What does it mean Furnishings Negotiable in the Tahoe Market?

Tahoe Buyers often asked me what does it mean Furnishings Negotiable in the Tahoe Market?

The greater Tahoe City, North Lake Tahoe, and Truckee area is dominated by second home owners. As a result you will often find our home and condo listings that are for sale as Negotiable, Partially, or Mostly Furnished.

They will appear in our Tahoe Sierra Multiple Listing Service (TSMLS) as one of the following:

Furnished | Mostly Furnished
Furnished | Partially Furnished
Furnished | Negotiable
Furnished | None

What does it mean Furnishings Negotiable in the Tahoe Market? What does this mean as a buyer? It means that you are more likely to find a Tahoe Seller that wants to include some, if not all furnishings in the sale of there property.

Last year in 2016 for the greater North Lake Tahoe – Truckee area we had over 56% (Mostly, Partially and Negotiable), or 1 out of every 2 homes sold in our area was offered with either furnishings, or the seller was negotiable on the item of furnishings! Here was the break-down in sales:

16% Mostly Furnished
5% Partially Furnished
35% Negotiable
44% None (Not Furnished)

If you are looking to buy a home in the greater Tahoe City area – North Shore (Carnelian Bay, Tahoe Vista, and Kings Beach), and the West Shore (Homewood, Tahoma, Meeks Bay and Rubicon Bay) and you want it to come with furnishing, your chances are even better.

Homes sold in this area in 2016 were over 65%! Here was the break-down of sales:

20% Mostly Furnished
11% Partially Furnished
34% Negotiable
35% None (Not Furnished)

Some Tahoe Sellers may go as far as to offer their property as “Turn-Key” ready because the property may have been on a vacation rental program and they have little to no attachment to any of the items on the property, or the just don’t want the additional items.

What does “Turn-Key” ready mean? It means that everything will be left behind for the new owner. Dishes, pots, pans, small appliances, large appliances, towels, bed linens, TV’s, furniture, deck furniture, even cleaning supplies, snow shovels, and toilet paper.

The seller will leave behind everything that was in/on the property for the next owner so the Buyer/new owner will literally turn the key in the door and walk-into a property that you can live in on your first night in your property without moving an item!

“Mostly Furnished” can mean “Turn-Key” ready, or it can mean just the furniture, or perhaps just a few items are excluded. Your Tahoe Agent will need to ask, what is intended by the Seller so you’ll know how to best position your offer.
“Partially Furnished” typically means just furniture and not a complete house-hold. The seller may have already moved the items they wanted leaving only a few items, or they may have a list of items they are willing to leave for the Buyer.
“Negotiable” now that can mean anything. Often local listing agents will list the property with furnishings as “Negotiable” knowing that the home may be “Turn-Key” ready, fully furnished with no exclusions, to only including just a few items to be agreed upon by the Buyer and Seller as staying.

The main reason for Sellers/Sellers’ Agent to note a property with Furnishings as “Negotiable” rather than using one of the other three options is to avoid potential problems with appraisers and/or a Buyer that may be getting a loan.

What does it mean Furnishings Negotiable in the Tahoe Market? It is also a way for the Sellers to have more control over how the inclusion of furnishings are handled – part of the contract, or in a separate Bill of Sale.

As a Tahoe City – Truckee real estate agent, when I prepare to show homes for my second home Buyers I contact each Sellers’ agent and ask them a number of questions about the property. One of those questions is to get as much information on how the Seller intends to handle furnishings as some second home buyers want them, while others don’t.

Buyer Tip: Furnishings are negotiable in our market so remember to:

Ask for the furnishing if you want them. You can use a separate bill of sale to address the items if you are getting a loan, or you can ask for them directly in the purchase contract if you are a cash buyer.
If you don’t want any furnishings, be sure to let your agent know so your offer doesn’t accidently include them.
Room-by-Room List: If you want to make sure there are no misunderstandings between you and the other side of the negotiation, you can prepare a room-by-room list of what you want and anything not on that list will be removed. The best time to do that is when you are looking at the home, take photos and make up your list at that time.
Allow the Seller to provide you with a written list of any personal/excluded items with in the first seven days after acceptance. It’s a nice way to make sure a piece of art, or an item that has sentimental value isn’t accidently included with the sale.

Buying a home with furnishing can be a big convenience for both Buyers and Sellers, so make sure you don’t over-look this important item when it comes time to buy in the greater Tahoe City – Truckee second home market!

If you have more Tahoe second home buyer questions, you can email me at Laura@TahoeLaura.com, or call me 530.414.1260, I can help you too!

Thinking about making Lake Tahoe, California your second home? Check out the homes that are for sale here:

Want to see what condos are for sale in Lake Tahoe? Here are the current listings:

For all of your Tahoe real estate needs –

Laura A. Allen | 530.414.1260 | Laura@TahoeLaura.com
BROKER ASSOCIATE, Tahoe Real Estate Agent
CalRE# 01473598
Coldwell Banker, Tahoe City, CA CalRE#01908304

All information is deemed reliable, but is subject to change, and/or correction without notice.

What does it mean Furnishings Negotiable in the Tahoe Market?