What Stays and What Goes When You Sell Your House
This causes more last-minute friction than almost anything else in a transaction, and it's entirely avoidable.
The general rule: fixtures stay, personal property goes. A fixture is anything permanently attached to the home.
Generally stays
Fences, sheds, shrubs, trees, landscaping
Anything affixed to the ground — swing sets, basketball hoops set in concrete
Built-in furniture, window seats, built-in shelving
Blinds, including custom blinds
All light fixtures that were present when the home was shown
That last one deserves emphasis, because it's the most common dispute. If a buyer saw your grandmother's dining room chandelier during a showing, they reasonably expect it to be there at closing.
Generally goes
Curtains and drapes (the rods usually stay)
Lamps and any special bulbs — smart bulbs, daylight bulbs (it's a kindness to swap in regular bulbs)
Plants in pots and containers
Outdoor patio furniture and grills
The gray areas
These cause the arguments, so put them in writing:
Appliances. Refrigerator, washer, dryer. Sometimes included, sometimes not. Ohio contracts vary — spell it out.
Custom draperies made for a specific window
Larger plants in container gardens or window boxes
Play equipment not attached to the ground
Mounted TVs. The mount is usually a fixture. The TV usually isn't. Say so explicitly.
The one thing that prevents all of this
If you want to keep it, remove it before you list — or exclude it in writing in the contract.
The chandelier problem happens every year: seller has an heirloom fixture, buyer sees it in photos and at the showing, seller assumes it's obviously theirs, buyer assumes it obviously conveys, and now two people are unhappy three days before closing over something that could have been swapped out for forty dollars.
Take it down before the photographer arrives. Replace it with something ordinary. Nobody ever misses what they never saw.
For buyers
Just because something appears in the MLS photos or marketing doesn't automatically make it part of the contract. If a specific appliance or feature matters to you, get it named in writing.
Read the offer. Ask about anything you assumed. That's what I'm for.
