Swap out the curtains before moving out of sold house

phoebe1989seb

If the offer specified that it was based on curtains being left, I would definitely speak to the buyer (not necessarily directly) to ascertain if it was those specific curtains they wanted. However, as you have stated that the buyer did not view the property himself I guess it is less likely.

When selling a previous house, our buyers mentioned on their first viewing that they loved our curtains - double-height bay window in vaulted-ceilinged room, curtains made by myself - and this set alarm bells ringing as we had intended to take these (not only was it very expensive fabric, no longer available that had been chosen to complement our Arts & Crafts furniture, but also involved very very many metres!), so we instantly interjected that these were not staying. When they placed an offer, no mention was made of curtains but they did try to persuade us to leave them. I put my foot firmly down and refused.

Next house we sold I had learned my lesson and removed all curtains we wished to keep before placing the property on the market. In addition we swapped out our very unusual curtain poles for more generic ones. We replaced the curtains with equally good quality ones that were more neutral. Our buyers were delighted with them.

davidmcn

fionah wrote: »

The only mention of the F&F was on the offer qualified acceptance letters:
“The price will include the following additional items (if any):- all carpets and other flooring, all curtains and blinds, all white goods….”

The time to negotiate it is really before you issue your qualified acceptance, but not too late if you haven't concluded missives. You certainly should get the buyer's agreement, the included items are all meant to be what was viewed, not random substitutes. But I doubt the buyer will be too bothered.

DigForVictory

If your buyer is 'buying blind', then I'd feel fine replacing them with something passable and bland rather than getting into a conversation about it.
You said you'd sell with curtains & lo, there are curtains. If anyone says "But They're Different", yes, the original ones got stained/damaged in your moving out so you replaced them rather than fail to provide.

glasgowdan

Just take them and stick some very cheap ones up. If they complain they won't have any recourse up to £250-300. But I seriously doubt anyone would make an issue of it if they have something to screen the windows for a few days after moving in

googler

fionah wrote: »

The offer from the buyer stated:
“The price will include the following additional items (if any):- all carpets and other flooring, all curtains and blinds, all white goods….”

This sounds like a Scottish Standard Clause. Are you selling in Scotland?

EDIT; I see that you are

If so, contact your solicitor and tell him/her that you didn't want to include these, and you'd like him/her to specifically exclude them from the sale, to be replaced with a generic equivalent. He/she should modify the missives as appropriate. If the missives have been concluded, it's too late to modify them, and you'll have to rely on the goodwill of the buyer in accepting your substitution

Better to sort it out now through missives, rather than substitute them and hope that the buyer won't notice the change from those (possibly) pictured in the schedule, or those seen when they viewed the property.

Proxima_Centauri

glasgowdan wrote: »

Just take them and stick some very cheap ones up. If they complain they won't have any recourse up to £250-300. But I seriously doubt anyone would make an issue of it if they have something to screen the windows for a few days after moving in

I'm inclined to agree. The new owner will at some stage presumably want to re-decorate and choose their own curtains.

I hadn't heard of sellers leaving their curtains before! The only time we didn't have to buy our own curtains was when we were renting a part-furnished flat. Our current flat was totally bare when we moved in - no curtains, no carpets, no cooker, nothing

googler

Proxima_Centauri wrote: »

I'm inclined to agree. The new owner will at some stage presumably want to re-decorate and choose their own curtains.

Yes, but their offer and acceptance states that the curtains, as shown in the schedule, and as viewed by the buyer, possibly, are included

Proxima_Centauri wrote: »

I hadn't heard of sellers leaving their curtains before!

I'd say leaving them is more likely than taking. What's the probability that all the windows in their new home are the same size as the old, or that they'll match the existing decor in the new home?

Owain_Moneysaver

It seems to be more usual in Scotland to leave carpets and curtains (and I've experienced the strips of material masquerading as curtains too).

You do need to agree with the buyer that your existing curtains are excluded - and you might find that he's happy with no curtains at all, so you'd save yourself the cost of generics.

davidmcn

Proxima_Centauri wrote: »

I hadn't heard of sellers leaving their curtains before!

I would say it's pretty unusual for someone to think that their new home would suit their old curtains, carpets etc.

Bonfire_Bride

I wish all sellers were as nice as you

Our Sellers have offered to leave the blinds....at ano agreed price!! Haha!