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Would someone please advise about the best solution for this potential problem in selling our home? Our house is very clean, neat, uncluttered, and easy to navigate. My husband and I would like to show our home with most of its furnishings, but we have a large art collection that we don't want kids to get to, including some very heavy, ornate statues, large urns, antique textiles, rare paintings, etc. During the sale of our last two houses, quite a few parents let their kids run through our homes unchecked, resulting in stained carpets and furniture, broken picture frames, uprooted plants, smashed vases, etc. Several children were scraped or gouged from trying to climb large statues, and one little boy had to be rescued from our lily pond by the realtor (the parents didn't notice).
My husband and I would like to avoid a similar experience when selling our present home. I've already packed any small objects that might be tempting for children to touch or pick up, but our home does show better with everything else in it; also, we need many of our furnishings to use while we're still living in the house. Our potential realtor is a very nice lady, but she has three small children and displays a "they're only kids, so put up with it" mindset.
Do any of you have advice about what we should tell our realtor, or how best to handle this situation? My husband adamantly doesn't want any children under the age of twelve anywhere on our property (yes, kids got to our patio and garden stuff, too) and is afraid we could be held liable for any injuries incurred. Is it even legal to ban young children from our property? Any constructive opinions and advice would be greatly appreciated.
You're describing an art gallery, not a house. Is your most likely buyer someone who wants an art gallery? Or is it families with children?
Anything you do to retrict viewers or make it difficult to view is going to increase the time on market and reduce your chances of getting the best price. You may think it shows better with your stuff. But your buyer may actively dislike it.
Either clear out all of the stuff you worry about or resign yourself to more days on market.
I agree with packing most of the stuff up, unless you plan to sell it with the house. Get it professionally staged instead. People need to be able to imagine their own things in the house, and it sounds like that would be difficult with all the artwork etc. that you describe.
1. Move and sell it empty and vacant. My favorite plan.
2. Limit showings to one appointment at a time. With your agent present, and yourself and/or husband present.
Insist that kids and parents stay together and accompany them.
One slip up, show them the door.
3. Remove all valuables from the house, as mentioned above, stage the house with items of lesser value.
It is unfortunate, but if your agent restricts showings to adults only, someone will file a spurious fair housing discrimination complaint nearly immediately.
You and your agent may prevail, but at what cost in time and money and reputation?
I agree about packing up your valuables since they could get stolen or broken. Before selling, I do a ton of looking at homes for sale, most people lean towards HGTV, so I aim for neutral and trying to appeal to as many buyers as possible. Families will bring kids, but why not, they do a lot of home buying. Art is subjective and people may not like your art as much as you. In any case, it could be distracting and it’s your house people want to see.
All three realtors advised us to show the house with its furnishings. Our last two houses sold within ten days, at the prices we asked, in part precisely because of the art and antiques. Our present home is in a highly desirable area, with approximately fifty per cent families and fifty per cent retirees. The house is not difficult to view or to walk around; no one is restricted from any area of the house. As stated above, it is not cluttered or crammed with furnishings. Our house is a home, not an art gallery, with furniture, TVs, books, plants, and the usual things one finds in most homes.
Any advice for my question specifically about small children in our home (above) would be appreciated.
It is unfortunate, but if your agent restricts showings to adults only, someone will file a spurious fair housing discrimination complaint nearly immediately.
Are you saying it is against the law to restrict a showing to adults only? I could see where it could limit the number of people who might want to look, but to be illegal seems extreme. Maybe the agent could word the remarks differently but sufficiently to keep kids from running loose in someone else's home? Of course an empty house would obviate that problem.
Reminds me of a discussion somewhere questioning why a home hadn't sold. The husband was quite proud of his hunting trophy display. People make all sorts of judgments about sellers just because of decor. You never know who will be turned off. Who knows, someone could decide your collection is a brag and they might not negotiate the price because of it. Also, more isn't necessarily better. Sometimes it's just more.
Collections are personal and so are their values. If you are concerned about the collection, pack it up and store it. If there aren't kids breaking items there could be thieves. Someone could also use the showing to scope the house out for burglary.
Would someone please advise about the best solution for this potential problem in selling our home?
My husband adamantly doesn't want any children under the age of twelve anywhere...
I remember a thread on this topic with the idea that people with children too young to be left alone
in their car for 30 minutes probably shouldn't be taking them out when looking.
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