So, your home is off the market, and you're headed to the closing table. Did you know there are certain items you should leave behind when you sell your home? It's typical for homeowners to think that everything within their property belongs to them. However, some items transfer to the new owners once you sign on that dotted line.

It can be challenging to decide what you should and should not leave behind for the new owners. Our agents can help you figure out what items can't be removed from the property to ensure you're not left with any liabilities.

While there are no hard and fast rules that outline what you need to leave, some general rules of thumb can help you out.

What Should Stay: Anything Built-In

1. Fixtures – Or Items Physically Attached To The Home
   There's usually some confusion as to what qualifies as fixtures. If a fixture is attached to the house when it's listed or included in the sales contract, you should leave it behind when moving. Other criteria that can help you determine whether an item is a fixture or not include is method of attachment. If removing an item takes a screwdriver, it is generally considered a fixture.
   
   If it's easily removable, is it integral to the home? Remember, if a dispute arises between buyer and seller, the buyer is more likely to prevail, and consequently, anything built-in stays. Here are a few examples of built-in items that you should leave behind:

• • Built-in bookshelves, benches, and furniture
  • Wall-to-wall carpeting and other floorings
  • Hardware like the knobs and drawer pulls in your bathrooms and kitchen
  • Lighting and plumbing fixtures
  • Mirrors fixed in place
  • Hardwired home alarm systems – some are designed to be removed. If not, leave everything attached
  • Carbon monoxide monitors and smoke alarms

2. Landscaping
   Generally, landscaping is included in the sale of the house. That consists of any trees, shrubs, and flowers planted in the ground. However, you can take anything that doesn't need to be dug up with you. If you really want to take a shrub or a particular flower bush with you, you have to expressly state what items you'll be taking in the sales contract.

What Can Stay: Appliances and Some Furnishings

While it's customary for a seller to leave behind kitchen appliances in the sale, it's not a requirement. Even though some appliances like fridges are difficult to move, they're not permanently affixed to the property. As such, they don't count as fixtures.

It's up to you to decide what appliances you can leave behind. However, most buyers anticipate that certain appliances will be left behind, so it's a good idea to discuss everything you'll be taking with the buyer before closing. Make sure to put it in writing.

What other items can you consider leaving behind? Some furnishings and personal items can actually help you sell the house or even increase its selling price; it may work in your favor to include them in the deal. These include

• Custom swings, basketball hoops, and playsets
• Kitchen built-ins like spice racks and pantry organization-ware — as long as removing them doesn't damage the property
• Customized furnishings like curtains and rugs

Items that are affixed to the property or anchored to the ground can't just be taken – not without the buyer's consent, at least.

Contact us today if you're looking to put up your property for sale or snatch up one of these splendid Bakersfield homes for sale. We'd love to help you out.