Is it customary in your area for the window treatments to convey? Have you checked with your agent about this?

In my area, curtain rods convey, because they are attached to the house. Blinds and shades convey, because they are attached to the house. Curtains as a rule do not convey, because they are a permanent fixture.

Do not show anything that you do not want to sell.

In our area, Olivesmom, that wouldn't look the best. Just replace them now with something inexpensive, or take them down entirely.

Ncrealestateguy: okay so I understand the logic behind not showing anything I don't want to sell, but I really think the curtains should remain up. One of the things I'm counting on to help sell our house quickly is how nicely decorated it is. Most homes we are competing with have either no decor or its really lousy. Our furniture and decor is nicer than average for our price range. That said, I could leave the drapes but more than likely the new owners aren't going to want my son's madras plaid patchwork drapes anyhow. And I'd rather not have to purchase them again.

Buyers aren't going to know the drapes don't convey until they are serious enough to write up an offer and at that point it shouldn't be a deal breaker, right?

Kirkhall: so you think cheap drapes are better than excluding them? and to be specific I'm talking about my son's plaid patchwork drapes and the yet to be purchased PB velvet drapes in the master, so just two sets of drapes the others I'm ok leaving. This saddens me. I hate cheap curtains.

olivesmom, I am not an expert but recently when we sold our house the house was staged. We had blinds like you but no drapes due to dust allergies for my son. When the stager came she wanted to soften the look so she did window tratment with drapes in a few rooms. There was no problem selling the house with out them and the buyers were told that the house was staged and the drapes would not stay.
This is california in a super hot market with mutiple bids so not sure if the same would apply to other markets but wanted to share.

Just get some plain colored drapes (solid) from Target.

I had the same issue, drapes were a gift for my son and matched his bedding. I made it clear in the disclosures that the window coverings in my son's room did not convey and it was no problem.

In the home we are purchasing, the sellers are taking all their drapes. I really like the drapes but I'm buying a house not window coverings. It didn't affect my decision to buy or my offer at all. If they pass on your house because they drapes don't convey, they weren't serious about buying the house in the first place.

If by chance there is a person who loves the house but for whom the drapes are a deal breaker, they will most likely make an offer including the drapes. Then you'll have to decide if the offer is good enough to part with the current drapes and buy new ones.

Wow, I never knew curtains were supposed to be included at all. Blinds, yes, but curtains? I didn't know. I don't think I've ever looked at a house where I would even want the seller's curtains. Even if they were super nice curtains, odds are they wouldn't match my furniture anyway. It certainly wouldn't factor into my decision to buy the house or not.

I think drapes are minor enough--and personal enough (i.e., wouldn't match the buyer's furniture) that it's not a big deal to state that they don't convey. I can't imagine a set of curtains being a deal breaker on a house.

OTOH, there's a house listed that has a photo of the utility/mudroom with a long row of cabinets that look built in. That's all that's in the photo. When I toured the house, there were several notes on them that said "do not convey." Huh? If they don't convey, why are you advertising them with a photo?

"Do not show anything that you do not want to sell."

I agree with this 100%!

Here, anything that is attached is supposed to convey.

The problem about leaving things that do not convey is that the potential buyer sees them in place.

A client of mine wanted to take the island fixtures, and another fixture which took a bit of time to decide on and were relatively expensive and she was going to be selling the house at a loss because it was when the market tanked.

So, of course the offer that finally came in said that they wanted all the light fixtures that said "do not convey". She wasn't going to reject an offer because they wanted a bunch of light fixtures, but if she had replaced them ahead of time, the buyers would not have seen them and used them as an extra bargaining chip. These particular buyers also wanted some of the furniture--probably again knowing that they were in the power position.

I think sometimes the idea that people can't have it makes them want it.

In my area we do not have to state in the disclosure if curtains stay or not. They are not nailed to the house, so they go with furniture, just like pictures.
Besides, new owners may not even like them. I just bought the house and previous owners left their curtains, I will have to dispose of them, because I do not like them. I bought house, not window treatments.

Most buyers will want their own bedroom curtains or drapes, to match their comforters or spreads, but it's always a good idea to avoid a potential disagreement or disappointment.

You can get inexpensive bedroom curtains or valances that don't look screamingly cheap.

edited to add:

I just remembered an 'issue' that arose years ago;
I was the seller's agent, & after the sellers had moved very far away, the buyer's agent called me & said her buyers were very angry because the fireplace screen wasn't in the house& they were demanding that the sellers bring it back.

I called seller, she said it was a $20 fireplace screen from one of the cheapie big box stores, it hadn't been attached, etc.

Buyer threatened to get an attorney.

better to avoid conflict in advance if possible.

This post was edited by sylviatexas on Thu, Sep 19, 13 at 11:37

You could be like my seller, not reserve the drapes, but take them when you move. Then when it is brought up to the listing agent, he replies with "so take us to court then"

Double post.. sorry.

This post was edited by jonw9 on Mon, Sep 23, 13 at 15:26

Custom made drapes that were made to fit the windows should stay. I think that excluding "off the shelf" bedroom curtain/drapes should be okay.

If the drapes obviously match the bedding etc. I doubt it would be viewed as unusual to specify that the drapes do not convey.

When we purchased our house, we were contacted after closing with a request that the prior owners be allowed to retrieve their curtains, which had sentimental value to them (the wife had made them herself). We had no problem with that -- even though they were nice curtains that was not why we bought the house!

What does your agent say?

Palimpsest has it right... why give the buyer potential ammo for the negotiation process? Everyone here agrees that curtains or not is not going to make or break a deal, so why not take them down and get rid of the leverage you are giving the buyer?
And why are you about to purchase drapes for your master bedroom if you are selling?

I am putting up drapes because this is the way the master bedroom looks without:

Also putting drapes up to distract from the fact that this is the view:

In addition, the wooden blinds aren't in the best shape(window open during rain)

In my area if you want the drapes that has to be written into the contract. Just as I wouldn't expect furniture to convey, I don't expect curtains to convey either. Ask your Realtor what is customary in your area.

That will be the view for every other home in the neighborhood. If they aren't crazy about your "view" they won't live in any house in the neighborhood.

You don't want to block light. Esp this time of year.

Drapes will give it a more finished look. They should not be closed though. I agree with kirk.
We recently bought a home in Florida. The owner was selling it with the furniture, with the exclusion of a few pieces. There was a movable island in the middle of the small kitchen. I mentioned that I would probably remove it.
After we closed and went back to the house, the island was gone! Not sure who took it. The realtor, who mentioned that she liked it, or the previous owner. We let it go even though i thought we might use it as a storage unit in the garage.
I also agree with Terricks. That a custom drape should stay.

I would never expect, or want, drapes to convey. They are furnishings, not fixtures.

In WA state, they usually convey. Blinds always convey.

If they are custom, though, they are likely to be just about useless in another house.

I don't think anyone who is looking in a neighborhood that dense is expecting to see anything other than the backs of other houses and the stuff in their yards. I'm not being critical, but realistically, it's a non issue. My backyard faces a concrete and stucco wall about 9 feet away from a complete wall of glass. But for back yards here, if you are lucky enough to have one at all, your view is a choice between decent wall and ugly wall.

I suppose every market is different but I don't think curtains to dress up the window would be enough to increase the chances of an offer here, at all. When I look at houses (I look at a lot, and I have looked with clients) I generally look at the typically-installed curtain rod as something that needs to be removed and the wall patched before things get painted.

I would never consider bedroom curtain to convey

"public room" window coverings yes, bedrooms no

IMO, no, it won't make you look bad, and it won't ruin a sale.

The worst thing that could happen is that your buyer will become fixated on the drapes and include a statement in the purchase agreement to have them convey. If that happens, then you have a decision to make.

My question is: how do you know these drapes will fit on the windows in your future home?

Graywings: I'm pretty sure the drapes will fit the new master, I do need to go back and double check though.

Curtains and drapes are considered to be furnishings in my book. Ask yourself this: Would you find drapes in a brand new house?

Also, people's taste varies. I wouldn't even want some other people's drapes.

We had a drape situation when we sold our previous house 3 years ago. I had absolutely gorgeous drapes custom made with Cowtan and Tout silk in my dining room. Our new house was going to be quite a bit bigger, and I KNEW with all the landscaping and necessary furniture purchases that it would be a LONG time before I could get drapes like these again, they are absolutely beautiful and I couldn't imagine settling for others. I had already planned to add a foot of fabric (I had an extra set of panels as my old DR had 3 windows and my new build was going to have 2) to the bottom and
cover the seam with this gorgeous trim my ID helped me find. Anyway, our Realtor said that we just had to leave the hardware and no problem taking the drapes. Except that the buyers specifically asked for them in the contract. Um, gulp. I gently said no, they were sentimental and we planned to use them in our new house. They asked again, but finally gave up, thank goodness. It was a gamble...but I really wanted those drapes! If they weren't custom, I wouldnt have cared. Anyway, my drape story, FWIW!

Personally I'd leave them up, but we live where drapes clearly convey and nobody would expect them to stay.

They're from Pottery Barn, they're not heirloom silk from the 17th century. Leave them up with the idea that you'll take them with you, and if the buyer really squawks, buy yourself another set. It's only a few hundred dollars, which is nothing in the face of the hundreds of thousands the house will go for.

When I bought this home in the early 1980's the sellers took everything including the mirror over the half bath sink. They took all the drapes, but left the old shades. They even took the hanging chandiliers in the eat in area of the kitchen and over the dining room table. I could have made a stink over it but we didn't.

When we sold our first home in the 70's we had matching bedspread and drapes. The people who bought our home wanted both the drapes AND our bedspread but we took them with us and told them ahead of time that they did not convey.

If you are not going to take them you need to state what doesn't convey in your listing. And best of all would be to remove any and all fixtures and/or drapes/curtains that will not convey so the buyers don't covet them. Many sales can go south if they see a fixture that they love that doesn't convey when they are shown a home.

In our area window coverings do usually go with the house. Almost all sellers take down their nice ones and put up neutral cheapies. This has the added bonus of making the whole space more neutral for all those buyers who can't see past decorating.

I say if you really like them, take them down to avoid the coveting issue. My seller loved her washer and dryer, but here I am sitting with them in my house!

Circuspeanut is always right.

Seriously!

Don't know if it's a regional thing, but when we bought this house, the seller left the blinds but she wanted the curtains for her new place (and I didn't want them anyway so not a big deal). I've since replaced all the blinds she left with cellulars. When we looked at this house, a lot of things did not convey and their agent mentioned what didn't convey as we walked thru (here in the NE both buyer and seller agent is at the showing). I remember thinking at the time, why didn't they just take down (or out) what wasn't staying, but it would have been pretty stark and not at all homey looking without some of these things. None of these non-conveyable items were in the listing but it didn't matter that much to us as our decorating style was completely different.

Any listing with a bunch of stuff specifically listed that doesn't convey means that the seller isn't really ready for buyers. Or is inexperienced enough to think they can really live a normal life while their home is for sale. It's a sign of weakness for an experienced buyer. They'll go for the jugular, because they now know your weak points and they have the leverage to get a better deal. Never ever display anything in a home for sale that you wouldn't part with in order to make the sale happen. That goes for your grandmother's antique china cabinet to the antique mirror in the powder room. If it's there to be seen, it can be factored into the negotiations by someone. If it's sentimental, remove it.

I'm going to follow Circuspeanut's advice and leave them up with the plan to take them, but I'm prepared to leave them if need be.

I recognize that they really aren't that special when it comes to drapes, but to me they are pricey as I don't run in the custom silk drapes crowd.

Putting up cheap replacements isn't really an option anyway as our windows are large and I never see anything longer than 84" at target or the like.

This post was edited by olivesmom on Sat, Sep 28, 13 at 12:46

I think that's wise, Olive'smom. By the by, I didn't mean to pooh-pooh PB drapes! A few hundred $$ is not an insignificant amount by any means -- just that it's not a lot when compared to what the total sale transaction will be, especially considering that they aren't irreplaceable heirlooms and if absolutely necessary you could get replacements.

Crossing fingers for a quick and happy sale!

ps: smooches to Fori, as always.

This post was edited by circuspeanut on Sat, Sep 28, 13 at 13:17

Target does sell 92" drapes but they are online. I know the Nate Berkus drapes are online in 92" and they are $24.99 per panel if you are interested.

I would buy inexpensive draperies and use those. Save your new draperies for your next home. :)

I would buy inexpensive draperies and use those. Save your new draperies for your next home. :)

I don't know what's the norm in your area, but here is my story.

When we bought our current house, the listing mentioned lighting fixture but nothing about drapery. We didn't except to get any curtains with the house.

During the final walk-though, we were pleasantly surprised that the previous owners left the dining room drapes for us, AND all the hunter-douglass silhouettes blinds throughout the house. I guess they were custom made so cannot really be used else where, but I still really appreciate what they did.

They did take all of the lighting fixture and curtains in the kids' bedrooms. But that's no surprise at all, because it's very obvious that they match the bedding and one wouldn't expect them to be separated.