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Getting ready to list on 4/1 and our realtor recommended that we put away some of our photos which we were planning on doing anyway. My question is - do you think we need to take down all of the family pictures? I don't mind putting away the ones that are out on shelves, etc, but the ones on the walls will end up leaving some stark spaces and nail holes (and I don't have touch up paint for some of the rooms). I'm not talking about a ton of pictures either just a few in a couple of rooms throughout the house. I suppose I could buy some stuff off the store shelves to hang there, but seems like that would be a waste of money for us as we wouldn't reuse it. Your thoughts? Thank you!
do you think we need to take down all of the family pictures?
Yes. Start with that assumption. Beyond de-cluttering is the ability to show the walls which should be
clear of hardware and shadow lines (which means plan to do some spackle and paint work too).
Do the same with the larger pieces of furniture.
And all of your out of season clothing.
And most of everything else you have in the closets and cabinets.
A stranger should be able to stand at the threshold of any room or to open any closet or cabinet
and see nearly the ENTIRE space back to the wall without having to look past your "stuff".
I'm both buying and selling right now. I've heard all the advice for years about removing all family photos. I did notice in many of the homes I've toured that a lot of people left family photos up.
However, in each of those houses, seeing family photos snapped me out of my thoughts about seeing myself in the home and right into a feeling of...trespassing? Of an uncomfortable feeling that "This is someone else's home." So rather than evaluating the house for its pros and cons, I was focused on these other thoughts.
I would have preferred the blank spot on the wall above the fireplace than the large family photo reminding me that this place is NOT my home.
Getting ready to list on 4/1 and our realtor recommended that we put away some of our photos which we were planning on doing anyway. My question is - do you think we need to take down all of the family pictures? I don't mind putting away the ones that are out on shelves, etc, but the ones on the walls will end up leaving some stark spaces and nail holes (and I don't have touch up paint for some of the rooms). I'm not talking about a ton of pictures either just a few in a couple of rooms throughout the house. I suppose I could buy some stuff off the store shelves to hang there, but seems like that would be a waste of money for us as we wouldn't reuse it. Your thoughts? Thank you!
In my opinion blank walls are bad. They make the house look sterile. You want it to look warm.
I am looking to buy a house and walked through many houses already. Some had family photos, some didn't. I personally don't care. When I look at the house I am interested in the floor plan, floors, cabinets, rooms/closets sizes, and don't care about somebody's furniture or pictures...
That may be true for you, but my experience shows that most buyers can't see past it. If there is too much furniture or it's oddly placed, the room looks small. If the furniture is dated and in poor condition, the house looks shabby (even if it's not), if there are personal pictures the buyer starts thinking about the family that lives there instead of them living there. I've seen it. I've even heard if from clients that didn't understand my advice about depersonalizing their house to list until they went house hunting and got distracted by family photos.
Clean, crisp, decluttered - think model home not bare - will bring in the best offers fastest.
Replace the family pictures that are on the walls with some cheap art work from yard sales or dollar stores. Or if you or your kids (if you have any) are feeling creative make your own using the frames you already have.
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relax
