In my 25 + years of selling Real Estate single family homes, townhomes and condominiums perhaps the one thing I dread most is the seller or buyers decision on what to do with their washer, dryer or refrigerator.  If the seller wants to keep them, the buyer wants them; if the seller doesn’t want to keep them, the buyers don’t want them.  It is Murphy’s Law!  Then it is up to me to convince the seller or buyer to accept the situation.

I for one have never taken my refrigerator or washer dryer with me whenever I have moved.  Why?  Because it pretty much costs more to move them than to replace them.  Plus some older refrigerators need to be moved upright or you risk compromising the refrigerant and it won’t work anyway.  I had one buyer client who did not want the beautiful Maytag Washer and Dryer the seller wanted to leave.  The seller was moving out of state.  Luckily and for some unknown reason I drove by the Townhome the night before the closing — in the dark!  There on the front lawn of the townhouse was a huge pile of debris, garbage AND the Maytag washer and dryer!  The sellers Realtor and or the seller were nowhere to be found. Fortunately my attorney was.  She was able to recommend someone who would come out that night and remove everything.  That washer and dryer couldn’t have been more than 3 years old.  I wish I needed one or had more time to give it to someone who needed one.  Away it went.

Bottom line is that refrigerators and washers and dryers out date themselves with time and who wouldn’t want to treat themselves to a nice new washer and dryer and refrigerator when you move to your new house.  They are delivered and installed for you free in most cases. Now you can get that stainless steel refrigerator you only saw in pictures or front loading high efficiency washer and dryer! Leave the old ones behind for the buyer.  In the lower price ranges for condominiums and townhomes this may be a first time home buyer purchase and they are scraping every last penny to buy.  What a nice treat!  And, if the buyer does not want them? Donate them for a tax write off or sell them on EBay!  There is also a great yahoo site called somersetfreecycle.  Google it.  You can list anything that you want to GIVE away.  Within minutes you’ll have dozens of emails from needy people (or not) who are willing to come pick them up and take them away! It’s a good thing!

And if you are the buyer and you find that the seller left the appliances behind anyway?  Don’t hold off the closing wanting them removed.  The buyer can also “freecycle” them or in my case I gave the washer and dryer to my painter!  How happy was he!!!!!  I moved the refrigerator to the garage. And, Murphy’s Law again — it broke down within a month and spoiled all the frozen food I had in it.  I should have given that away as well!

So don’t stress out over your used appliance — embrace the idea you can have new ones and do whatever the buyer or seller  wants.

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