Dear Monica: I am in the process of selling my house and have excluded a few items that I don’t want to sell with the house. I want to keep the washer and dryer, refrigerator and dining room chandelier. My agent is advising me not to do this. What do you advise? Tom R.

 

Dear Tom: Exclusions are often a negative in the mind of a buyer, some less than others. If you want to keep your dining room chandelier, my advice would be to remove it now and replace it with a suitable but simple one, and then the buyer never sees the one you want to keep. As for the washer and dryer, it is common for sellers leave these items with the house, but it is also common to exclude them. If they are older, leave them. If they are newer, it’s fine to take them but a buyer might appreciate having them left with the house.

As for the kitchen refrigerator, I would advise you not to exclude this. Even if the refrigerator is not built in, it is unusual and definitely a negative for a buyer to have to replace the refrigerator as soon as they move in. You didn’t say how much your house is listed for but with high prices in our area, buyers don’t expect to pay these prices and then have several exclusions. If your goal is to achieve a good sale, it is best not to exclude anything.