'We are [confused] first-time homebuyers': Previous homeowners leave their furniture demanding new homeowners store it until they're ready to pick it up

Author image for Elna McHilderson
Elna McHilderson • Managing Editor
Jan 31, 2024 5:00 PM EST

There are a lot of stressful moments in one's life, but buying a house has to make it close to the top of the list—especially nowadays! Buying a house is not cheap, you're investing more than just a portion of your paycheck, you're investing a lifetime agreement. So to put that ink to paper to make it official can be nerve-racking. It's only natural that you want everything to be perfect before you officially commit. 

Add as a preferred
source on Google
Advertisement

  • Pouring over the agreements again and again is essential in the home-buying experience. You can't leave any i's undotted or t's uncrossed. That's for both party's benefit. So when one of the parties tries to pull some shady move, you can pull out the written documents to prevent them. 

    This couple, first-time homebuyers using a VA loan, is a littler perplexed with what the previous homeowners are requesting. They move in and the previous homeowners want them to store all of their furniture for several days after move-in. That was not in the written agreement and the couple has their own furniture, so there is simply no room. They would either have to remove the furniture or push back their move-in date, which they cannot do since their lease is up. Being first-time homebuyers, they're nervous that the previous homeowners are going to use this to pull some shady stuff and confuse them out of losing more money or even losing the house. What would you do or have your real estate agent do?

    Apparently, buying a house comes with lots of drama—just read about this woman who bought a house and then mad the neighbors angry simply by locking her own gate. 

  • 01
    "Would we be liable?"
    via Ketut Subiyanto via Pexels
  • 02
    My husband and I are closing on a house and moving in tomorrow. The seller just said they're "coming back for their things in a few days." [Ohio] We have a bit of a mess on our hands. Our realtor had told us that the seller downsized and was planning to leave or donate a good portion of their furniture. Closing was scheduled a month ago and we were clear that we were moving in immediately after the title transferred.
    via u/WoodlandHiker
  • 03
    We had the final walkthrough today. There are beds and dressers in two of three bedrooms, and the living room contains two couches and two coffee tables. Everything else had been cleared out save for a few decorations up on the walls. Closing is at 10:30am tomorrow. The seller is in Florida and has already signed their end of the paperwork. There is no mention in the contracts of any agreement to store the seller's belongings.
    via u/WoodlandHiker
  • 04
    8:30pm tonight, our realtor calls. She says the seller just told her they will be back on Friday (3 days after we've closed and moved in) to get their things. I'm fairly sure they can't continue to use the house as free storage after closing. We cannot move our things in and have our movers set them up where we want them with all the seller's things in the way. We'd have to pile all our furniture around hers and set it up ourselves later, which would be extremely difficult because my husband is
    via u/WoodlandHiker
  • 05
    It is my understanding that once title passes to us, anything still inside the property is legally ours and the seller has no right to re-enter. We don't want to be jerks if something is maybe a family heirloom or very sentimental, but we can't move in around all the seller's stuff. (We were kind of hoping to keep a few of those pieces, but we have our own furniture and it's not that big a deal.) It seems highly unlikely they could move their things out by closing. Could the seller, at this poin
    via u/WoodlandHiker
  • 06
    Do we have any obligations to store or return the seller's things? Could they insist on inserting a clause letting them store their things at this stage? Would we be liable if any of their belongings are damaged during move-in if we agree to hold something for them? We are first-time homebuyers using a VA loan, so we aren't very familiar with this sort of issue.
    via u/WoodlandHiker
  • 07
    xerxespoon 14h ago Your realtor told them no, correct? Share 2.2K Woodland Hiker OP • 14h ago She told them they need to get their things out by closing or they're ours. I'm trying to not be an and I'm worried about what the seller can and cannot do if they're upset about this. 2.1K 1 Share
    via u/xerxespoon
  • 08
    Radiant-Ingenuity-17 12h ago My Mom is a Real Estate Attorney Her free advice. . 1. Change your locks. IMMEDIATELY! 2. Keep the furniture you want, give away what you don't. They forfeit everything in that house as soon as the closing is complete and the title is transferred. That's what the 30 day closing is FOR! Enjoy your new home! Happy pregnancy!
    via u/Radiant-Ingenuity-17
  • 09
    Firm_Detective_7332 12h ago Tough spot. We learned the hard way. People we bought from were in the military and had like 5 kids. They were relocating for his army position so we tried to be nice and let them keep their things there for two days. They never came back. We spent a whole day making multiple dump runs and spending a couple hundred bucks removing the 1. Their realtor tried to be nice and spent time contacting them but they ghosted her.
    via u/Firm_Detective_7332
  • 10
    cizzle55 13h ago They should have hired someone to move the stuff out before closing. 4877 ↑ Share Woodland Hiker OP • 13h ago This is kind of my thinking too. They've had a full month to make arrangements. If they can't physically come up here, they could hire movers, arrange for loved ones to help, or something in that amount of time. 4613 ↑ Share
    via u/cizzle55
  • 11
    Brains Beauty Brawn • 13h ago You're in the clear legally, if the seller was not actually physically able to make it back to the house to clear the items ahead of time, they could have negotiated extra days after the close called a "rent back" where they pay (or lower their price to adjust) to have access to the house for an extra period of time. They had the opportunity to ask for extra time and didn't, they are hoping that you won't call them on their BS it wouldn't ask for payment to hold the
    via u/BrainsBeautyBrawn
  • 12
    allybra 13h ago We had that issue. Our realtor told us the refuse closing unless they put down a 5000$ check, which would be used to remove their leftovers if they didn't have them out by closing time. ↑ Share 150 envirosci88 12h ago · We bought a house 10 years ago and when we took possession it was during a hard freeze (in TX) so we went to check the pool pump and open under sink cabinets. THE LADY LEFT HER CATS. She was under the impression she could get them in a few days when she moved into
    via u/allybra
  • 13
    writtenwordyes. 13h ago You're realtor needs to make them pay asap to move those things into storage. ↑ Share Woodland Hiker OP • 13h ago If they can do it tomorrow at their expense that would be fine by us. Share 201 94
    via u/writtenwordyes
  • 14
    Interesting-Rough528 Former Ohio RE agent. As of closing it's yours. Good, bad or indifferent. They have no rights beyond closing. If they wanted to store items it would have to have been negotiated and usually carry's a fee with it. Unfortunately it could go the other way where they leave their trash. Count yourself lucky, you got nice stuff out of it. 45 ↑ Share 12h ago .
    via u/Interesting-Rough528
  • 15
    musictchr 12h ago You say the seller called your agent. The seller's agent or the seller? Is your realtor also the realtor for the seller? If so, they might push you to accommodate them. Either way, have your realtor earn their commission and negotiate an extra amount due at closing for paying your movers to move their stuff to the garage, storage fees per day, and a little extra for your trouble. 4 18 Share Woodland Hiker OP • 12h ago The seller's realtor called our realtor. So we at least have
    via u/musictchr
  • 16
    ShootFrameHang NAL, but this is not your problem. Don't let the seller or realtor try to make this something you need to work around. The seller can work with their realtor to find a storage/ get a couple of movers and get it out. A lack of planning on the seller's part doesn't constitute an emergency on yours. What happens if they damage the house by moving the furniture? Or if they claim their furniture was damaged? Or if the seller is injured moving things? ↑ 11 ↓ ↑ Share . 19 11h ago fungibl
    via u/ShootFrameHang
  • 17
    SlogTheNog 13h ago A remote risk is that they will claim tenancy if they have furniture in the home (along with IDs and other documentation going to the house). This could be a case of a crazy seller looking to exploit you or a sloppy seller who wants more time. If it were in my position, I'd refuse to close and would push closing to the 2nd. You do have somewhere to move - a hotel. Go to a hotel for a few days and ask for reimbursement from the sellers. Otherwise, stick to the "personal propert
    via u/SlogTheNog

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

Tags

hoa first time homebuyers homeowner community drama VA loan homebuyer real estate first time homeowners entitled r-entitled Reddit official hoa homerseller entitled people
Scroll Down For The Next Article