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Maybe it depends on where you are. We left some (useful) stuff behind when we moved overseas, and the new owner was fine with it---it was to be a home for his grown kid.
I bought and sold vacation homes and they were always totally furnished. All we took was the big flat screen TV.
I'm hearing now of several cases where a seller, short on time, moves out leaving all kinds of items behind in the house they either don't want or don't have time to pack up--everything from canned good, dishes, linens, furniture, misc. Is this a trend due to fast sales? How common is it really?
When we purchased our home in 2016, we drove by the home the night before close. All sorts of large items on curb, stuff in house, backyard.
I told my realtor we would NOT close if the items were not removed. I drove by at 7am the day of close and the owners were STILL taking clothing out of the home.
I went to work and called the realtor we would not close without photos showing the condition of the trash and junk removal.
The former owners managed to get the debris out of the home, back yard and off the curb.
They did leave an incredibly heavy trash can full of empty beer bottles.
AND.........the home was filthy.
Fast forward to the home we purchased last year - squeaky clean!
It's only a trend and only common because of stupid buyers.
When you (addressed to buyers, not you personally) do your final walkthrough on the morning of the close and there's a bunch of crap still in the house YOU DON'T CLOSE.
You'd be amazed how fast people can get a house cleaned out if that's what it takes to get their money.
I bought a house years ago, did my walkthrough on the morning of the close and there was a junk car sitting in the yard. I called the seller's agent, reported the car and said no close till it was gone. She squealed like a stuck pig but an hour later she called to tell me the car was removed. I went back to the house and, guess what, the seller pushed the car out on to the street right in front of the house. I called the agent, reported that and said no close until it was gone or it would have been my problem after the close. More squealing. An hour later the car was gone and I closed on the house.
If a buyer doesn't stand up for himself he deserves what he gets.
That said, if I were buying a house and the sellers left behind useful stuff like canned goods, maybe a lawn mower, stuff like that - I would consider it a bonus.
Actually a junk car on the property, if it's not in the way, is not that severe a liability. Worst deal you can do is give it away to a junkyard, who will come get it for free, usually. You might be able to sell it to them for a few hundred bucks.
If it's junk I would have to work to remove or pay someone else to remove it, though, yeah, get that out of here before I will close the deal.
If the contract specifies broom-cleaned that includes removal of all personal property.
The seller is bound by that contract. If the contract does not specify how the property is to be left, that is the stupidity of the buyer.
Not necessarily. The successful buyer of a hot property with multiple bids is the buyer who does not insert all sorts of burdensome conditions on the seller, especially if the buyer wants to win a well-located property that is held by an original/older owner (like me) who cares more about an easy transition out of their home than squeezing every last dollar out of the sale.
At $5.71 per tire, and $60 per ton of "ordinary residential waste", with an additional minimum of $27 (<2k lbs) tacked on to that if they deem the load is "hard to handle" or requires "special handling", I won't allow a seller to use me as his/her rubbish tip. It's bad enough putting up with what renters leave behind. The last one's leave-behinds (evicted) filled a 30-yard roll-off bin and could have filled a 40 with less load distribution.
If they left me with good stuff, I might be more amenable, but they never leave their Jane Ray or Fire King jadeite collections behind.
If they left me with good stuff, I might be more amenable, but they never leave their Jane Ray or Fire King jadeite collections behind.
Collections of many individual items like Fire King Jadeite (which you mentioned) or Waterford Crystal or Fine China cups and saucers (I have both) are easily boxed and moved. I wouldn't leave anything like that behind.
What I might consider leaving behind (for money, not for free) is a certain piece of beautiful furniture which is very heavy. I don't relish the thought of moving that anywhere.
A friend bought a place that was full of.... stuff. He asked the seller when he was emptying it. "I never want to step foot on that property again" was the answer. We picked through and realized it was full of his late father's beloved stuff. He was a Vietnam veteran. The house was built by his WWII granddad when he got home from the war. Plus he was a biker and there were his leathers, etc. It was sad but I found homes for much of it. I gave the leathers to a biker who promised they'd be back on a Harley.
That said, if I were buying a house and the sellers left behind useful stuff like canned goods, maybe a lawn mower, stuff like that - I would consider it a bonus.
Actually a junk car on the property, if it's not in the way, is not that severe a liability. Worst deal you can do is give it away to a junkyard, who will come get it for free, usually. You might be able to sell it to them for a few hundred bucks.
If it's junk I would have to work to remove or pay someone else to remove it, though, yeah, get that out of here before I will close the deal.
Specifically to the car, I don’t think it’s that simple. If it isn’t your car (at least in my state) it’s a PITA.
I have a friend who bought his retired mother a small house in Tucson. The previous single owner died and her son sold the house complete with all furnishings and interior "stuff."
I have a friend who bought his retired mother a small house in Tucson. The previous single owner died and her son sold the house complete with all furnishings and interior "stuff."
The move was simple.
Agree, and vacation type places are often sold that way as well.
And I know investors that have bought places full of junk too.
I wouldn't be opposed to doing either.
But to sign a deal that specifies "broom swept" or whatever, and have to deal with enough stuff that you have to haul it away, is akin to a bait and switch, or having the seller replace plumbing fixtures (something I had to tell me wife we weren't going to do when she wanted to save a kitchen sink we replaced intending to bring the new one with us when we eventually move.)
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