Do you remember when your designer took you to the Mart and you bought your furniture? You stalked the showrooms for days and weeks, picked out fabrics and designs, mulled over the choices ad nauseam, and then waited a year for them to arrive at your new home. After doling out a fortune for the haul.
It just may have been the most miserable experience of your life (only after interviewing at private pre-schools with your 2-year-old. Or paying for private pre-school for your 2-year-old).
But you’ve lived with and loved your (very expensive) furniture for all these years, and now you are selling your home - and you know that none of it will work in your new place. Still, you remember how much you paid for that furniture and you get hives thinking about it, even now.
And why do I bring this up when we’re supposed to be discussing real estate?
Because a few weeks ago my buyer put in an offer on a place, and - knowing that the seller had no use for the furniture - included it in the offer.
According to the seller’s agent, the seller went ballistic, shouting expletives while insisting that the value of the furniture almost equals the value of their home.
Unfortunately for the seller, here’s what that used 25-year old high-end furniture is worth on the open market: virtually nothing. NADA.
So, sneaky as I am (and strongly suspecting how the events would transpire), we signed up the deal without the furniture. As we got closer to the closing date, it became quite apparent that said furniture was not going anywhere. No one was buying it (literally and figuratively), and it would probably cost more to remove it all than to have Christian Liaigre build it from scratch.
And what did we end up doing? "WHAT HAPPENED" you ask? I know you’re dying to know.
If you calm down, I’ll tell you.
My buyer ALLOWED the seller to leave the furniture at no charge. Out of the goodness of her heart.
Even though I’m not in the furniture business, I do know how to play the furniture card in a real estate deal, whether you’re the buyer or seller.
Just keep me out of the Mart.
Have a great weekend!
Best,
Brad
