Evaluate Appliances
When you’re viewing a home you’re thinking of buying, it’s easy to remember to check the big things off your list. You might even remember the more detail-oriented stuff, like checking around doors and windows for drafts, looking around for any signs of leaks, or checking that lights and plumbing work as expected. But one thing that many people don’t even consider is appliances. Are the existing appliances coming with the home – and if so, do they meet your needs, or will you want to replace them? If so, you may want to consider asking for concessions, and at the very least, think about the added cost after you purchase the home.
Do the appliances work properly and meet your needs?
Make sure you take a good look at appliances, check them out, ask questions about them and make sure they meet your needs. Some people are fine with very simple, somewhat limited appliances. Other people like large, roomy appliances with a wide range of options and settings. Ovens, for example; some people might be perfectly satisfied with a small oven that offers limited cubic feet, shelf space and has only a simplistic temperature selector dial. Other people might require an oven with an LCD clock, timer, light and self-clean cycle. Bakers or people who cook a lot might want a roomier oven that can fit multiple trays, and have more options for shelf height.
Maybe dishwashers are your thing, or refrigerators, or washers and driers. The point is to take a good look at the existing appliances and make sure they’re functional and meet your needs.
What can you do about it?
If you’re not satisfied with the existing appliances, you can deal with it in a couple of ways. For non-functional appliances, it’s not unreasonable to ask the homeowner to replace them. For appliances you personally don’t like or that don’t meet your needs, you might ask the homeowner to split the cost of replacing them with you and reduce your purchase price or offer closing concessions. Depending on the state of the housing market, an owner may be more or less willing to concede these points. In a booming housing market, the owner may opt not to accept your offer; but in a slow housing market, an owner may be more inclined to make concessions.
