Would you charge your buyers for curtains and blinds?

[ESpressoNotEXpresso]

Hi,

Just that really.

Our sellers are asking quite a lot of money for them. Because the windows are bigger than average and were custom made, rather than declining, we counter offered and they came back, I think, still too high.

Would you charge?... Did you pay?

Thank you!

When we bought our first house the sellers asked if we'd like to buy the bay window blinds and the under counter fridge and freezer, we agreed because it made life easier than trying to get new ones quickly (and there was no where to fit our tall fridge freezer). Turned out the blinds were broken and wouldn't actually lift up, and the fridge and freezer were all that was holding the worktop up, so they couldn't have taken them without wrecking the kitchen! If you want to agree I'd suggest a viewing to check the condition of them!

Often sellers try to charge if they have accepted an offer below the asking price and feel a bit aggrieved about it.

I've been asked to pay for a rickety shed, a dirty carpet and some horrible wall lights.

The more tricky something is to remove and that there will be 'making good' required after its taken out, the less likely sellers are to cpactually take it if you won't pay.

Curtains can fairly easily be removed, so I'd be aware that the seller could remove them fairly easily and some will do it, even if they do t what them, because they somehow want to spite you a bit or feel furious if you won't pay. Probably, if you've offered something, they will leave them.

So I'd stick with your original offer and say you just can't go any higher.n chances are they will accept your offer. If they don't you can re-assess and then it's a game of bluff and whether you refuse to pay more, expecting them to leave them but risk having to fork out more for new ones if they don't.

How much have you offered and how much did they ask for out of interest?

never sold them or bought them and have lived in houses with unusual shaped windows.
Unless you love the curtains say no, then they can dispose of them.
Or if they can't be bothered they'll leave them.
Offer them £50 at most.

I'm not quite sure what the problem is if by your own admission you're saving several hundred pounds... if they're asking that much less for them than it would cost you to have them made yourselves, plus the time and inconvenience, then just pay it.

We had custom made curtains at our previous house (moved 18 months ago) we just left them and didnt charge. It really comes down to do you want them? If so what are you willing to pay? Then call their bluff "I'll pay £100 or you take them if thats not enough".

We bought our current house 2 years ago. We were offered to buy some of the curtains but we didn't want them. We took 3 sets of curtains from the old house (left our bedroom ones because they wouldn't fit in this house) because they fitted in this house. Still haven't got dining room curtains though two years later but I didn't want to pay for curtains I wasn't fussed about. Curtains are very expensive to get made so I'm not surprised people want to recoup some of the cost.

If the sellers had any sense (or more experience) they'd have put " selling price includes all carpets curtains and blinds" as an added incentive to buyers.

Someone who has all their curtains and blinds professionally made to measure, will not mess around having their old ones taken down, cleaned and altered to fit windows in the next house, any more than they'll lift the fitted carpets and get them refitted.

They're just trying it on, so don't bite.

It's common, yes, in my experience.

You wouldn't believe what some sellers think they can charge extra for. Or take with them when they leave.

I've been move annoyed by previous sellers leaving loads of shit that I didn't want, then had to get rid of!

But, I have never charged nor paid for carpets and curtains. Carpets are fitted, and to a specific size, so never understood why they are "fittings", why remove them? Curtains, obviously not fittings, but will fit that window. I have removed some and taken with me before, and then they just sit in a cupboard somewhere never used, so will always just leave them now. Nice to have new curtains anyway. I have also never taken poles, or fitted lights, or anything else that would damage the walls. Some people are just crazy (or mean).

The point is that it's a lot for second hand items.
However, seller potentially knows they have buyer over a barrel because buying new ones will cost more.

The best way to always respond when asked if you want items and to pay, is to make the point that you will be buying new very quickly anyway, but are willing to pay a small amount for the existing items. This way, you don't sound desperate for the items. The seller will think the buyer can just as easily take it or leave it so will ask for or accept a small amount rather than being ridiculous about what are after all , second hand items (and often pretty old and with very little resale value in any other context)

If you look like you'd pay more or will be too hard up to buy new versions, seller will often push for a high amount.

Too late for Op to appear not bothered and nonchalant I think this time. Or maybe not. Maybe, can make the point still that they will be buying new regardless (doesn't matter if not true) and so are only willing to pay a small amount for the very secondhand items as a very short term stop gap and couldn't justify paying a penny more than first offer, given they will be buying new very soon.

I think they will accept and not push for more then.

never understood why carpets are NOT fittings...... typing fail.

I find it really petty when spending hundreds of thousands, you’re charged extra for carpets, curtains etc.

OP, what position are you in? If you’re a FTB I would say you want them leaving and included in the price or you’ll need to reconsider the purchase.

Our seller left all the curtains which had all been made to measure. Now mostly binned by my godawful mother in law and replaced by horrible poorly fitting lightweight things.

If finances allow and you like them negotiate for them. If you like them but can’t afford be honest and say ‘we would love to but have stretched ourselves to the limit with all the moving costs and can’t afford them, but let us know who made them for when we have money spare’.

When sellers are seriously considering taking the items and want them for themselves in their new house, they simply state that the items are not available.

Anything they are willing to offer for sale or negotiate on, they don't really want for their future place. Yes, some will think it's a good chance to recoup some of the expense if the item from when they bought it or compensate for accepting a lower offer on house, but forget that secondhand items have usually lost the majority of their value.

So if they won't accept £200 when they wanted £1000, they may well find they either have to leave the item and receive nothing (as its too much of a pain to remove) or they take the item because they don't want to give a 'freebie' and are then stuck with an unwanted item that at best can get £50 if they can be bothered to try and sell it. Either way they would have been accepting the £200.

And when it comes to actually moving and all the stress and stuff to do, many people will leave those curtains then, even if they only actually decide to do it at the last minute, because they can't be bothered to take them down when busy on moving day.

Best thing is not to sound too bothered and not to engage in lengthy must-stage negotiations. The more the negotiation goes on for and the more the seller feels aggrieved about buyer not paying what they have asked for, the more likely they are to be bitter and take the item for spites sake, if you know what I mean.

You can never know for sure if you would have been left the item without paying or if they would have accepted a lower offer, but you can give yourself the best chances by assessing the ease of removal of the item and 'making good' effort and essence they would incur, plus playing it very cool and not seeming too bothered about the item when engaging in one quick offer. Lots of offers and negotiations certainly gives the impression you really want the item....and they might hold out for more.

Yup! Previous owners of the home I bought charged me and I charged the new owner when I sold the home. I think it's pretty normal, you paid for it and just because it's not useful to you anymore doesn't mean you should give it away for free.

This has never happened to me. I would be really annoyed to have to pay for second hand curtains that were of no use whatsoever to the seller. How petty.

No and I wouldn’t pay either as I think it’s petty and tight-fisted. I always try and keep house sales as friendly as possible and things like that always make me feel quite hateful towards the sellars.

See, Honeybee shows the attitude that some sellers will always have.

Most people think they are selling property for hundreds of thousands and decide that a household item like curtains, even though they may have cost £1k are not worth much second hand and so will accept a couple of hundred or write them off. But some people will remember they paid £1k and feel like they should get close to that, even though they are only secondhand now. Or they will feel there is some kind of pro pile at work and no-one should get anything for free, even if they have paid hundreds of thousands.

Many people look to have a little bit of goodwill in house buying and selling. Some people will push for every last penny and even lose a sale because someone won't pay a rather hefty price for a second hand for the cooker shed or whatever.

It's all negotiation and haggling in the end isn't it. Some people can't bear haggling and find it distateful and will pay over the odds to avoid it. Others want to haggle over everything so they feel they got their way. It's hard to accurately judge what someone else will always do. And often it's the haggling or asking for money for these items that leads to buyers and sellers falling out or disliking each other - over a few hundred often, rather than the hundreds of thousands that the house sells for. It's good not to be petty.

Last post from me. I also like to think that if I'm trading up to the next stage of property, often the person buying my old house is a bit younger, not quite so well off as me. For them, buying my house is probably a stretch.

If I've managed to negotiate a price I'm happy with for the actual property, then really I'm happy. I'd expect most savvy buyers to ask for the curtains to be included in the sale price and so actually not really be expecting to get anything extra for any fittings. If the buyer hasn't negotiated that when making the offer, they aren't quite so savvy, plus what with them probably being younger, pushing themselves to afford my house, I'd probably feel I could be just that little bit gracious and either let them have the curtains without further charge or be willing to accept a low offer, even if I had theburge to intitially ask for more.

But then, I'd always leave a bottle of wine or something for the buyers when I move out and a friendly note .....and it's a bit hard to do that with integrity if you've spoiled the relationship by squeezing a further few hundred or thousand out of them. If the items really are too good to leave, just take them with you.

I agree with you Wombat, get the house professionally cleaned and leave wine and flowers. Particularly if you are not moving far away

From a personal perspective I would take anything I really loved and had a use for in the next house. So that individual industrial style light fitting or those floor length Laura Ashley curtains in a much loved design.

However the two a penny Next bedroom chandelier or charcoal grey made to measure roman blind I’d leave and wouldn’t consider asking anything for them as I don’t have a need for them and they would help the buyer in the short term.

It's a bit of a tricky one. Our sellers didn't charge us for anything like that, but left the master bedroom curtains (in a large bay, with a pulley system to open and close). They also left all the paperwork for everything they bought and left in the house, including the invoice for the curtains, and they came to nearly £900. They couldn't have taken them with them as they were made to measure, so it wasn't generosity exactly... but the thing is that we find them absolutely dreadful - shiny lilac with silver patterns and crystal ties. We might try and sell them on but I feel bad as they're only 3 years old and it feels like such a waste of money!

I agree that anything I really love is not for sale, I have some made to measure curtains over an enormous window that I scrimped and saved for. I love them so much that they are coming with me if I ever move and I will get them remodelled (unless they are falling to bits in which case I’d probably have to buy something to sell the house with in any case). Equally I have some made to measure blinds, they would stay for free As they would never be reused. I would never leave a light fitting that I’d chosen, but would obviously leave a plain one up. I also think carpets should be left as a matter of course and not charged for.

I’d say either’happy to give a gesture for leaving them so we are not curtain-less when we arrive, but as we will be replacing soon-ish, do not really wish to buy them from you’.

Or just a plain no thanks we do not wish to buy them.

Would depend on how the sale was going and how nice (or not) the sellers were TBH.

When we sold outl