What is included in house sale

[SpeckledlyHen]

We recently sold our house and the buyers are coming today to measure up and talk about what we are going to leave. What generally is included in the sale? Most of my windows are odd sizes (very old house and teeny tiny windows) so there is no point me taking any of the blinds/curtains. So they will stay. Obviously light fittings and carpets etc stay. But what about white goods and the fridge freezer and cooker? We completely renovated a few years ago so most of these are only a few years old - there is an aga range and matching american style fridge freezer, integrated dishwasher, washing machine, tumble dryer (not integrated) and microwave. Do I include these or negotiate a price? To be honest I doubt we would want to take everything with us - if we don't find a house in time we will have to rent and without knowing where we will end up it is difficult to know what to take with us. Any ideas please?

Anything integrated stays, all the other freestanding appliances are open to negotiation. I always leave carpets, curtains, blinds etc., but some people try and sell them. Your buyer could ask you to take them.

It's up to you - when you fill in the fixtures and fittings form, you say what you are planning on taking/leaving.
You can also put a price for things you are taking, in case your buyers want to pay extra for it and then you leave it.

Eg for curtains and blinds you'd tick 'included' as you're planning on leaving them.
If your fridge is new, but it's a bit of a hassle to take it with so you'd be happy if buyers want to purchase it, you'd tick 'excluded' but include a price - eg if it cost you £800 6 months ago, you might put a price next to it of £400

If they say they don't want it, you'll have to take it. It's all negotiation when it comes down to 'extras'

If it’s been listed on the particulars (e.g. “stylish integrated kitchen with fridge freezer and washing machine”) then it has to stay.

Blinds/curtains & freestanding white goods are not normally included... if you don't want them I would try to sell them to the new buyers for a price that is attractive to both of you

What you are leaving sounds decent so I'd want some proper money
aga range - 1K second hand?
matching american style fridge freezer - few hundred?

• , integrated dishwasher - it stays
• washing machine, tumble dryer (not integrated) - sell but these won't be worth a lot 50 /100 each prob
• and microwave. - I'd expect you to take or leave for free

FYI - I sold to my buyers for £350

• cooker (ancient, prob worth £10 on ebay etc but still working)
• 10 yr old washer/dryer but working
• old fridge freezer (american style)
• my blinds (prob cost £600 new for all - but 10 years old)

They were happy to get those things left in the house, I was happy not to take away. I could prob have reasonably charged them £500 but there are always difference in what the sellers & buyers think its worth!

Personally I leave all white goods. They are a hassle to move and unless they are some sort of professional quality costing thousands I wouldn't try and sell them either. Your aga is worth thousands and you might want to put a price on this, though if it was listed as a particular feature of the kitchen as a buyer I'd assume it was included.
Ask yourself if the white goods would fit in your new home? Worth the expense of moving? Usually not.
The other thing open to negotiation is expensive light fittings like chandeliers. I had an unusual multi piece hand blown glass light in the upstairs hall. But I decided it wouldn't work in my new home so said it was included - if it was Murano costing £5,000 I might have felt differently!
My curtains were lovely and I said if they didn't want them to tell me as I'd then take them - I didn't want them.just dumped.

Thank you all. The buyer who is buying my house loves the style - she said everything I have chosen she would have chosen, down to the kitchen colour style etc. All of the blinds and curtains are made to measure and very good quality - only a few years old. The white goods I am not so fussed by but the aga and matching fridge freezer were expensive and I do want to negotiate a price so this is helpful (my husband would probably just give it to them!). The light fittings are pretty much all Jim Lawrence so again I am loathe to just leave them and give them away but it would be a right hassle to take them with us.

@SpeckledlyHen: blinds 1/3 or maybe half of new is fair IMO if fairly new

Aga: look up prices of your model on eBay. It told me the range in house I bought is worth 1k if buying second hand. I’m aware agas are more

If your buyer likes your taste it’s all worth more to her! Plus convenience of buying a ready to go house which is also worth a lot

Our sellers left the blinds and curtains (standard window sizes). They were going to take some side lights as they were a wedding gift but ended up leaving them behind. They also left all of the leftover paint in the garage in case we needed it for touch ups (I had asked if they could let me know the names of the paint).

Are your buyers first time buyers? If so, that might influence their willingness to pay for any goods you leave. If they already have a fridge freezer etc they might just take their own and ask you to take yours to save costs. The aga would probably be the only exception, they cost a fortune, are very sought after and I don't know many who would have one already.

@DespairingHomeowner thank you so much - Yes I have just done that (didn't think of doing it before!) and it seems that the aga and fridge freezer (they match) are worth an awful lot. Knowing that's the case then I would rather sell them if the buyer does not want them.

They are not first time buyers but are downsizing from a mahoosive house - so actually not sure what they will want but the kitchen was designed in a way that the appliances match it. Additionally, because the windows are very odd sizes to replace all the blinds and curtains would cost her a fortune so I guess she will want to probably keep mine.

Really useful advice everyone, thank you.

@MilduraS - I have labelled up all the paint and will leave them it - also we had the outside painted and rendered so I have left them that paint also if they need to do any touch ups.

We left all the blinds and curtains, perhaps not to the buyers taste but allowed them some privacy until they could redecorate. All white goods apart from the dryer were also left because they were integrated.

We moved into a house where they'd left the American style fridge, connected to a water pipe, decades old and mouldy as hell, and to fit another on in the space we had to remove the surrounding cupboards as it was a non standard size. They also left us a freezer (totally broken) and a washing machine full of wet washing. Fortunately we'd paid nothing extra for them but I'd rather they'd have taken them with them!

I think it depends on the condition of them and the feasibility of removing them, but whatever you do, make sure your buyer is aware.

Like other have said it depends what you put in your fixtures and fittings form. Ours was fairly in depth.

So carpets, curtains and shutters are staying.
As is the fridge, freezer and freestanding cooker.
Garden shed had to be listed as staying.
Even little things like tooth brush holder and mirror that is drilled into the bathroom tiling has to be declared that it's being left.

For a these things we could put a price to say they were to be paid for. But we said £0

But we're taking the washing machine and tumble. We also have a fairly large, expensive and fancy light fitting in our living room. That isn't stopping. So we've been told it has to be replaced with something else.

Speak to your solicitor if your unsure.

We took some very special lights from the dining room with us. It was declared on the form and we had to have an electrician round to fit two basic pendent bulbs to replace the lights. I think it cost about £90 to do that.

I am actually keeping the lights I have changed in my new house so I can refit those when I move out …

The Aga is worth trying to get some money for - is it 2,3 or 4 oven? How old, gas or electric? I moved 2 years ago and had stated from the outset that the 2 oven gas aga was not included in the sale but could be negotiated. In the end we left it because our buyer wanted it and offered us enough that we were happy to leave it. They dont command much to just sell as it costs a lot to dismantle and move. However if buyer hadnt wanted it we would have moved it with us as would have been cheaper for us rather than having to buy another one for our new house.

I would leave blinds and curtains unless you really like them and can re-use them. I would also take any expensive light fittings if i could use them again - you just need to replace with a working bulb.

Just make sure it is all clear on the fixtures and fittings form and with your buyers.

We were asked if we'd leave our range master cooker. Only 3 years old and is immaculate (husband is OCD with cleaning it!)

Because we don't need it I have agreed but does stick in the throat a bit as was very expensive!

Didn't want to negotiate a price as they are a FTB family and have so far been good through the process. Hoping Karma is returned!

We will redo new kitchen at some point and get another one then.

Integrated items must stay, freestanding goods ie. American style fridge freezer are negotiable. We moved last year and the previous owners left the almost new American fridge freezer as it was a hassle to move it! They asked for money for the curtains and some unusual antique light fittings and we agreed a price.
The house we sold however , we included the curtains as part of the deal when negotiating.
I would say that an Aga stays though! It’s an integral part of the kitchen and probably was part of the advertising as a previous poster pointed out .

We’re leaving all the curtains and poles. The house we are buying is taking them all 🤦🏽‍♀️ First thing on the shopping list!