If you were to take a poll, and ask - “What’s the difference between furnished, appliances only and unfurnished?” - you will get a myriad of answers. Funnily enough, even though each answer will vary there lies a bit of truth in each one. The definition of these terms will vary from property to property, but I have broken down the essentials that you need to know.

When a property is being offered furnished, this means the property comes with all of the basic furnishings – bedroom furniture, living and dining room furniture, large appliances, curtains and fixtures (a piece of equipment or furniture which is fixed in position in a building, e.g. lighting and ceiling fans). Sometimes vendors may include television sets, small appliances, artwork, kitchen items - pots, pans, cutlery etc. – you know, everything, however, this is not usually the case. If owners live overseas and are selling their second home, it is sometimes much simpler to include all furnishings in the sale rather than trying to find ways to dispose of them.

Appliances only – which means only the refrigerator, stove (including oven if separate), washing machine, dryer and fixtures are included. Unfurnished, simply means nothing but the house and the fixtures.

We sometimes feel that our Real Estate parlance is obvious, but it certainly is not if you are not in the biz. One thing to note, when purchasing a furnished house is it does not always necessarily include the personal items that make a home feel like “home”.