Buyers walk through your home assuming certain things come with it. Your purchase contract makes assumptions too. Most disagreements over a light fixture, a mounted TV or a refrigerator start the same way: nobody wrote the answer down before the offer was signed.
In an Idaho home sale, items attached to the house, such as built-in appliances, wired light fixtures, mounted window coverings and in-ground landscaping, are generally treated as part of the sale unless the purchase agreement excludes them. Furniture and other movable belongings go with you. If you want to keep something that is attached, remove and replace it before you list, or name it as an exclusion in writing before you accept an offer.
What Counts as a Fixture?
A fixture is an item that was once separate from the house but has been attached to it, or fitted to it, so that it is treated as part of the real estate. A ceiling light wired into the ceiling is a fixture. A floor lamp plugged into an outlet is not.
Personal property is everything you can pick up and carry out without tools and without leaving damage: furniture, rugs, artwork, most electronics, potted plants.
The line is not always obvious. The practical questions are how the item is attached, whether it was made or cut to fit this house, and whether taking it would leave a hole, a capped wire or a bare wall. A bolted wall bracket, a shade cut to a window, or a storage system screwed into the garage studs sits closer to the fixture side than many sellers expect.
What Does an Idaho Purchase Agreement Say About What Stays?
Resale homes in the Treasure Valley are commonly sold on the Idaho REALTORS® purchase and sale agreement, known as form RE-21. In general terms, the form treats the existing fixtures and fittings attached to the property as included in the purchase price unless they are excluded, and it gives space to list additional items that are included and items that are specifically excluded.
Two terms come up here. Inclusions are items that convey, meaning they transfer to the buyer at closing along with the house. Exclusions are items the seller keeps, even though they might otherwise be assumed to stay.
The form is revised from time to time, and the contract you actually sign is the one that governs. Read the inclusions and exclusions in your own agreement line by line before you sign it, and expect the buyer to do the same. For a question about what a clause means in your situation, talk with an Idaho real estate attorney.
Which Items Cause the Most Confusion?
- Appliances. Built-in ranges, ovens and dishwashers are generally treated as staying. Stand-alone refrigerators, washers and dryers are the classic gray area. Spell them out either way.
- Wall-mounted TVs. The TV itself is personal property. The bracket bolted to the wall, and any wiring run inside it, may be treated as part of the house.
- Light fixtures and ceiling fans. Wired fixtures stay unless excluded. A chandelier a seller plans to keep is a familiar example.
- Window coverings. Mounted blinds, shades and rods are generally treated as attached. The curtain panels hanging on the rods are less clear.
- Smart-home devices. A video doorbell, smart thermostat, smart lock or mounted camera is attached to the house. It also has an account and an app behind it, which you will need to reset or transfer.
- Landscaping and outdoor items. Trees, shrubs and perennials planted in the ground are generally part of the property. Container plants are not. Sheds, play structures and hot tubs depend on how they are installed.
- Garage door openers and remotes. The opener is attached, and the remotes and keypad codes go with it in practice. Gather them before closing.
How Do I Keep Something I Want to Take?
There are two clean ways to do it, and both happen before a buyer writes an offer.
1. Remove and replace it before you list
If the dining room chandelier is going with you, take it down and put up a fixture you are comfortable leaving before the listing photos are taken. What buyers see in the photos and at showings is what they expect to receive. Removing an item after an offer is accepted invites a dispute, even when the contract is on your side.
2. Exclude it in writing
If the item has to stay in place while the home is on the market, name it as an exclusion. Your agent can note it in the listing so buyers know before they write an offer, and it belongs in the exclusions of the purchase agreement itself. Be specific: "dining room chandelier" is clearer than "some light fixtures."
A conversation at a showing is not part of the contract. If it matters to you, it goes in the agreement.
Can I Leave Things the Buyer Asks For?
Yes. Buyers sometimes ask for the refrigerator, the washer and dryer or the patio set. You can agree to include personal property, and it should be listed in the purchase agreement so both sides know exactly what is included. If the buyer is using a loan, how personal property in the sale is handled is a question for the buyer's lender.
When Does a Missing Item Usually Come Up?
The most likely moment is the final walkthrough, the buyer's last visit to the property shortly before closing, when the buyer looks for the items they expect to stay. By then both sides are close to the finish, and the options are narrow: put the item back, agree on a replacement, or negotiate. Settling the question before the listing goes live avoids that conversation entirely.
A Short Pre-Listing Checklist
- Walk every room, the garage and the yard, and note anything attached that you want to keep.
- For each item, decide now: remove and replace it before photos, or exclude it in writing.
- If you remove something, have the replacement installed properly and repair any holes or marks.
- Gather remotes, manuals, keys and access codes in one place for the buyer.
- Plan to reset smart-home devices and remove your accounts before closing.
- When an offer arrives, read its inclusions and exclusions before you sign.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do the appliances stay when I sell my house in Idaho?
Built-in appliances, such as a range, wall oven or dishwasher, are generally treated as part of the sale. Stand-alone appliances, such as a refrigerator, washer or dryer, are a common gray area, so list them as included or excluded in the purchase agreement. The contract you sign governs.
Can I take my wall-mounted TV when I move?
The TV itself is personal property and goes with you. The wall bracket and any in-wall wiring may be treated as attached to the house. If you plan to take the bracket, say so in writing before you accept an offer and repair the wall after you remove it.
Can I swap out a light fixture I want to keep before I list?
Yes, and before listing is the best time to do it. Replace the fixture before the listing photos and showings, so buyers never expect it to stay. If it has to stay up while the home is on the market, name it as an exclusion in writing.
What should I do with smart-home devices like a video doorbell or thermostat when I sell?
Attached devices are generally treated like other fixtures and stay unless excluded. Before closing, reset each one, remove it from your accounts and leave the buyer what they need to set it up. If you want to take a device, exclude it in writing or replace it before you list.