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Should a house be listed/shown vacant and empty or occupied and fully furnished ? Our agent told us that the way we have the home decorated is fine and is not cluttered but we sorta want to get on with the rest of our lives. Ideas ?
Well, when I was in the market for a home I was only looking at vacant homes, for the most part. Don't ask why, I think I didn't want to deal with other people's schedules and such. House after house I hated them all! Until I found a home that I wanted to look at (had 3 car garage and IN my price range- that's a big deal!). Anyway, I looked at it and knew it was it!
I really believe I liked the house because it was nicely decorated and furnished. I think that if I looked at more furnished homes I would have been able to find one earlier, but then again we wouldn't have the large garage. I think it difficult for some to imagine how their furniture will look and how to decorate. Others have no problem with it. I always think the houses that are very neat and cute will get sold first. Vacant homes just look drab and uninspiring.
I think if you can pack up and get out but leave a few select pieces of furniture so the house looks "staged" that's the best way to show a house. People need somewhere to sit down and contemplate what it would be like to live there, and a totally vacant house wouldn't offer that. Maybe a dining set, a loveseat and coffee table, a bed & dresser in one bedroom. Just enough to give a hint of what it's like to live in the house without it being cluttered with too much personal stuff.
So much depends upon a buyer's perception and visualization abilities.
Some want a "blank" palette to work with and "mentally" figure out how the spaces work for them.
Some need the "blanks" filled in for them about how the space could be utilized.
Clean and tidy are essential, whichever way the house is shown.
There's no absolute right and wrong about this ... or control of it ... from a seller's standpoint.
Better to fulfil your needs re moving out as required, and, if the house seems to show "better" with some furnishings, hire the items you need ... there's pro decorating companies that are more than willing to help show your place off.
NY, if your house is huge, i.e. lots of bonus rooms, I wouldn't empty them. Lots of folks have trouble visualizing what they can do with that 8th little room. If you have a wine storage room, leave that intact so the buyers can see the potential. Just keep in mind, blank canvases are sometimes okay, but huge blank canvases are quite intimidating.
It is true that a vacant home might get a few more showings. That's because in the initial stages of working with a buyer, an agent will likely pick out the "easy-to-show" (as in easy to make an appt to show) homes first. Then when the agent has determined the buyer's readiness to buy and has a good handle on what his client is looking for, they'll start making appts to look at the homes (occupied or vacant) that are most likely to be THE ONE for their client.
I think the only time a furnished home does not show better than a vacant home is if it's 1) cluttered, 2) has dated furnishings, 3) has alot of personal photos, kids drawings, etc, or 4) has been decorated in a very distinctive style or color that few people would be attracted to.
If you're going to leave it vacant, make sure it's painted in neutral colors. Bold colors on the wall without the matching furniture, paintings, accessories, etc will really detract, even if it's a homebuyer's favorite color. They'll say something like, "Boy, I really like red, but this wall is really overpowering." Also, make sure the carpet is very clean and the walls have been repainted or touched up - In a vacant home, the buyer's eyes are drawn to every little flaw.
Best wishes on getting it SOLD!
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