If you’ve successfully sold your home – congratulations! The next step is preparing to move to your new address. If you haven’t yet found your new home, search available properties on the Bōde listings page. Bōde buyers can buy any home in our markets self-represented and without any fees!
When moving out of your home, it can sometimes be confusing as a seller to know what items should stay for the new homeowners and what you should take with you or remove from the home prior to possession day. No need to stress – we’ve got you covered with a list to reference when preparing for your move!
What Stays: Anything Built-in
As a general rule, when you’re selling your home, anything that’s attached or built into the house typically stays behind. These are considered to be attached goods and anything that was to be excluded from this should have been specifically outlined by seller or buyer in the purchase agreement.
Examples of attached goods may include:
- Hardware (doorknobs, handles, drawer pulls)
- Smoke & carbon monoxide alarms
- Outdoor plants / bushes / trees
- TV wall mount
- Built-in bookshelves
- Dart board attached to the wall
- Security alarms
- Light fixtures
- Garage door openers
What Can Stay: Certain Furnishings
As a seller, you don’t have to leave behind your refrigerator or other purchased appliances that aren’t built-in, such as the washer and dryer or microwave, but it is typical for sellers not to take these items and important for buyers to ensure if they expect these items stay with the home that they are listed under unattached goods in their purchase agreement – just to be safe.
Certain home furnishings can also be left behind, but they don’t have to be. For example, if you have a piano that will be difficult to move, you can offer to sell it with the house. Or if you’ve mounted your TV to the wall, you may decide that it’s easier to sell the wall mount and television with the home and purchase a new one in your next home. Buyers could also request you leave certain items behind as part of the deal. These items could be good negotiating tools on both the buy and sell side. Whatever agreement you come to, always make sure it is included in writing in the purchase agreement.
What Goes: Moveable Personal Belongings
Unless specified in your written deal with the buyer, any unattached goods that belong to you go with you when you sell. If you plan to take something that would normally be considered an attached item and left behind, make sure you put that in writing at the start of the selling process so buyers are aware that it will be missing at closing.
Examples of unattached goods may include:
- Wall art
- Area rugs
- Curtains
- Personal items
- Anything that should be disposed of during the move - such as boxes or trash
We hope this blog was helpful for you to decide what to take with you during your move and what to leave behind for the new owners when you list your home for sale!
Have more questions? Visit our Resource Centre for instant answers.
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