Can I Sell a House With Broken Appliances or Should I Replace Them?

You’re getting your home ready to go on the market. You’re carefully considering every aspect of home preparation, from curb appeal and small repairs to decluttering for an optimal staging experience.

But what about the appliances in your home that you’ll be leaving behind? If they are broken or not in their best state — whether it’s visually, functionally, or both — you’ll need to decide between selling a house with broken appliances or replacing them with new ones.

Appliances can be a costly investment, especially for a seller who may not even get to make use of the appliances if they buy new ones prior to selling the home. A knowledgeable real estate agent who knows the area and the types of homes they sell can make the best recommendations for homeowners on whether or not they can or should proceed with selling a house with broken appliances.

How Much Is Your Home Worth Now?

Get a near-instant home value estimate from HomeLight for free. Our tool analyzes the records of recently sold homes near you, your home’s last sale price, and other market trends to provide a preliminary range of value in under two minutes.

Get Estimate

We asked top agent Scott Myers of San Antonio, Texas, who has 51 years of experience, how a seller should handle this situation and if it’s worth it to replace broken appliances before selling a home.

Should a home seller replace broken appliances?

When deciding if you should replace broken appliances before you sell your home, there are four major factors to consider:

Can you afford to replace the appliances?

According to Myers, it’s a pretty simple answer. “If the seller has the money, they should replace them,” he says. “Appliances — and the cost of potentially buying new ones — are one of the many things buyers look at as they consider a home and what other expenses they will have associated with buying this home, such as the down payment, closing costs, utility bills, maintenance, and more.”

Will you be living in the house while selling?

Another point to consider is that in homes where the seller is living in the house, appliances are generally being used day to day. “People can’t really go without a refrigerator,” says Myers. “They would have to get a new fridge even if they weren’t showing their house or their food would go bad.”

What are nearby home sales like?

Have comparable homes (comps) in the neighborhood sold with good working appliances? Looking up comps to see what was conveyed with nearby homes can help you determine if you should replace your appliances or not. “It may become a little less important depending on the price range of the neighborhood,” says Myers. “But in your mid-range and higher neighborhoods, you should definitely replace broken appliances in those areas.”

Will the buyer be renovating the house?

Broken or missing appliances in homes can be less of an issue when the buyer is rehabbing or flipping a house. “Those kinds of buyers are going to do so much anyway in order to flip it, so it may not be as necessary to replace in those situations,” says Myers.

Which appliances are typically included in a home sale?

Which appliances buyers typically expect to be included and working with a home purchase can vary between regions, neighborhoods, and the type of home. Any appliances that are not included or working would be noted by the listing agent in the home’s information, and noted when the home is shown to prospective buyers.

Appliances and fixtures most buyers expect to be included and working

Appliances are often sold with the home, especially ones that are built-in, wired in, or are necessary to keep the home functioning on a daily basis. This list includes common buyer-expected items:

• Oven and stove/range (can be two separate appliances or together)
• Dishwasher
• Furnace, air conditioning, and heating (HVAC) units
• Thermostats
• Light fixtures, chandeliers
• Ceiling fans
• Bathroom fixtures and other installed hardware

Appliances and fixtures that might be up for negotiation in a home sale

Most appliances sell with the home, but there are some appliances that homeowners prefer to take with them because they like how the machines operate, or find sentimental value in them. These appliances and fixtures are more likely to be negotiated in a home sale:

• Refrigerator
• Clothes dryer
• Washing machine
• Standalone microwave (not built-in)
• Curtain rods, window blinds, drapes
• Above-ground swimming pool or hot tub