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The only house I bought that was furnished was this last one. I prefer homes to be empty. I like the spaces to be completely open so I can look for defects. This makes sense to me but after watching many house hunter episodes on HGTV, I have come to the conclusion that people can be morons. Some people need a home to have furniture so they understand what room is what. I just watched an episode a few days ago where a couple looking at a house were baffled by what one of the rooms was meant for. The realtor was kind and overly patient and explained it was the dining room and the large chandelier hanging from the ceiling was meant to hang over a dining room table and also the room's location next to the kitchen. I swear I could never be a realtor. I have zero patience for stupidity.
Anyway, staging I think helps those with no vision and also helps hide problems. After we moved into our house, I noticed a few things that were hidden by the sellers furniture. If I were to sell again, I would stage because if House Hunters is any indication of buyers out there, then staging is essential letting people know what room is what.
The only house I bought that was furnished was this last one. I prefer homes to be empty. I like the spaces to be completely open so I can look for defects. This makes sense to me but after watching many house hunter episodes on HGTV, I have come to the conclusion that people can be morons. Some people need a home to have furniture so they understand what room is what. I just watched an episode a few days ago where a couple looking at a house were baffled by what one of the rooms was meant for. The realtor was kind and overly patient and explained it was the dining room and the large chandelier hanging from the ceiling was meant to hang over a dining room table and also the room's location next to the kitchen. I swear I could never be a realtor. I have zero patience for stupidity.
Anyway, staging I think helps those with no vision and also helps hide problems. After we moved into our house, I noticed a few things that were hidden by the sellers furniture. If I were to sell again, I would stage because if House Hunters is any indication of buyers out there, then staging is essential letting people know what room is what.
If the house is staged I won't see it.
I want to be able to imagine my furniture in it, understand how big the house actually is, and see whatever is wrong with it clearly: stains, floor imperfections, etc.
Regardless of how the house is staged, if I buy it I will turn the rooms into something that works for my needs, so it means nothing to me whether it is a dining room or an office for the current owner.
I have a lot of respect for realtors, some of them are unbelievably patient, I would probably be fired in the first week if I were one.
The good news is that when you buy the house, you can replace anything you damn well please.
Of course I can. But, if a little difference exists between two comparable houses, I'll take the one with plantation shutters or blinds installed already.
Why yank down curtain rods and repaint overwise good walls?
I am in the camp that prefers an empty house. I've seen some rooms that have made me question how furniture would fit but I'd rather question a few oddly shaped rooms than see furniture and not be able to picture it in a way that would work better for me. Only in one house did we feel like having furniture helped it and that was mostly because it was just a very well decorated home with beautiful furniture. While we did really like the house, we also recognized that a lot a lot of the initial appeal was that we liked their stuff!
Why do you think MODEL HOMES are in new communities? Because a BEAUTIFULLY staged home WILL SELL. The problem is that most sellers do not own a MODEL HOME!
Some sellers just have good taste! Some sellers have a good sense of decorating and just need assistance with decluttering. Those are the ones that I like to list!
Some sellers live messy lives and need to understand that while their home is for sale, they need to change the way they live. Some sellers still live with their college furniture! These homes show better empty!!!
Here is a link to a place on the market in my neighborhood. We actually rented it for about 4 months until we found out the owner was losing it to the bank, so I am familiar with the layout. I think the staging that they've done for it is helpful in this case. Typically I don't care too much whether a place is empty or not, but I can certainly see the benefits of a place that's been emptied out of the owners stuff and staged with simple, tasteful pieces. Unless you're like my parents -- minimalists and everything neat as a pin at all times, that's different.
that is some house. all I can say is WOW, and that price is out of this world. In my area that money can buy a 4br tract home and the taxes would be more. I probably couldnt' touch that for under 1.5-2.5M here.
Isn't it cool? Having lived there (we had he main part -- there are 3 apartments, too) there are some odd things though. The kitchen counters are laminate, not granite, and all of the windows are screwed in -- I guess since it's a historical landmark there's only so much one can change things.
I know the previous owner (the bank owns it now) paid a little over a million for it and sunk a bunch of money into it.
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