Crafting Seamless Transitions: Pairing Furniture with Your Home

It is obvious that a vacation home listing would include the term “fully furnished.” Vacationers are expected to visit the home without having to decorate it. However, aside from massive estates or custom designed mansions, it is rare that an owner-occupant home hit the market as fully furnished. Occasionally, the buyer may understand that the home and its furnishings are intertwined and specifically request the patio furniture or certain unique pieces that truly belong in the house be included in the sale. Like the perfect pairing of wine and cheese – sometimes the décor enriches the home so much, the two cannot be sold separately.

Several years ago, I sold a perfectly furnished and designed Arts and Crafts home. The owner was moving to a very traditional Colonial Revival home and post-move, struggled to make his furniture fit the new environment. With the exception of a couple of relatively neutral bookcases, he ended up consigning all of the furniture to a resale shop. In talking with him recently he expressed regret that he did not put the home on the market fully furnished. As he said, “The furniture belonged to the house, not to me, I should have left it there.”

Surprisingly, the COVID-19 pandemic and its lingering effects on the economy and the larger supply chain, has made the sale of fully furnished homes slightly more common. An increasing number of homes are being purchased fully or mostly fully furnished. Turns out buyers not only want to buy a home, they also desire acquiring the “vibe” of the home. This allows new homeowners to move in without having to worry about decorating. It becomes a one-stop-shop.

Over the last few years, I have had the opportunity to show several prospective buyers the Frank Lloyd Wright inspired homes of Rush Creek Village in Worthington. All homes hit the market with at least some of the original furniture included in the sale. I sold one home that was essentially pure vintage – it came with all the dressings as it was when it was built in 1971, complete with original dining room set, living room furniture, sewing table and cabinets. Another home retained furniture elements down to a custom-designed trash can!

I recently consulted with a client who is planning to move from a large, three-story Georgian style home, to a one-floor, Mid-century modern house. After much consideration, we determined that about ninety percent of the furniture and accessories would not make the move to the new house. The rugs, tables, lamps, and majority of artwork were selected specifically for the larger house and the difference in style too great to transition to MCM. Thus, the decision to sell as a package deal was a no brainer.

If you have a well curated home and are looking to sell, I recommend preparing a list of home furnishings that will stay with the house and share it with your listing agent. If this includes the majority of large furniture, you may want to come on the market with a fully furnished home for sale. If you are only willing to leave behind certain specifics such as a perfectly arranged dining room set, be sure to have that price ready, and only offer to the buyers after you are in contract. Your house and your furniture thank you in advance.

On the flip side, if you are looking to buy a home and fall in love with the furnishings, don’t be afraid to ask for a price with them included. First, negotiate the price of the home, get in contract and through the inspections. If there is a remedy request, use furnishings as part of the negotiations. Alternatively, wait until all contract contingencies are removed, then request a room’s furnishings be included. This is a win-win for sellers – they will be content knowing the fabulous space they created will still be enjoyed in “their” home and they reduce costs on moving day.