Govoner Sonny Perdue announced yesterday the big get from Mitsubishi Power Systems America, Inc. They will build a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant that will create nearly 500 new jobs with and will build steam and gas turbines for use by the power companies in North and South America.

No doubt Savannah was chosen because of its port and transportation systems and the fact that the advanced team liked our city and wanted to call it home.

Fixtures versus Personal Property:

This post has been on my mind for a few months now and a recent court decision from Atlanta, GA solidifies the need to make the homeowner aware.

The response comes after a Buyer sued the Seller over the removal of a flat paneled television that was mounted to the wall using a mounting bracket. Before closing the Seller removed the television and left the bracket claiming the television was personal property. A Georgia court said that the television, once mounted or ‘affixed’ to the wall constituted a fixture and therefore was included in the sale because it was not specifically excluded in the sale of the home.

The morale: Like with all fixtures in the home remove it/them before you list the home for sale or specifically exclude it in the Listing Agreement, the MLS Listing and the Seller’s Property Disclosure.

Common Non-Fixture Items include:

• Refrigerators (Although many kitchens now have appliance suites the refrigerator, for some, is personal.)
• Potted Plants (Yep, if you have a prize winning plant in a pot, inside or out, it goes with the Seller.)
• Garden Statuary, Bird Baths and Bird Feeders, and Decorative Urns

Items that Always Seem to Cause Problems at Closing:

• Washer and Dryer (I thought they were just going to leave them because they fit so nicely in the space.)
• Window Coverings (Not just drapes, blinds, plantation shutters, etc. etc. etc.)
• Light Fixtures (If it looks like it matches the furniture, appliances, the seller’s hair color, check to see if it stays.)
• Chandeliers (Fancy word for expensive light fixture, think vase versus vase (pronounced vaaz).)
• Large Mirrors (Whether they are antiques or not some mirrors look as if they belong to the house not the sellers.)
• Fireplace Accoutrements (Fireplace tools, spark guards, bumpers, fenders, iron, baskets, benches, bellows, covers, inserts, etc.)
• Light Bulbs (No joke. Okay, it only happened once, but the sellers can exclude them and with new 20+ year LED light bulbs this may be more fact than fiction in the future.)
• Fancy Stuff (If it looks fancy or expensive make sure it stays and question “built ins” that could be freestanding.)

Personally, I believe a wall mounted television is a fixture and think all sellers and buyers should start treating them as such and including that in their offering price for the home.  By the way, a good real estate agent will already know this stuff and look out for you.  The more experience creates the ever more watchful eye to purchasing conflicts.

Priced well below comparable properties at $255,000 this 4 bedroom, 3 bath home is ready for a new resident. Show Me More

Credit Suisse has released their monthly real estate agent survey for July and the signs are good that full stabilization is in our foreseeable future. Hard hit markets see steady traffic increases and the worst states hit by foreclosure look strong. Low-end prices also look to have bottomed out. See the full report here…

  Credit Suisse Real Estate Agent Survey 8-5-09 (600.7 KiB, 76 hits)

Check out the new television spot from the National Association of Realtors. First-time Buyers get going the countdown is on!!!