Mar 14, 2010

Does the seller have to leave the appliances when selling their home?

There is nothing that I am aware of that legally requires the seller to leave the appliances when they sell their home. However a buyer can request in writing that the seller leave personal items as part of the offer to purchase. The real estate offers to purchase contracts used in Central Florida have pre-printed clauses that detail what items the buyer requests the seller to leave as part of the transaction.

The FAR9 contract states in part that the offer to buy includes appliances listed as; range, refrigerator, washer, and dryer. The FAR8 & FARBAR As Is offer to purchase appliance list includes all of the above except the washer and dryer. All three offers to purchase contracts have space available for the buyer and seller to list personal items and appliances that are to be included or excluded from the transaction.

It is not unusual to find foreclosure or short sale listings that have had all or some of the appliances removed from the home. In these cases you need to be aware that the bank or seller may not be in the position to or have the desire to replace the missing appliances. When this is the case you should make sure your agent has crossed them off the offer to purchase when submitting your offer.


Related Florida real estate blog posts on appliances

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