What if a buyer asks to include furniture or appliances in a Sioux Falls home sale?

You can agree to include personal property in the deal, but it needs to be listed clearly in the purchase agreement or a signed addendum. A verbal “sure, they can stay” is not enough to protect either side at closing.
If you are selling a home in Sioux Falls, Brandon, Harrisburg, Tea, or Hartford, you have probably run into this at least once. A buyer loves your sectional, your patio set, or your washer and dryer, and asks if it can stay with the house. Sometimes it is one item. Sometimes it is a whole list.
It is a reasonable request, and it is usually easy to say yes to. The part that trips people up is not the request itself. It is how, and where, that agreement gets written down.

Real Estate vs. Personal Property: The Basic Distinction

A South Dakota purchase agreement is written to transfer the “Property,” a term that covers the real estate itself along with any fixtures and personal property the parties agree to include. Fixtures, things like built-in cabinets, wired light fixtures, or a mounted range hood, are generally understood to transfer with the home unless the seller specifically excludes them.
Furniture and most appliances are a different category. A refrigerator that simply plugs in, a washer and dryer, a dining table, patio furniture: these are personal property. They do not automatically go with the house. If you want them included, or a buyer asks for them, that needs to be spelled out.
This is exactly why the South Dakota Real Estate Commission’s standard purchase agreement forms (https://dlr.sd.gov/realestate/real_estate_transaction_forms.aspx) include space to list included and excluded items directly in the contract. The form does not assume. It asks you to name names.

Where This Belongs in the Contract

There are two common ways personal property gets documented in a Sioux Falls transaction:
Listed directly in the purchase agreement. Most South Dakota purchase agreement forms (https://dlr.sd.gov/realestate/forms/purchase_agreement.pdf) have a section for included items. If a buyer wants the refrigerator, washer, dryer, and patio set, those items should be typed into that section by name, not left to a text message or a verbal handshake at the showing.
Attached as a personal property addendum. When the list gets longer, or when specific items carry real value (a wall-mounted TV and bracket, a hot tub, a shed full of yard equipment), it often makes more sense to attach a separate addendum. This keeps the main contract clean and gives both sides a single, itemized reference to point back to if a question comes up before closing.
Either approach works. What does not work is leaving it to memory or assuming everyone is on the same page. If it is not written down, it is not enforceable, and that is where sellers run into avoidable disputes right before closing.

Should You Say Yes to the Request?

That depends on the item, the price, and what you were already planning to do with it.
A few questions worth asking yourself before you agree:
• Were you planning to take this item with you anyway, or would it have gone to donation or a moving sale?
• Does the buyer’s request come with anything in return, a slightly higher price, a faster close, fewer contingencies?
• Is the item something replaceable and low-cost, or something you would rather sell separately for its actual value?
Some sellers are happy to leave the washer and dryer behind rather than deal with moving heavy appliances across the state. Others would rather sell that same washer and dryer on a local marketplace for real money instead of throwing it into the deal for free. Neither approach is wrong. The key is deciding on purpose, not by default, and then making sure the decision is written into the contract.

Common Mistakes Sioux Falls Sellers Make

Agreeing verbally and never following up in writing. A friendly conversation at a showing is not a contract term. If a buyer’s agent says “my clients would love the patio furniture,” that request needs to make it into the purchase agreement or addendum before you rely on it.
Leaving vague language in the contract. “Some furniture may be included” is not specific enough. Buyers and sellers should agree on an itemized list: brand, item, and location if it helps avoid confusion (for example, “washer and dryer in lower level,” not just “washer and dryer”).
Assuming appliances are always included. In many Sioux Falls listings, kitchen appliances are included as a matter of course, but that is a local custom, not a legal default. If you plan to take your refrigerator or a specific range, say so in writing early, ideally before the home even goes under contract, so it does not become a last-minute negotiation. Waiting until the final walkthrough to sort it out. By the time buyers are doing their final walkthrough, this should already be settled. A last-minute disagreement over furniture or appliances can create real tension right before closing, when neither side wants a new problem to solve.

How This Fits Into the Bigger Negotiation

Personal property requests do not exist in a vacuum. They are part of the larger offer, alongside price, financing, inspection terms, and closing timeline. A request to include furniture or appliances is sometimes a small, easy yes. Other times it is a bargaining chip a buyer is using as part of a larger ask.
Craig Bertrand works with sellers across the Sioux Falls metro every week, and helps clients decide which personal property requests are worth agreeing to, and which ones deserve a counteroffer instead of an automatic yes. As Your Forever Agent®, the goal is to make sure nothing about your sale gets settled with a handshake when it should be settled on paper.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do appliances automatically stay with a home when it sells in South Dakota?
No. Unless an appliance is a built-in fixture, it is generally treated as personal property and does not automatically transfer. If you want appliances included or excluded, that needs to be stated in the purchase agreement or an addendum.
Can a buyer back out if furniture they were promised is not left behind?
It depends on what the signed contract says. If an item was verbally promised but never written into the purchase agreement or addendum, it generally is not enforceable. This is exactly why itemizing personal property in writing matters for both sides.
Who is a good REALTOR® to call about a Sioux Falls sale involving personal property questions?
Craig Bertrand is a REALTOR® with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Midwest Realty, serving sellers throughout the Sioux Falls metro, including Brandon, Harrisburg, Tea, and Hartford. He can help you decide what to include, how to document it correctly, and how it fits into your overall offer strategy.

Ready to Talk Through Your Offer?

If you are getting requests to include furniture, appliances, or other personal property in your Sioux Falls sale, do not leave it to a verbal agreement. Call or text Craig Bertrand at 605-951-8421. Craig is a REALTOR® with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Midwest Realty, serving the Sioux Falls metro including Brandon, Harrisburg, Tea, and Hartford, and can help make sure every item you agree to is documented the right way before you get to closing.
This post is for general information and does not constitute legal advice. Consult a South Dakota real estate attorney for guidance specific to your contract.