How To Include Furniture in Sale of Home? – Complete Guide

Okay, so how to include furniture in sale of home when you have a buyer interested in making an offer on your home?

✅ Sometimes, you want to include your furniture in the sale, but sometimes, a buyer shows interest in it.

Sometimes, they assess not only the house itself but also some of the furnishings and amenities. 

You learn during discussions that the buyer wants to include all or parts of furnishings in the purchase.

Is it wise to grant their wish?

Does this make sense, and if so, how to sell household furniture by setting the right price?

You need to convey this to your buyer during the negotiations if you wish to include furniture in the sale of a home and how they should adjust the offer accordingly. 

The Practice of Selling a Home With Furniture

It is up to the seller to decide, “is furniture included in house sale or not?”

✅ Properties, especially second homes and high-end luxury properties, are typically sold with their furnishings.

This is common practice in many real estate markets.

While some buyers may actively seek a wholly furnished property, most buyers will not even consider asking the seller if they will sell any of the furniture.

The second kind predominates in locations where purchasing second homes is commonplace.

👍 The buyer can quickly begin earning money from the property as a rental by just moving in. 

Alternatively, they can use the home as a vacation retreat without spending much money and time furnishing it. 

Selling Homes With Few Furniture Pieces

Many high-end buyers want turnkey properties furnished already, so this is also increasingly common in the luxury market.

The novelty of the experience may also appeal to first-time homebuyers who may be daunted by the prospect of outfitting a whole house for the first time.

While most buyers are not always ready to sell their homes fully furnished, they may definitely consider the idea of parting with some furniture pieces.

Tip: Be sure to inform your real estate agent about what you want to do with the furniture to avoid any surprises later. 

How To Include Furniture in Sale of Home Properly?

When wondering how to list furniture for sale, working closely with a pro is the best way to get it done.

During negotiations, let potential buyers know they can modify their bid to incorporate the sale of part or perhaps all of your furniture.

Similarly, make it clear in the listing that you are selling your furnishings and the house if that is important. 

Here is how you have to proceed when including furniture in your sale:

Learn To Structure the Sale Properly

Working with a real estate agent familiar with selling completely furnished properties is crucial.

If the sale is not correctly structured, the buyer may have trouble getting financing, jeopardizing the deal.

Here are some options to consider when hoping to include furniture in the sale of your home: 

Offer a Package Deal

It is possible to advertise your home as “turnkey” if you are willing to include all the furniture and appliances.

✅ Selling a fully furnished property is the norm in many real estate markets, and this is the most frequent strategy for doing so.

Rather than including the cost of each piece of furniture individually, the real estate agent will likely price the entire home and its contents as a unit and advertise it for a single price.

On the purchase agreement, the broker assigns the furnishings no value.

It is mainly because lending policies classify the sum as a sales concession when buyers and sellers negotiate the furniture’s value.

The lender subtracts this concession sum from the home’s market value, which may influence the buyer’s ability to close the transaction. 

Sell Furniture Apart From the Home Sale

It is also possible to list your furniture apart from the home sale.

In this case, you have to create an itemized bill of sale for the furnishings rather than putting them in the sales contract for the house.

Next, you must work with your buyer to decide on an extra-transactional furniture purchase and payment details.

While concurrent with the home sale, this additional transaction would be handled independently.

No mention of the furniture sale would be included in the closing settlement statement.

Instead, it is your job to find a buyer for the furniture and then chase down payment. 

Pricing Furniture When Selling a House

It might be frustrating to lowball the sale of expensive home decor items.

It can be challenging to calculate how much money you can make by selling your old furniture.

It is helpful first to establish a value for the house in its unfurnished state, after which the furnishings can be valued independently.

Tip: You probably will not get back the full amount you put into furniture if you sell your home; doing so could make it more attractive and help you sell it faster. 

Deciding on a Fair Price

Your first step in determining a fair price for your furniture should be to locate any relevant receipts.

Since the furniture is used, you obviously cannot ask for what you paid.

But knowing your initial investment will help you set reasonable asking prices and defend those costs if a potential buyer challenges them.

Remember the following when setting a fair price:

Have Realistic Expectations

Secondhand furniture typically has a low market value.

In this case, the furniture is extremely similar to the automobile. The moment you walk out of the store, their value begins to plummet.

Tip: Keep in mind that furniture sales typically net less than half the original home purchase price, so set a price accordingly. 

Consider the Age of Your Furniture

Always pay attention to your furniture’s condition, age, and design style when deciding on a fair price.

All these things affect how much you can get for your home when you sell it with furniture.

A soiled Ikea lounge chair purchased 15 years ago will not sell as well as a modern tablet you bought a couple of years ago. 

Research Online

Check out multiple internet stores to know how things are these days.

It also helps to check online classifieds and auction houses like eBay and Craigslist to see how much similar furniture is going for in your area.

Tip: Check antique price guides online to get an idea about the money your old furniture should be sold for. 

Negotiating the Value of Your Furniture

Be sure to put everything in writing and let your real estate agent know of it.

Do not let your buyer assume anything about what comes included in the deal.

And before going any further, be clear about the full value of your furniture.

Figuring out the value of your furniture will give you leverage during negotiations.

It is worth mentioning that having a ballpark estimate of how much you expect for your furniture is okay.

However, the actual outcome rarely corresponds to the predicted value. Therefore, you should remember the following things when negotiating: 

Pay Attention to Your Buyer’s Perspective

Determine your bargaining power by learning the extent to which the buyer needs to acquire a fully furnished property.

Customers who need furniture immediately are more inclined to spend a premium for a fully equipped home.

It is usually the case when buyers want to use the property as a vacation rental.

Instead of taking the house off the rental market to get new furniture and redecorate, they may start making money immediately by keeping the existing furnishings in place.

However, you will need to be more flexible with your pricing strategy if the buyers intend to reside in the property and would rather renovate the area to their tastes. 

Consider the Market Conditions

The fluctuations in the real estate market can affect the prices of furniture.

Buyers may be more willing to meet your asking price if the housing market is a seller’s market, with few available homes and high demand.

It can be more challenging to negotiate a high price in a buyer’s market because buyers have several houses to pick.

In that case, you will have to reconsider your offer and carefully decide what your buyers are more likely to pay for the furniture. 

Takeaway

Learning how to include furniture in sale of home can give you an idea about the right price to ask for your property.

You have to consider several factors when deciding on a fair price, but sometimes, it is better to connect with a furniture appraiser to get a better idea.

Still, you can research and understand how to get the best quote for your home with furniture.