Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Don't assume that the buyer won't notice if you switch out the curtains. They may have fallen in love with that room just because of those curtains.
Years ago we toured a house in our neighborhood that was for sale. One of the main thing that caught our eye was the beautiful stained glass in the top of the front windows that went perfectly with the outside of the house & the custom drapes. Although, it is hard to describe the stained glass was in place of the valance of the drapes so it was considered part of the window treatments. We were so disappointed when we found out that the owner was "excluding" the stained glass because his late brother had designed and created it especially for the owner and this house and he wanted to take it with him. It would have been difficult to find something that would have worked well to replace it.
We found out much later that he had difficulty selling the house, in part because of this exclusion. The owner ended up having duplicated stained glass pieces made and installed and the house finally sold.
That's silly. No one buys a room you buy a house and no one buys a home for a curtain. Also you can do the same if the person wants those curtains, find the same fabric and go to a seamstress and have new ones made. I understand him wanting to keep the stained glass since it was so sentimental, and I would still buy the home without it.
Don't assume that the buyer won't notice if you switch out the curtains. They may have fallen in love with that room just because of those curtains.
Years ago we toured a house in our neighborhood that was for sale. One of the main thing that caught our eye was the beautiful stained glass in the top of the front windows that went perfectly with the outside of the house & the custom drapes. Although, it is hard to describe the stained glass was in place of the valance of the drapes so it was considered part of the window treatments. We were so disappointed when we found out that the owner was "excluding" the stained glass because his late brother had designed and created it especially for the owner and this house and he wanted to take it with him. It would have been difficult to find something that would have worked well to replace it.
We found out much later that he had difficulty selling the house, in part because of this exclusion. The owner ended up having duplicated stained glass pieces made and installed and the house finally sold.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LifeIsGood01
That's silly. No one buys a room you buy a house and no one buys a home for a curtain. Also you can do the same if the person wants those curtains, find the same fabric and go to a seamstress and have new ones made. I understand him wanting to keep the stained glass since it was so sentimental, and I would still buy the home without it.
The point is that you can't just "switch out the curtains" and hope that the potential buyers don't notice. They may notice and it may be a big deal to them. The seller should be honest and ask that those curtains be excluded from the sale.
BTW, we did walk away from that house, and apparently quite a few others potential buyers did as well, in part because the stained glass pieces (which were an essential part of the custom window treatment) were excluded from the sale.
The seller ended up having duplicate stained glass made & took down the original stained glass before potential buyers saw the house. So the new stained glass window treatments (which were an essential part of the custom window treatment) were included. While it may have been a coincidence the house sold shortly after that.
Why do so many 'answers' to questions like this just need the simple, 'TALK TO THE OTHER PERSON' answer.
My gosh - if you explain that the curtains in question were hand made and are NOT staying with the house - any reasonable person would understand and agree.
TALK TO THE BUYER for cryin' out loud... and then, get it in writing so there's no 'he said, she said' thing going on.
OMG all you have to do is negotiate to leave all the drapes EXCEPT the Mickey Mouse curtains.
Any reasonable buyer will go with it.
Don't sneak or replace and "hope" they don't catch you, and don't let curtains ruin a deal.
Yes, this. I think for the vast majority of people, it should not be a problem.
However, for future reference for anyone who might read this thread, if there is something that you want to keep, just remove it prior to listing your house! I had some window treatments that matched the bedspread for daybed so I just took them down before listing my house because I was keeping the daybed and wanted to use the same treatment for it. I also took down some shelving and patched the holes, so that it didn't look like it was a fixture that came with the house. I know other people who have swapped out a pricey chandelier that they wanted to keep for their next home for something that looked nice but they didn't care about leaving behind.
You can also specifically exclude things in the listing but I personally think it's easier to just not let a buyer see something in the first place.
However, for future reference for anyone who might read this thread, if there is something that you want to keep, just remove it prior to listing your house!
Yep, never underestimate what people will ask for.
In addition to window treatments, we've had buyers ask for barstools and original art done by my father .
One time I asked a seller for a very long runner because I figured there was a chance her next house would not have a hallway that long (since they were downsizing) but she declined, and I got over it and bought my own runner.
Even when I was in college, long, long before I was ready to buy a house, I knew that in apartments you bought your own curtains & took them with you when you moved out (unless they were provided by the landlord) and when you bought a house the curtains/drapes/window treatments where always part of the sale price and left by the previous owner. I thought that was common knowledge among adults.
Not in any of the three homes I bought/sold. It either had to be added to the contract, or the curtains didn't stay. They are not permanently affixed to the home. I've always taken my curtains with me.
I would take them and see if they say anything. Better to apologize later than to ask permission, sometimes.
One of my favorite phrases is "Better to ask for forgiveness than permission." But of course YMMV, or one size does not fits all, or whatever OTHER phrase fits.
I also like "Future me" for things I can't/don't want to do now. Or "Not my circus, not my monkeys"; that fits so many scenarios....
But to be clear, I do agree with others that say to stand up to whatever "pushy" agent made you agree to this thing and explain that you are replacing THOSE curtains, and it is not negotiable. If they back out because of some curtains, you can probably find a better buyer.
Last edited by SolaireSolstice; 05-16-2016 at 05:48 PM..
Reason: Clarification
I don't think the buyer wants the MM curtains with the 'made with love' tag from your aunt. I think the buyer probably just wants window covers for the bathroom.
Nor do I think the buyer and the agent who spoke with you want a picture on fb and instagram typical of people moving to a new home...of you and your family in front of the realtor/sold sign...with the 'made with love' tag showing on the curtains and sad faces. And certainly you'd never recommend that agent and would have these sad truths to say about her should anyone ask about an agent.
I wonder if this agent is your buyer's agent. If the agent were your agent I would hope he/she would be explaining the situation to the buyer.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
.
