furnished or not (tenants, countertop, sale, furniture)

[okaydorothy]

Hi there
When my trashy tenants move out we are going to sell the house. what is better ; to stage some furniture in the house, or leave it unfurnished?

Like everyone, I am hoping for a quick sale ; other than giving the house away, is there anything more I can do. I was going to take up all the carpets downstairs and have the maple floors redone, paint of course, clean of course, take down two huge trees in the backyard as it makes the house dark.
thanks
d

[Racelady88]

For me, personally, I prefer to see houses unfurnished.

[surfingatwork]

Originally Posted by okaydorothy

Hi there
When my trashy tenants move out we are going to sell the house. what is better ; to stage some furniture in the house, or leave it unfurnished?

Like everyone, I am hoping for a quick sale ; other than giving the house away, is there anything more I can do. I was going to take up all the carpets downstairs and have the maple floors redone, paint of course, clean of course, take down two huge trees in the backyard as it makes the house dark.
thanks
d

A little bit of furniture helps a buyer "envision" their own stuff. Not a lot though, couple chairs and maybe ottoman in the living room, kitchen table and chairs (4 at the most) in the kitchen/dining room, a cookbook opened and set in one of the plate type stands on the countertop, towels in the bathroom, fresh flowers on the kitchen table or in the bathroom if there's enough room on the vanity, if there's a pretty front porch two rocking chairs and that's about it. good luck.

[Northwoods Voyager]

Originally Posted by okaydorothy

Hi there
When my trashy tenants move out we are going to sell the house. what is better ; to stage some furniture in the house, or leave it unfurnished?

Like everyone, I am hoping for a quick sale ; other than giving the house away, is there anything more I can do. I was going to take up all the carpets downstairs and have the maple floors redone, paint of course, clean of course, take down two huge trees in the backyard as it makes the house dark.
thanks
d

that is the question If, after you have taken up the carpet, redone the floors and painted in that proverbial neutral colour, you like what YOU see, leave out the furniture. Look at the house as if YOU were a buyer. Walk in the front door and what is the first thing that you see? does it look attractive to you?

Then go from room to room, again with a buyer's eye. check for any imperfections that you may have missed. Make sure all light bulbs are fresh, toilet seats down, no unusual smells. Make sure the windows are clean. And definitely make sure the front door is clean and new looking. First impressions are lasting impressions.

All doors, such as closet and pantry, should open easily, no squeaks

If you do want and desire to put furniture in the home, please, again, make it neutral. No flowery slip covers, no dark upholstery. Just a little should do it.
Again, I suggest that you go outside and look at the house from the street and take note of what you see. Remember, buyer's eye.

Good luck to you and keep us posted.

[UseJeff]

When I bought my house, I bought it because of the very high ceilings and the general open feel.

However, there was furniture, although it was sparse. There is a center buddy bar type thing in the kitchen, and the bar stools really made it look much better. I think a couple key pieces that help compliment the house could really help. I'd also be very careful to place any furniture in small rooms, as you want those to look as big as possible.

For me personally, the nice open space allowed me to imagine what I would put where. I do know the biggest key to my considering the house was how clean it was. Everything was immaculate. Comparing to other houses, I found a few others I was considering, but they were dirty in a few hard to see spots. While this is cake to clean, it just gave me a feeling of "eww"... This feeling although silly, knocked these houses out of the hunt.

[PghREA]

Originally Posted by Northwoods Voyager

that is the question If, after you have taken up the carpet, redone the floors and painted in that proverbial neutral colour, you like what YOU see, leave out the furniture. Look at the house as if YOU were a buyer. Walk in the front door and what is the first thing that you see? does it look attractive to you?

Then go from room to room, again with a buyer's eye. check for any imperfections that you may have missed. Make sure all light bulbs are fresh, toilet seats down, no unusual smells. Make sure the windows are clean. And definitely make sure the front door is clean and new looking. First impressions are lasting impressions.

All doors, such as closet and pantry, should open easily, no squeaks

If you do want and desire to put furniture in the home, please, again, make it neutral. No flowery slip covers, no dark upholstery. Just a little should do it.
Again, I suggest that you go outside and look at the house from the street and take note of what you see. Remember, buyer's eye.

Good luck to you and keep us posted.

I agree. If you redo the floors, repaint (make sure your fix any imperfections in the walls) and clean everything until it sparkles it will seem like a "new house" which is what the prospective buyer is looking for.

[2bindenver]

I think it depends on what is "normal" for your area. Are there a lot of vacant houses for sale? Are there model homes in the area that would be 10-20% more than your house? Are there other staged homes in your area?

You need to stand out from your competition, in order to grab the attention of a distracted buyer.