What Do I Do if My Home Doesn't Come with Appliances?

There are a lot of things that can be surprising about buying your first home. There's finding the right neighborhood, learning about HOAs, and estimating closing costs.

You might even be surprised to find out your new home doesn't to come with appliances. It happens more often than you think. So what do you do if that's the case?

Allowance

If your potential home is missing a major component, you can always ask for an allowance to fix it. Basically you're telling the buyer "hey, we both know this needs to be fixed, but I'll save you some time on getting it done as long as you give me the money to do it." In a lot of ways it's a win-win. The seller probably knew that he couldn't sell the house without appliances, but he didn't want to go through the process of pricing them out, ordering them, getting them installed, etc. By giving you a budget to do it he's saving time and you're getting the appliances you really want instead of whatever he picked out. 

Buy a set

A lot of big stores offer a package for kitchen appliances. If need everything it can be a great deal since you don't have to research and price every single piece. It's also likely that they can deliver and install everything in the same day so you don't need to take the time to wait for each piece to come in. 

Buy used

If you can't negotiate an allowance, or if you're just on a budget, you can always buy used. Scope out deals on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and the Nextdoor app and chances are you'll be able to find what you need for the right price. 

Wait for a sale

If you can time it just right, you might be able to get a heck of a deal on your appliances. Sure, it might mean a few weeks of eating microwaved food or washing dishes by hand, but according to this list by NerdWallet, you could end up saving thousands. 

Upgrade one at a time

There are some appliances you need right away and some that can wait. For example, if you have a cooktop in your island, maybe you want to hold off on getting an oven until you can get a good sale. Go through the list of things you need and decide how long you can go without--and whether the money you save is worth it to you. 

Don't let the lack of appliances scare you off from a good home! Think about it as an opportunity to customize your home. 

Does all this talk about appliances have you thinking about your home maintenance? Let us walk you through how to care for your home.