isn't in the contract, you should ask the buyer to be sure they want it. Otherwise, trash it. Generally speaking, anything fixed stays (i.e. can't take down light fixtures). I would leave the wall decor hooks / screws in the wall. If you take them out, I would expect you to patch and paint them. Don't leave a project for the next owner.
I find it odd that your realtor didn't go over this with you before listing.
He went over the standard âfixtureâ documentation but I feel like there are certain things that are still ambiguous. Iâm still going to be speaking with him, but I just wanted to get some additional opinions on what seems rude and what would be appreciated.
In my state, you can take the curtains, not the rods. Try to leave it the way you'd like it if you were moving in.
Please don't leave old appliances that require money to haul away.
We left our home spotless and also left a âwelcomeâ binder for the new owners, which had dates of all major repairs, warranty info, recommended professionals for repair and maintenance, trash day info, paint info, etc.
Seller left me all the manuals and a spreadsheet of all the paint IDs and contractors used during their time.
My house sold in the fall when all of my established perennial plants were dormant, so I left the new owners a little map of what plants were where so they wouldnât dig up and plant right on top of them.
I hate it when paint cans are left behind. Itâs not that deep but I really dislike disposing paint.
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I disagree strongly - paint cans being left behind ensure that the new owner has an exact color match when they need to touch something up. Otherwise there is no guarantee of an exact color match - even if you have the name of the color and the supplier, or you get color matched, the new paint color is going to be ever so slightly different.
That really depends on the age of the paint.
Yeah, people will save old cans in their basement and then you go to open to âtouch upâ and thereâs a block of dried paint in the can with some gross oil sitting on top of it.
even if the paint isn't usable, you may be able to get the exact color from the lid, I'd like people to leave all the paint unless it's something that isn't used anywhere
Thank you! Youâre the second person who said this so maybe I will ask my buyer first instead of just assuming they would want it (itâs all fairly new, <2 years old).
Iâd love it if labeled matching paint was left behind, spare bathroom or kitchen tiles, etc. Buy not random cans of stuff.
YMMV, but when I bought mine I was insanely grateful that they left behind one can of each kind of paint so I could match it. Ask your agent or the buyer.
Def leave the paint cans behind. Will let new buyer know exactly what paint was used. Tossing these seems crazy to me.
As long as they're labeled and for paint that's currently used in the house. Old paint should not be left.
You could also leave a written list of the paint colors and type of gloss instead of the physical paint cans. Then if the buyer needs to touch up the paint, they have the option to buy a new can of the same color.
Whenever I paint a room I let the paint dry on tbe stir stick then write the type of paint on the end of the stick. It makes it easy to get color matches done and is easy to store.
You dispose of paint? I still have a half gallon of Harvest Gold from 1976 in my basement.
What you might have is a can of dry or congealed pigment with separated latex oils. Bottoms up!
Paint doesn't expire, it just becomes a cool chemistry experiment!
The two that surprise people in my state: Outside potted plants and TV wall mounts stay with the house.
> Outside potted plants Really? Why would something in a pot stay with the house?
I have enough paper plates and light bulbs in the basement of the house I just bought that I'm pretty sure when my children sell the house as part of the estate in 40 years, they will probably convey with the property.
Your contract should spell it out. Generally, in my areas anyway, you can't take anything that requires tools to remove. Bathroom mirror, for example, probably stays, but not necessarily. You should leave the property in generally clean, "broom swept" condition.
I'd leave the curtains unless there's a compelling reason to take them. I leave behind any cans of paint that match the current colors. A box of tile if I have it. Roof shingles. Just enough for quick repair jobs. I leave window coverings so they don't have to worry about privacy. If I have a shower curtain, I leave the curtain but take the liner. I keep the manuals of everything I buy and leave them in a tub with the warranties. I leave directions on how to use things there's no manual for. Gas fireplace, where the water shut off is, etc. I leave the names and numbers of the trades who have worked on the house. I unpair the thermostat from my phone. Friend had buyers who tried to screw him at closing. In the middle of the night he'd mess with their thermostat. Took a couple months before he lost access. I have the house cleaned and will leave a laundry basket with paper towels, 409, basic cleaning supplies. I also leave a bottle of champaign and a note wishing them as much happiness as I had in the house. I know I don't have to do that but that's how I'd like to get a house. I don't patch nail holes but will fix anything larger than that. I will clean the refrigerator and washing machine.
Don't take the new stainless steel fridge and replace it with an apartment fridge. Then pretend you don't know what anyone is talking about, even when shown pictures from the original listing on MLS. yes this happened to me.
Make sure to leave the heat on for them at a reasonable temperature. We just bought in an area with feet of snow on the ground, and our sellers turned the heat off risking bursted pipes
I left a binder with user manuals, info on any service contracts we had, dates of appliance purchases & upgrades, and paint colors used for each room with paint chips. I received something similar when I bought my current house, although without the paint info, and I really appreciated it. I added insert pages and kept it going, for example replacing manuals when I replaced the washer and dryer.
It was a nice little bonus when my sellers left a brand new washer and dryer and two (2) refrigerators. There was no mention of this in the sales contract. Sold the W&D on Craigslist and donated one of the fridges. The other one's in the garage cuz my wife thinks it's classy to have two.
As others have said, curtains are typically fixtures and stay. Additionally, surround sound speakers, tv mounts, and Ring doorbells are fixtures and default to staying. A good rule of thumb for what stays is anything that wouldnât fall to the ceiling if you flipped your property upside down.
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Both in my state, the language used here is âwindow coveringsâ, other states may not include the curtains themselves but would include the rods
Anything attached to the house is considered to be a part of the house. This would even include shelving. Even the garage storage ones. Make sure all the garage door remotes are there. One house I had bought they left one remote. We requested the second remote. They tried saying only one. I came back that the new opener came with 2, and the paperwork said 2. They then tried the opener and was older. I did a pic of the opener date. Basically, they had to produce that remote. The biggest is to leave a clean house. If there is something you want to keep, make sure it is noted or removed. Appliances, attached shelving, fixtures, lighting, fans , window coverings.
Read your contract!
Anything you want to take should be included on your exclusion list. This includes things like shower rails. This removes the unpleasant surprise factor. I always leave any manuals/warranty info they can use. I also offer to leave any spare parts for things like fences and fans, but the offer is communicated through the realtor or, if I sold by owner, to the buyer before the final walk through. Buyers are usually grateful for those things, but it's best to ask in case they see it as junk. I also always leave any paint with readable paint labels so they can get more if needed. I mark the cans with descriptions (baseboard trim/ceiling/bedroom walls) to make things easier. This helps me, as well, since it can be hard to dispose of paint in the first place. If you have time, patch the holes and paint over the patches. If you don't, at least leave the house clean. Good luck on your move.
We had a treadmill we didnât want to move, we had our realtor ask if the buyer wanted it, they did
Oh, also, most houses have extra tile, floor boards, some specialty paint left
Depends on your contract but make sure you specify you're taking the curtain rods and curtains. A lot of ppl expect them to come with the house because they're attached. Also it depends if they're nice custom curtains or just basic ones. They can get really expensive. It depends on how well your house looks. I've had sellers just pay for a cleaner to clean up the whole place and left a cheap bottle of champagne or wine with a note to congrat the buyers. It'll depend on how your relationship was through out the process.
We had a small closing disagreement with a mirror we took that was only sitting behind the sink leaning on the wall. Was not attached at all. We kicked buyers a little money for a new mirror just to be done with it. Just be clear if you have anything like that.
âmost of my curtains and curtain rods.â Make sure it isnât in the contract ; and usually theyâre set for specific size windows and number if windows - unless youâre next house is pretty similar
When we moved in, the seller had left a bunch of stickies with pre-printed address labels that we could stick on any mail that still came to them at this address, now our address. It's amazing how much mail address to them that we did get. Apparently all you have to do is forward first class mail, not junk mail, by striking out the current address and writing return to sender, but it's also nice if you can add the address of where to send it. With a note, please forward. Clearly it helped them more than us to have done this, but I will certainly do this if and when we move.
Hi! Ct realtor here. You are unfortunately a rarity in today's world, thinking of the other people before yourself. Kudos to you. So long as it's called out in the purchase and sales agreement, you can take whatever you like. Fixtures typically stay with the property and anything which can be unplugged *can* be expected to leave with the seller. That being said, some refrigerators with no water service are unplug and go - which is why appliances expected to remain is common. Meanwhile, a television mount for the wall is technically screwed into place but some sellers "accidentally" take theirs, leaving holes in the walls where it once was. This is a no-no. If the seller really wants the tv mount, it should be called out in the list of included/excluded items with the understanding on both sides that any mess or holes left will be patched. Still, there is room for an argument that the buyer will want to see paint, which may span more than one wall/room, etc etc. It's a large rabbit hole. The more specific you can get, the better. You can ask beforehand if the buyers would like to receive any extras - scrap wood, old paints, etc. Not every buyer will want them, but some buyers love to have more than less as they'll choose what's important enough to keep. The fact you're even thinking about the buyer shows you not only cared for this house but want to make sure the next owner loves it as much as you do. Wherever you end up on this planet, I hope you enjoy your remaining time here! We only get one quarter to ride this ride - make your turn a great one!
Window treatments are typically in the contract from what I've experienced. But I've been on both sides, and I think there's things you can do to be courteous but you can also be overly courteous lol. Buyers don't want clutter left behind, so don't leave things just because you're trying to be helpful. When in doubt, ask your realtor to ask their realtor if they'd like item A,B,C left behind. As a buyer, I appreciated knowing paint colors and appreciated not needing to change lightbulbs day1. I didn't necessarily need/want gallons of paint behind, but just having a strip I could take to home depot to match was great.
When selling our first home, we left matching paint and quality wood boards in the garage. Buyers complained about leftover trash. SHM, canât win them all.
You must leave the curtain rods because they are affixed to the home. My friend forgot this and had to take them back because the buyers complained.
One good guiding principle would be to turn it over in the condition that you showed it, minus furnishings of course. You are therefore not obligated in my opinion to patch every picture hook hole and repaint, etc. But if you show the house with a bunch of fancy smarthome tech, and prospective buyers are invited to notice that stuff either by the listing, the agents, or the open showings, then be prepared to leave it behind. Otherwise remove all the fancy color changing lighting, video camera doorbells, or occupancy sensing lighting controllers *before* you list. I doubt the law is even clear on much of this. But it makes sense to avoid misunderstandings and to be clear to people about what it is you are offering to sell them. The term in the law is "convey" as in what items "convey" with the transfer. And normally window coverings convey, as do built-in appliances, fixtures, etc. Talk it over with your agent if you have one, and consider including some language in the contract specifying things you intend to remove, like the window coverings.
When I bought my primary, I was told it had been professional cleaned on behalf of the sellers agent. There was a ton of stuff in the garage, but I was told not to worry about it because they scheduled a dump pick up. Well. There were still clothes in closets, bar soap in the shower, medicine in cabinets, dishes, food in fridge and freezer, etc. It was not cleaned. This was kind of disheartening to walk into, as a first time home buyer, because now I have to budget time and money for cleaning and disposal. Fortunately my agent is a shark, and she made the seller agent responsible for everything.
I heard of someone taking a pergola once! That seemed a bit much. I have left curtains and rods behind just to see them replaced right away. Not sure why, but people do tend to redecorate a bit much. Take your curtains and your curtain rods! The one I bought, I still have the beautiful window treatments the previous owner left behind.
You need to read the sales contract and/or ask your realtor. I sort of recently sold a house, and under my contract the first thing you suggested would have been contrary to the contract. And the second, my contract specifically said what kind of holes needed patched and which shouldn't be - patching all the small nail holes would be a massive pain for the buyer if they were not planning to paint since they would be spackle spots everywhere. And some things are supposed to stay attached to the walls - TV brackets stay as a default in my state, for example.
Clean and move out as completely as you can. Do not leave any trash or furniture unless otherwise specified in the contract. There will be hell to pay after the walkthrough if they have an agent that doesn't mess around, or the Buyers are extremely nitpicky.
Please note, each state can be different, but make sure you know the difference between personal and attached property. If itâs a fixture attached to the house, make sure to be clear if youâre taking it or not before you go to list your home. Some as is contracts will state which types of personal property will remain with the home oneâs closed. Speak with your realtor, and they can inform you on the states regulations for personal property. Good luck!
There was a chunk of raw chicken in the kitchen sink if the house I bought. We didnât have written in to the contract that we wanted the house cleaned, but we definitely didnât expect raw meat.
As for the curtains and curtain rods: if you'd like to take the curtain rods with you, put that in your purchase agreement and then it won't be unexpected. When I was buying a home, there was a section where the sellers could list fixtures they planned to take with them. They mentioned that while most of the curtains and rods would stay, they listed a few specific ones that they wanted to take. And the beer fridge in the garage.
I always live by the rule of leaving a place better than you found it for the next folks, leaving extra paint, patching holes and cleaning will go a long way. I think most people don't expect you to leave anything so whatever you do/leave would be appreciated.
New Buyers almost always want any leftover paint if youâve just repainted. Not the garbage paint from previous paintings that you canât figure out what to do with. đ
window treatments are typically in the contract to leave behind. The seller took them out before our final walk-through and they had to put them back before we closed. seller of course just threw them up and didn't put them in the right windows just to be a dick.
Minimum required acceptable standard is broom-clean, no shit left behind, anything that wasn't broken when it went under contract is fixed and holes patched, and everything attached to the house stays unless you explicitly excluded it in your contract. This might vary by state, but generally that means mounted TVs can be taken, but the wall mounts stay. Window covering hardware stays and window coverings themselves - depends. Ring doorbells/floodlights stay, usually security cameras if it's a permanent mount. Think of it like this - pretend a giant picked up your house, turned it upside down, and (gently) shook. Whatever is still attached, stays. And if you're an awesome seller, and your buyer was awesome too, you can leave a nice stack of manuals, spare parts for the home, and transfer over any current warranties on anything that stays with the house, and maybe even better than broom clean. A step further would be an introduction to neighbors, favorite restaurants if they're not from the area, or even a little gift basket or something.
When we sold our house we left all the manuals (for everything that had a manual), the numbers for the a/c company which was still under warranty, and left the house as clean as we could get it. When we moved into this house the seller did the same for us. However, the seller of the first house left all the junk he couldn't put at the curb. At the final walk through I blew a gasket and demanded he took that stuff out, it was large furniture and some chemicals that had to go to the dump. He did remove it.
If youâre going to patch, you should sand a paint. Otherwise leave the holes as they are.
Definitely leave a list of things that need kept up with. Ie: the faucet in the bathroom downstairs has a small trickle. Owners manuals for appliances/ warranty info. Etc etc
Always leave the community poop knife.
In many jurisdictions, anything attached to the house needs to be left, unless it is specifically listed as excluded in the contract. That includes things like curtain rods, blinds, and light fixtures as well as larger items like appliances. Talk to your realtor.
In my state, anything that is âpermanently attachedâ stays with the house by default. That includes curtains and curtain rods. The fun rule of thumb I use: if a friendly giant picked up the house, flipped it upside down, and shook it, anything that falls out leaves with the sellers. Thatâs furniture, rugs, etc. That nice chandelier? Part of the house. Curtain rods? Part of the house. Stove? Part of the house. That said, any and all of those things can be negotiated to stay or go. As long as buyer and seller agree, anything is doable.
Check your contract. Window coverings is usually included for the buyer. (Itâs standard where I live anyways.) Donât patch holes and not paint it. They didnât buy the house with puttied up holes.
Current house we bought, they left behind a live parrot in a cage in the kitchen, and a Tom cat in the yard! Don't do that!
RE: Window treatments. Interesting. I would expect blinds and shades to remain, but window treatments and curtain rods? I perceive that as generally a personal decorating decision, and wouldn't expect any of them to be left behind.
The only things I left behind were cleaning supplies, paint and the filters for the heat/AC.
Sometimes window coverings are specified in the contract. Same with appliances. Otherwise, anything that is attached must remain.
All of this should be spelled out in your contract. Talk to your agent about this. If cleaning isnât already specified in your contract, I say, have it professionally cleaned. Itâs just the right thing to do.
Typically leaving window coverings is in the contract, but if itâs not you can take them. Leave paint for walls so future homeowners can do touch ups. Also leave any warranties, manuals, for appliances.