Does anyone have any experience with buying a home's furniture with the house?

[Laura PourMeADrink]

We are trying to buy a house in Galveston. It's on Airbnb. The furnishings are not conveyed but they are available for sale.

I wonder if there's a method to it?. I really truly have no earthly idea how much it would cost to furnish an entire house. My thought immediately goes to beds and sheets and pillows and bedspreads and mattresses and drapes as being the number one cost. Plus any antiques or wooden furniture?

Although trying to buy every stick of what's needed in a kitchen could really add up a lot too. Pots and pans and dishes and forks and knives and utensils etc.

It's so beautiful. Here's the Airbnb listing:


https://abnb.me/Th8ihk0LCpb

[LizBeth]

1. Go way under the amount they are asking for it. You are doing them a favor,

making their life easier and they cannot get much of anything for it if they put it out to sell, and such a hassle. I had antiques, china, crystal, the good stuff. And ended up giving it all away to charity because no matter what I tried, was impossible to get rid of.

[Quakerfriend]

5. Yes, I second that!

I have what were once considered valuable antiques that are now hardly sellable- No one wants old, heavy armoires, beds etc.

You would be doing them a huge favor!

The place is lovely & beautifully decorated!!

I would offer them a round figure & see if they bite- If not, you can negotiate higher.

Good Luck! Let us know how it goes

[bamagal62]

8. This is so true!

And, today's younger group has no interest in anything used or old, from what I understand. They want everything, including the house, to be new. As my realtor says, "They want to move in and go out for sushi!".

[Laura PourMeADrink]

17. I hear ya. Although inventory is so low, our agent thinks this house will go

for a $100,000 over ask . Course that's not considering the furniture at all. I like what someone mentioned below about it being a separate transaction.

[RKP5637]

2. Wow, that is very very nice and would be quite expensive to replicate with new items. Used

furniture is hard to get rid of. I bought a house fully furnished and paid nothing for it. The person in that case was older and needed to get rid of the house and was pleased I took the entire place, as is.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

18. Exactly what's missing in the situation. Don't know what the intention

Of the seller is. Are they trying to dump the whole thing? Or are they setting up a rental somewhere else.

[MLAA]

3. Looks like very good quality furnishings but I agree with poster saying it is a pain

for the seller to get rid of and think yard sale/estate sale prices for furnishings….pennies on the dollar.

Good luck!

[SheltieLover]

4. I bought quite a bit with my home

I sent email to realtor listing items I was interested in & asked for seller's desired price for each.

Desired prices were literally pennies on the dollar for complete bedroom sets, etc!

Lovely home!

Best of luck!

[Laura PourMeADrink]

11. Now that's interesting. Can you do that before you buy it?

This house is 5 hours away from us so it's not like we can walk through and itemize, at least not easily.

[SheltieLover]

20. I did

Send email to realtor asking for price on everything, then one excluding what you don't want, or could live without. 👍

Or ask for the whole kahuna in one package price. Better yet, if you want everything.

[SheltieLover]

21. I payed thousands less by asking seller to name prices than what I'd prepared to offer!

Paid $125 for one entire bedroom set, sans mattress & box spring. Nothing special, but in excellent condition & perfectly servicable, just for example!

[Laura PourMeADrink]

23. That's great. Why is it when we finally are ready to buy something

It's a super bad super competitive market and the inventory is only a fraction of what it typically is?

It reminds me of when you're looking for a dress or something for an event and you can't find one but when you are not there are million out there that you love

[SheltieLover]

24. Likely because qpukes keep fking everything up.

😏

[bucolic_frolic]

6. Pricing items can run several different ways

plus with bulky items there is the cost of moving. But how to estimate them? There are new, used, wholesale, local auction, cart away.
There are companies that buy contents of homes, lock stock and barrel. Wonder if one of them would appraise it for a fee? My guess would be 25-40% of retail price, depending on condition, and as you say, antiques. The current owners would either have to haul away and sell it, or sell to a clean-out/auction company, or parse it off to an estate sale company. Hope that gives some ideas.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

12. Thanks. That's a good rule of thumb percentage of retail

I think it would be really important if we knew what the owners intentions were. I mean they've been owning a house that they've been renting out. Are they buying another one that they're going to run out and need the furniture? You know or are they just liquidating

[Warpy]

7. I don't think I'd buy it until I'd seen it

but buying a furnished place instead of having to lug my own furniture around would be an attractive proposition with a few caveats:

First, the place is air bnb, so the furniture might be prefab and cheap and simply not last a long time. Don't overpay.

Second, which applies mostly to me, I'm a nonsmoker and violently allergic to tobacco smoke. I'd have to give it the sniff test. Living with the stink of old tobacco in upholstery, drapes, sheets, towels, etc. would be torture. Nothing covers it up and nothing really gets rid of it beyond ripping it out, painting the walls, and redoing the carpets.

Third, you say it's beautiful, which means it photographs well. Is this your style? Can you make it your style? Do you care about style?

Fourth, look past the furniture to storage. Empty places into which you can put stuff are as important as the surfaces and short term rental properties might be short on it.

Other than that, I'd say hooray, all you need to do is pack your suitcases and boxes pf books and papers amd GO.

[enough]

10. Great advice--

[Laura PourMeADrink]

16. Good points for sure. I'll have to look but I doubt very very much

That they would allow any kind of smoking in there at all. Lots of places don't even allow it on the property at all anywhere. And this house is in the historic district so you have to answer to the historic society on anything you want to change.

But I do have to say one thing about it being on the Airbnb market with 46 five-star reviews it means one thing - - everything probably works. I read all the reviews and didn't see a single complaint.

[Warpy]

19. People will still smoke, especially when they can't be seen

by anyone who's told them not to. Oh, they'll open a window but that doesn't help a whole lot.

Just look (and sniff) before you leap. That's all.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

22. Got it!

[snowybirdie]

9. Most mortgage holders

Won't lend on the furniture. Only the house itself. You'll need a separate bill of sale to purchase the contents and pay for them yourself. But it's easier if all can agree.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

14. Thanks that's very important thing to know. So maybe it would be better to just put in an offer

On the house itself unfurnished. Then step two worry about the furniture. If they sold it they might be more amenable when they start thinking about having to move it all.

[spooky3]

13. When I worked for IRS, we were trained to put extremely low

Values on used furniture, housewares, etc., just as others are saying.

On upholstered furniture, you may also want to check for bedbugs or other critters that can burrow into fabrics.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

15. Good point you made me think, if this is a rental it means

The mattresses and sofas and soft furniture have probably got a lot of wear and tear on them.

And we will want to rent it out too and live in it all winter.

Lots to think about. If we're going to rent it out immediately it's easier to have everything in place. But will likely be ready to be replaced by the time we get in there.