Why Foreclosed Minneapolis Duplexes Don’t Come With Refrigerators

When showing a duplex buyer a foreclosed property, I often hear them exclaim, “This one has appliances!”

What’s so special about a refrigerator and a dryer?

Plenty.

Large appliances like refrigerators, stoves, washers and dryers are considered personal property. As a result, they are considered to be owned by the people who lost the duplex to the bank.

More often than not, foreclosure victims take these appliances with them, either to use in a new location or to sell in a garage sale or someplace like Craigslist.

Of course, this means that the duplex buyer has to factor the cost of replacing multiple refrigerators and stoves into her purchase. This can cost several thousand dollars.

So finding appliances in a foreclosed property is a bonus. However, it’s important to remember they are still considered personal property, and the previous owner has the right to reclaim them. Therefore, the bank selling the duplex can’t guarantee a buyer that they’ll be in the property at closing.

Theoretically, anyway, the previous owner could pick them up before the house is sold.

Most of the time, they don’t; saving the buyer significant amounts of cash.