A Parisienne Farmhouse Hypothetical Question…
Long time no blog.
I kicked the MacBook, the precious, precious MacBook off the bed.
My bad.
$500 and a panic attack that I lost all 22,000 photographs later…
I am back to blogging.
Back in Mac.
So here we go…
Let’s just say I was to put the Parisienne Farmhouse on the market and finally go thru with the more bucolic of my two dreams (those being to live on a farm or to live in Paris).
Let’s say you found yourself interested in the Parisienne Farmhouse and while giving the tour I said,
“The chandeliers are not included in the sale of the home. We will be replacing them with other light fixtures appropriate to the style of the home.”
If you loved my house, would that be a deal breaker for you?
I have been collecting chandeliers for sixteen years and I am not just going to hand them over to someone just because “that’s how it’s done”. And I just don’t want to take them down. See, who knows how long a house takes to sell these days and I just would not want to live that time, however long it may be without my beautiful chandeliers.
IF
I was selling the Parisienne Farmhouse that is.
Your thoughts?
This comment has been removed by the author.
Make the note that chandy’s aren’t included! I love that about you 🙂 You shouldn’t have to live without them…now or later 😉
As far as I know, every homeowner reserves the right to make exceptions as to what goes with the home.
Some take appliances, some leave them. In our home, there were certain things the owner made sure we knew she took with her.
To you, these are heirlooms for your girls, are they not?
XOXO
Joni
We are currently selling our home(well for a few more days). All we did was put whatever we are taking with us under the exclusions list, like the washer and dryer, shelving, etc. Just write that the light fixtures are not included, but you may want to have a photo of what will be included when you take them down. You don’t want people to think you are going to install something cheap and rip them off. Not that you would but let me tell you, people ask the strangest questions! You may get offers for purchasing them with the house for extra though so you need to know how you feel about that as it could end up a deal breaker and it is HARD to sell right now.
Just make sure your agent writes it in the MLS that they don’t convey. I agree with Bekki, you should have pictures of what will be installed! Good luck 🙂
I guess I have a different take. We sold our house last year to move to our dream farm. Selling was slow and it did take 9 months to sell. The question is how badly do you want to sell/move? After working with realtors and decorators, we found out you need to make your house a blank slate. If a potential buyer doesn’t have your style of furnishings, it will be difficult for them to picture their furnishings without chandeliers. Likewise, you need to take out as many personal items as possible (pictures, knick knacks, etc.) so they can picture their life in the home. As hard as it is, it comes down to, do you want to sell the home, or live in it with your own things and pray that somebody the next year or two or three with the same taste will come along. It’s a difficult market out there now.
When we had our first home on the market many years ago the beautiful kitchen that my husband had built was the draw card for buyers. We had a pot hanger made from a metal antique wheel over the kitchen island. I loved that wheel but didn’t take it down when we having open for inspection days and when buyers were being shown around. I wish I had taken it down because we were asked by some potential buyers ‘the wheel is staying isn’t it?’ we reluctantly had to say yes because we knew they loved our home and the kitchen was a selling point and I think the wheel cinched the deal because they bought the house. Pray that someone like my husband buys your home – he hates chandeliers but I love them!
that’s a good question.
Each house we’ve sold was sold as it was seen. Anything I wanted to keep was removed before house was placed on the market.
Your place will look more inviting with attractive light fixtures, clean ceilings, walls and floors.
Hint: When showing the house, make sure it is well lit, smells good, decluttered and have soft classical music playing the same music in several of the rooms.
With our Houston house that we sold I had coffee and cookies sitting out with a note to help themselves.
And of course say some prayers in Jesus name that a qualified buyer come to buy the house.
Ask the Lord what to do and he’ll be there for you.
God bless,
d from homehaven
Well I don’t know what the rules are over there, but I would make it very clear to the agent or the person who is interested ~ either that or take them out beforehand & replace them with the other lights so the prospective owner knows what they are going to get.
So are you selling?????
Any news????
Have fun
Renata:)
you can always store them here, forget the perennials
hahaha
I would take them down and pack them away before the first lookie lou arrives. Your moving anyway so it would have to be done eventually.
When we sold our home the goal was to sell and move as quickly as possible. So, we did everything in our power to make our home as tempting to buyers as possible – which meant blanding it out. It sold in 5 days. It’s best to keep perspective that you want to make your home appeal to the masses, let them envision themselves and their personalities in your home. Unfortunately, that means taking your personality out. If you’re serious about selling, I’d say take the chandies down now. I personally, think it would be so worth it to get to move to that bucolic setting with some acreage. Good luck to you should you decide to list it!
P.S. I’m glad you’re back to blogging. :0)
Here, it’s not so out of the ordinary to take light fixtures with you. We’ve done it, and my in-laws have done it as well.
Stumbled across your blog today. Your post hit a note with me, and I just wanted to share my honest opinion with you. . .it’s easy to do that when speaking to a total stranger. Who am I kidding I like to share honest opinions with everyone. My husband and I have a long history with house shopping. At one time we were looking at a home, and I fell in love with the chandlier in the dining room. Like it was one of the top reasons I wanted the house. We looked at the house three different times, and at some point they told us it was not included. . . we did not buy the house! With all that said. . .Let the people know up front! But then again for others it won’t even matter! Just wanting you to know your collection is beautiful, and I would take them too!!!
Gina
backporchroots.blogspot.com
Sugar, it’s really very simple. You simply take them down the moment you decide to put the house on the market. If no one sees them, they can’t lust after them. No hassle. That’s what we did and it was easy peasy.
xoxo,
Connie
Lets just Say, if you were going to sell the Farm…Replace the beautiful chandeliers with another fixture or write that you would replace them before sell with another light. I think I would keep them.
Looks like you received great advice…it’s your life live it like and with what you hold dear….
Hugs~
I agree, I would put the new fixtures in place before you showed the house, that way no one’s the wiser. I know for me lighting is a big issue in a home and that’s the first thing I always replace because it’s so hideous to me, but I know if I fell in love with those Chandiliers, I would be a little sad. So don’t even make it an issue!
You, you are definitely parisienne! No parisienne, or western European in my experience, would ever even wonder if the chandeliers were staying. They may offer to buy them, but more often they would expect them to go along with the previous owner. I think that custom fixtures like that are very often carried from house to house. My mother-in-law has taken her gorgeous crystal chandelier from house to house at least 4 times. It was never even considered that she would leave them behind. And, please, of course saying IF!, if you should somehow find your way on the Indiana side of Chicago-land, please stop by for a hello! All the best!
As someone who loves chandeliers, unless I knew at the very beginning, it would be a deal breaker for me. (It doesn’t help that G also loves over the top chandeliers!)
So that being said, to make it easier on yourself, I would live without them for a bit (maybe it will motivate you to do anything else within your power to get it to sell so that you can move to a place and put them back up) and put in light fixtures that will be staying.
I say, put them in the excluded list with an exception that if they will pay X amount more, they can have them.
And make the amount rather high!
Take ’em with you!!!!! They are far too beautiful and special to leave behind for someone who may not appreciate them.
Ideally you would take them down but, if you don’t want to do that then it has to be made absolutely clear that they are not included in the sale because they are part of a private collection. I’ve lost two different chandeliers that way.
If you leave them up I would ask the perspective buyers if they would prefer you replace them with something else or give them X amount of $$ off the sale to replace them with something they like. We purchased a house the sellers proudly furnished with an ultra modern glass monstrosity I could hardly look at and said they did it “just for us” because they were taking the old one and didn’t want to leave us with nothing. I would have preferred nothing – first thing we replaced.
Good luck!
Robin
If I loved the home, it wouldn’t be deal breaker. Like others have said, just state clearly that they don’t convey.
Hope you’ve been well and happy!
XOXO,
Anne
Just my 2 cents…
But, a couple of years ago, we moved to the country for our bucolic dream of the simple life….and I took a couple of my chandies and my kitchen faucet. It was a one of a kind, that I KNEW would be perfect for my farmhouse sink!
I also dug up some of my favorite perennials and a tree that had sentimental value.
The new owners would never appreciate those things like I did!
So…I would most assuredly take the lights with you.
And not look back!
XO
As an ex-realtor, I would strongly advise that you take those chandeliers down before you put the house on the market. Don’t even interview realtors with them up. I have moved many times and the last two houses, I had chandeliers that I loved and wanted to take with me. At one house, the listing realtor at the time talked me out of it. And at the other house, I left it up but excluded it in the listing. Excluding it was wrong, wrong, wrong! Because if the potential buyers like it, they will use that as a negotiation tool and you will not be happy. Actually, even if they don’t like it, they still can use it as a bargaining tool. I still miss my 2 chandeliers that I love and I will never see again. I know it could be a long time while your house in on the market but please, please, please, listen to me! I know of what I speak! If you love them, take them down before anyone sees them. You could get lucky and not have it be an issue but I lost twice on that and I wouldn’t chance it if I were you. I have also witnessed many a situation as a realtor where the lighting fixtures became a problem. You don’t want anything to muck up a possible sale. It’s a tough market. Please be smart.
We’ve sold almost a dozen houses. We’ve bought the same number. I NEVER listen to the realtor tell me what will turn a buyers head in my direction or from my direction. I clear everything to look as decluttered as possible, and use my own judgement for the specifics. Actually, I’ve sold two of the houses w/out a realtor, although in this market I’d need the advantage of MLS, I’m sure. Anyway, we’ve taken draperies (shock!), refrigerators (horror), and hot tub to our new homes and had no trouble with it. Everyone has their own “attachments”…
The deal breaker for me would not be the chandies, but the potager. Don’t be touchin’ that garden, if I’m the buyer!
Someone would have to pry my chandeliers from my cold dead hands before I let them go. I guess the best advise you’ve gotten is to not let others see them in the first place to be tempted to negotiate to get them with the house.
We are currently buying a house, and the seller really wanted to take their refrigerator with them. I thought that was a little strange, but it was definitely not a breaking point on the sale for us! We can get the refrigerator we love! As far as the Chandeliers go, they are gorgeous, and I am sure that anyone looking at your lovely home would admire them and most likely hope that they would stay in the home, but you absolutely have the right to say that they are not part of the deal! And don’t take them down either, keep them up until you move out. 🙂
I totally understand the sentimentss, we recently sold our 1942 home and I regret not taking the original dinning room light it was antique.. I say if you were to sell the place TAKE YOUR CHANDLERS WITH YOU!
I am actually looking for a house right now, and I would rather you not show me what I cannot have. Take them down now and show your house with what the buyer will get. My 2 cents.
Just except the chandelier fixtures in the listing, but definitely leave them hanging so you can continue to enjoy them and so buyers can be enticed by the home’s ceiling jewelry! Wouldn’t it be a shame if you were to leave those chandeliers with a buyer who didn’t appreciate them as much as you?