Real Estate Guide

Buying Your Home - Questions and Answers
'Furnishings vs. Fixtures'

Who gets the furnishings when a home is sold?

It depends. Fixtures, any kind of personal property that is permanently attached to a house (such as drapery rods, built-in bookcases, tacked-down carpeting or a furnace) automatically stay with the house unless specified otherwise in the sales contract.

But any personal property that is not nailed down (chattel) is negotiable. This most often involves appliances that are not built in (washer, dryer, refrigerator, for example), although some sellers will be interested in negotiating for other items, such as the baby grand-piano.

Most experienced REALTORS avoid the inclusion of chattel in the real estate contract itself. Very often you may lose a contract for the house while haggling over the value of a dining room set. It's far better to make separate deals, in writing, for personal items after  the purchase contract for the home is executed.