What Can You Expect to Come with a Home After You Purchase It?

A Full Guide to What Comes With a Home When You Buy It

When you are touring a home, and you love the way it looks staged, you might be wondering if all that stuff comes with the house. Many obvious items like built-in bookcases and hardware are usually included in a home purchase; other things are not. Make sure you are working with an experienced real estate agent who can both review and write the contract that will meet all of your buyer needs. The last thing you need is to walk into the new home of your dreams on moving day only to realize that half of all the appliances you loved so much are missing. Curious about what comes with the house after you purchase it?

In this article, we will uncover what you, as the buyer, can expect to come with your new purchase of a home.

What Will Come with the House After I Buy It?

In many home purchase contracts, it is clear that built-ins or things that are permanently affixed to the home automatically come with the house. While this seems like common sense, you might be surprised by just what sellers will take along with them when they vacate your new home. Below, we have compiled a list of what will come with the house per a typical contract. Keep in mind if these items are not included in a pre-written contract, your realtor can add them at any time.

Built-Ins

• Built-Ins: Items built into the house itself, such as a bookshelf, window seats, etc., come with the home upon its sale.
• Built-In Outdoor Kitchen: If the house that you have just purchased comes with a built-in outdoor grill, oven, or full kitchen area since it is considered to be attached to the property, it will come with it.

Outdoor Items

• Above-Ground Swimming Pools: Above-ground swimming pools are included in the purchase of the property, however, if the buyer wants the pool disassembled upon moving in, we will typically negotiate with the seller to get them to pay part of this cost.
• Mailbox: Whether the mailbox is wall-mounted or street-side, sellers will always leave a home's mailbox with the home itself.
• Landscaping: Shrubbery, trees, and any other landscaping planted in the ground will automatically come with the house. Potted plants, on the other hand, usually do not.
• Pool Equipment: While pool accessories will not come with the house purchase, pool equipment typically does.

Appliances

• Oven and Range: Some appliances will not come with the home, but built-in ovens and ranges do.
• Dishwasher: Most sellers include the dishwasher with the home purchase.
• HVAC Units: These are considered to be part of the home and will always be included in the home purchase.

Decor, Lighting & Accents

• Ceiling Fans: Ceiling fans are attached to the home and will, therefore, stay with the home.
• Chandeliers, Pendants, and Different Light Fixtures: Light fixtures that are affixed to the home will come with the house, however, if the light fixture is expensive, the seller can work the cost into the home price.
• Blinds, Drapery Rods, and Window Treatments: Seeing as drapery rods, blinds, and other window treatments are installed and attached to the home, they will usually come with the house.
• Installed Hardware: Most hardware will come with the house, including doorknobs, knobs, cabinet pulls, bathroom fixtures, etc...

Safety and Security Items

• Smoke Detectors: Sellers should leave a home's smoke detector when selling a home, and as soon as buyers move in, they should check the batteries to ensure they will work properly.
• Access Devices & Garage Door Openers: Sellers will be required to leave behind access devices, codes, and garage door openers for the new owner.
• Storm Shutters and Panels: If you reside in a storm-prone area, you will want to ensure that the seller will leave all storm shutters and panels behind.

What Does Not Come with the House After I Buy It?

The following items in this list will rarely, if ever, be included in the purchase of a home. However, they are sometimes purchased by the buyers separately.

• Outdoor and Indoor Furniture: Decor and furniture that do not usually come along with the house unless noted by the seller; if the seller is open to leaving behind their furniture, buyers might opt to purchase furnishings from the seller separately or as part of the purchase agreement.
• TVs: TVs do not usually come with a home purchase.

Bottom Line

Everything is always negotiable when buying a home, and always make sure to ask to include or purchase items not typically included in the purchase of a home. On the flip side, sellers can opt not to include certain items for sale with their home that are typically included in the purchase of a home. For example, a seller might decide to take their curtains to their new home. Let's say you have now negotiated the household items with the sellers, agreed-upon prices, and you have purchased the house. Now, it is time to plan your move. Utilize the help of a trusted real estate agent to ensure that you are getting the bang worth your buck. Trust the real estate professionals at Benchmark Realty to guide you in finding and settling down in the home of your dreams in the many beautiful, thriving neighborhoods that make up Nashville, TN, today.