Surprise! What did the seller take with them that you expected would stay with the house?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: When we move we intend to take the washer dryer ( they are new and I love them ), The refrigerator ( same deal as a washer dryer, and I don’t want somebody’s old junk), Our deep freeze, The dining room chandelier ( before showing the house we will replace it with what was left for us when we moved in ), The garage shelving, the basement shelving ( they are both high end steel shelving units from my parents old business ) and the freestanding elfa shelves hanging in my daughters room. We will take all these things unless the new house we move into has nicer items. We will leave all of the draperies and all of the closet maid shelving units that were measured for our closets from Home Depot. However, we will make it very clear in our contract what conveys and what does not.

It is not customary in the DC area to take your appliances with you, or your installed shelving. You will end up getting offers lower than the actual cost of just buying new stuff for your new place, because people want to move in without the hassle of ordering and waiting for appliances, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My seller took his old garbage cans with him even though he knew I was moving from out of state. What he needed it for who knows. Am I supposed to move my old garage can house to house (which I did not)

YUK!

You don't leave your cans. They belong to you, not the house so yes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It its a fixture attached to a wall (closet fixtures, wall sconces, towel bars, curtain rods) it goes with the house unless you exempted it in the contract. That's real estate law. If you take stuff like this you risk negating the sale.

DC law? Or NOVA law?

Drapes are not attached to the walls. The rods are but drapes are not.

NP. With rods--they often are bought to match the owner's taste. Posters here all seem to assume rods and blinds are plain and generic (and cheap enough to just leave behind without caring). Do people really want some previous owner's rod with fancy glass finials or "wrought iron" designs on the ends or whatever if you're only going to replace those quickly? Our living room rods are wooden and inexpensive but match other pieces of our furniture and yeah, I'd want them. They're not some bare-bones generic metal rod. If we sold the house I guess I'd have to stipulate that curtain rods don't convey. Blinds can stay if you mean basic white mini-blinds. But do you really want my specific, colored, pricey honeycomb blinds that match the paint in the bedroom that you'll probably change? I would stipulate that those won't convey either because guess what, they can be altered to fit my new windows. If you said you need blinds in the contract, I'd tell you I will install the plain ones (and they'll be the most basic Home Depot blinds) for you so you have something in the windows, but my pricier color blinds will come with me if I plan to use similar colors in my new house.

Our closet organizers are fixed with a few screws. Same with rods. Its not something permanent. A toilet, yes, a curtain rod, no.

[Anonymous]

When I sold my house in January I wanted to leave stuff behind. I moved our house was mint and freshly painted.

Some stuff I had in yard was trampoline

Pretty new above ground pool with all equipment

A gas grill

Garden hoses

Garbage cans

10x10 rubber maid shed

Shelves in garage (not attached)

Paint leftover from freshly painting house

Dining room carpet and nice rocking chair

Extra cabinets doors and shelves and slide out recycle can kitchen.

I found it amazing how folks started to pick and choose what stays and goes.

Couple at end I had to pay from afar to get trampoline out or would not make offer. I was out of state. Claimed insurance.

Another couple wanted pool and trampoline out

Everyone wanted trash cans, BBQ hoses, and shed

In end couple who bought it did not want kids bouncing on trampoline but wanted the free pool and free BBQ as he is blue collar and at closing was excited to jump in after work in summer.

I left him all chemicals and pool equipment too.

I also left my warranty info for appliances and brochures

And toilet paper and some curtains

My old neighborhood has free garbage pick up three days a week and left him cans so he can toss what he wants

In DMV hard to unload junk for free so folks don't want stuff as much

[Anonymous]

Sorry, anything screwed in is a fixture and the norm is for that to convey. Shelves, curtain rods, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know you are supposed to put everything in writing, but . . .

Was so disappointed when we moved in and several huge terra cotta pots embedded in the planting beds had been removed.

More morman neighbors took 10 boxwood in front yard. He died in 2 years because of cancer. Was in his 40’s and had millions. God has humor after all

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know you are supposed to put everything in writing, but . . .

Was so disappointed when we moved in and several huge terra cotta pots embedded in the planting beds had been removed.

More morman neighbors took 10 boxwood in front yard. He died in 2 years because of cancer. Was in his 40’s and had millions. God has humor after all

I don't think a person should die of cancer in two years because they take Boxwoods

[Anonymous]

The kitchen sink and a countertop, washing machine, and the toilet seats.

This was in Germany, and people usually do take the kitchen with them when they move, but I didn't know that! Surprise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, anything screwed in is a fixture and the norm is for that to convey. Shelves, curtain rods, etc.

Again, this talk about "the norm" as if every screwed-in fixture is of no further interest to the owner who purchased it. If the owner bought rods or closet shelving which the owner wants to use again--then the owner can say in writing that it does not convey. Why would people spend thousands (and some do) on special shelving or rods or arty light fixtures just to leave it all behind, if they can use it in their next home? Is it supposed to be a gigantic, expensive gift to the new owner? If an agent or better yet, a house stager says to do it, sure, the owner should just replace the items he wants to take with cheap plain ones from Home Depot before showing the house, or label those closet shelves "Does not convey." But it's nuts for a potential buyer to assume that every fixture you see on a house tour would be yours if you buy the house. Do people really fall so hard for curtain rods and closet shelving that they are shattered when told they don't come with the house?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My seller took code for Fire/Theft alarm with home. He refused at closing to give it to me. Divorce did not want to sell.

A few weeks after buying my wife sets off smoke alarm. Turns out guy has hidden speakers in attic pointed out and super loud fire alarm going. All neighbors outside. Then multiple Fire trucks and ambulances show up.

Son of Bitch had wires in attic directly wired to telephone pole that called 911 and then fire dept again and again.

So the cops are threatening to arrest me if I don't stop calling 911. I kill power it keeps going son of bitch has a hidden battery back up. Then find alarm box and cut it and find out it is a dummy box. Finally cop has buddy whose a locksmith and find Real box to cut then we found hidden battery pack. Almost one hours of sirens.

Good times

I am so happy for his ex-wife though. Whew.

[Anonymous]

ours took the nice curtains (left the outdated ones behind) and took the bathroom mirror.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, anything screwed in is a fixture and the norm is for that to convey. Shelves, curtain rods, etc.

Again, this talk about "the norm" as if every screwed-in fixture is of no further interest to the owner who purchased it. If the owner bought rods or closet shelving which the owner wants to use again--then the owner can say in writing that it does not convey. Why would people spend thousands (and some do) on special shelving or rods or arty light fixtures just to leave it all behind, if they can use it in their next home? Is it supposed to be a gigantic, expensive gift to the new owner? If an agent or better yet, a house stager says to do it, sure, the owner should just replace the items he wants to take with cheap plain ones from Home Depot before showing the house, or label those closet shelves "Does not convey." But it's nuts for a potential buyer to assume that every fixture you see on a house tour would be yours if you buy the house. Do people really fall so hard for curtain rods and closet shelving that they are shattered when told they don't come with the house?

The issue is not that they are in love with them - it is that DC area standard housing contracts state that they convey and when the owner takes them it is not what was expected.

Let's use curtains and rods for example purposes.
Let's assume you close on the house and have the movers coming the next day to unload.
You are planning to sleep there - but now you have nothing on the windows. You may not have loved the design - but it was good enough to get you through the transition. Now you are in a bind. Your contract said they conveyed so you did not plan on getting window coverings for the 25 windows that are a part of your home - but now you need to do something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, anything screwed in is a fixture and the norm is for that to convey. Shelves, curtain rods, etc.

Again, this talk about "the norm" as if every screwed-in fixture is of no further interest to the owner who purchased it. If the owner bought rods or closet shelving which the owner wants to use again--then the owner can say in writing that it does not convey. Why would people spend thousands (and some do) on special shelving or rods or arty light fixtures just to leave it all behind, if they can use it in their next home? Is it supposed to be a gigantic, expensive gift to the new owner? If an agent or better yet, a house stager says to do it, sure, the owner should just replace the items he wants to take with cheap plain ones from Home Depot before showing the house, or label those closet shelves "Does not convey." But it's nuts for a potential buyer to assume that every fixture you see on a house tour would be yours if you buy the house. Do people really fall so hard for curtain rods and closet shelving that they are shattered when told they don't come with the house?

The issue is not that they are in love with them - it is that DC area standard housing contracts state that they convey and when the owner takes them it is not what was expected.

Let's use curtains and rods for example purposes.
Let's assume you close on the house and have the movers coming the next day to unload.
You are planning to sleep there - but now you have nothing on the windows. You may not have loved the design - but it was good enough to get you through the transition. Now you are in a bind. Your contract said they conveyed so you did not plan on getting window coverings for the 25 windows that are a part of your home - but now you need to do something.

Ours didn't come with curtains or window shades. We went and got the $5 paper ones till we got them. Curtain rods and curtains are part of the decor. If you have standard white blinds then yes, it makes sense those convey but not curtains and rods. When you buy a house you need to buy curtains. How hard is that? I would not expect curtains or rods. Nor would I want the old curtains.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: When we move we intend to take the washer dryer ( they are new and I love them ), The refrigerator ( same deal as a washer dryer, and I don’t want somebody’s old junk), Our deep freeze, The dining room chandelier ( before showing the house we will replace it with what was left for us when we moved in ), The garage shelving, the basement shelving ( they are both high end steel shelving units from my parents old business ) and the freestanding elfa shelves hanging in my daughters room. We will take all these things unless the new house we move into has nicer items. We will leave all of the draperies and all of the closet maid shelving units that were measured for our closets from Home Depot. However, we will make it very clear in our contract what conveys and what does not.

I would like to see this....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, anything screwed in is a fixture and the norm is for that to convey. Shelves, curtain rods, etc.

Again, this talk about "the norm" as if every screwed-in fixture is of no further interest to the owner who purchased it. If the owner bought rods or closet shelving which the owner wants to use again--then the owner can say in writing that it does not convey. Why would people spend thousands (and some do) on special shelving or rods or arty light fixtures just to leave it all behind, if they can use it in their next home? Is it supposed to be a gigantic, expensive gift to the new owner? If an agent or better yet, a house stager says to do it, sure, the owner should just replace the items he wants to take with cheap plain ones from Home Depot before showing the house, or label those closet shelves "Does not convey." But it's nuts for a potential buyer to assume that every fixture you see on a house tour would be yours if you buy the house. Do people really fall so hard for curtain rods and closet shelving that they are shattered when told they don't come with the house?

The issue is not that they are in love with them - it is that DC area standard housing contracts state that they convey and when the owner takes them it is not what was expected.

Let's use curtains and rods for example purposes.
Let's assume you close on the house and have the movers coming the next day to unload.
You are planning to sleep there - but now you have nothing on the windows. You may not have loved the design - but it was good enough to get you through the transition. Now you are in a bind. Your contract said they conveyed so you did not plan on getting window coverings for the 25 windows that are a part of your home - but now you need to do something.

Ours didn't come with curtains or window shades. We went and got the $5 paper ones till we got them. Curtain rods and curtains are part of the decor. If you have standard white blinds then yes, it makes sense those convey but not curtains and rods. When you buy a house you need to buy curtains. How hard is that? I would not expect curtains or rods. Nor would I want the old curtains.

It does not matter what you want - it matters what the contract states. DC area contract standard language is that they convey. If you do not want them - throw them away. But to have a contract that states they convey and to take them is a surprise.