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For the most part: Minimal furnishing- Dining table. bedrooms - mattress set up.
Where I often become suspect in touring is if a house is fully furnished - then the walls and outlets are hard to check for damage or accessibility for measurement. Yes I measure areas to make sure my stuff will fit.
I don't like Hidden surprises, such as the hole in the floor that is covered by a small matt.
Correct: Stuffed animals and Sports Memorabilia on the walls will send me out the door. Granted its their "stuff" to take with them. It just gives me a eerie feel that at Once upon a time a defenseless critter was placed on THAT wall. No amount of Burnt sage can get that bad karma out ....
If the seller has a picasso they wish to leave with the house I might be open to buying the home
At this point if you have it cleaned and painted, I'd choose Option One.
Nice staging can help, but clean and fresh is never wrong.
I've said before, sometimes it's nice to leave a kitchen table and chairs so that if people want to linger and talk about it, they can. If there is NO PLACE to sit anywhere, people tend to get in, get back out, they don't linger. Some people can't stand long periods so they don't stand there and talk. Sitting and talking is usually a good thing you may not want to rush. You can even leave a binder on the table with house information, or flyers people can take with them.
Also, if you want people to remove shoes or put booties on, leave a bench for them to sit on to do that. Not everyone can safely do this without being able to sit. A little side table with a sign to use booties that are in a basket, with a little bench next to it, by the door or on the porch, will work nicely.
When I bought my current home the owners had a table and chairs in the kitchen during the active listing phase, but as soon as the contract was signed they disappeared. That was sort of petty, IMHO. I mean, they couldn't even leave a used table and chairs there (especially as the house had been a rental)?.
Prepping to sell, my house was stripped bare of personal items, old furniture disposed of and a few newish and attractive furniture pieces were left for staging. All artwork was removed, except for two western themed original watercolors used in 1950s ads. They looked cool on the fireplace mantel.
Curb appeal was great, and my agent went for the professional photography package. If you make a lot of effort to clean up and show your house nicely, your agent will take extra steps to get you a higher price, like paying for professional pictures.
I like the house vacant. The furniture is to help give perspective of the size.
I saw one listing on Zillow where the furniture and wall hangings were photoshopped (?) into the picture. It's some kind of computer visualization or realization. Don't know what you call it. I think there is a software that lets you do that.
When I bought my current home the owners had a table and chairs in the kitchen during the active listing phase, but as soon as the contract was signed they disappeared. That was sort of petty, IMHO. I mean, they couldn't even leave a used table and chairs there (especially as the house had been a rental)?.
You think that's bad? My current house had some nice wall mount bookshelves, storage racks in the kitchen pantry, and some window hardware I actually liked. They removed everything attached to any wall...including the shelving, curtain rods, pleated blinds, closet and and kitchen racks, the shelf inside the microwave, a vanity mirror, even the exterior house numbers. It was all there at inspection but by the final walkthrough they were already 2000 miles away. If they'd had enough time, it wouldn't have surprised me if they found a way to remove the 4 year old carpet too!
What they did leave was an eclectic collection of weird light fixtures including a fake candle flame dining room candelabra in the master bedroom. Complete with glass crystals drooping between the arms. And a matching set of wall sconces to boot. Of course I've been replacing things as handyman time and budget permit but the candelabra is still there. When I wake up at night and see that thing looming over my head I feel like a Thanksgiving turkey on a platter.
Last edited by Parnassia; 07-17-2021 at 06:21 PM..
You think that's bad? My current house had some nice wall mount bookshelves, storage racks in the kitchen pantry, and some window hardware I actually liked. They removed everything that was attached to any wall...including the shelving, curtain rods, pleated blinds, closet and and kitchen racks, the shelf inside the microwave, a vanity mirror, even the exterior house numbers. It was all there at inspection but by the final walkthrough they were already 2000 miles away. If they'd had enough time, it wouldn't have surprised me if they found a way to remove the 4 year old carpet too!
I agree that that's way overboard. In our area, anything that's attached to the walls stays with the house. I would have been totally peeved at walkthrough.
I agree that that's way overboard. In our area, anything that's attached to the walls stays with the house. I would have been totally peeved at walkthrough.
You said it and I was! At first I chalked the more obvious things up to first time home sellers and an inexperienced agent who didn't advise them well but when I noticed the missing house numbers (nothin' custom or fancy...ordinary metal type from the local hardware store) it became a true head scratcher.
When I walked through the property with the home inspector he gazed at the bedroom candelabra in thoughtful silence. I told him it wasn't long for this world. He begged me not to take it anywhere local. His wife would inevitably discover it and haul it to HIS house!
I prefer looking at vacant houses. I like to see the full floor the best a picture can show, as well as the walls. And it tells me that there won't be issues taking possession after closing because the owners won't need to find another place in time and won't leave any damages that I wasn't expecting, example HUGE stains hidden by furniture. A few staging pieces in an obviously vacant house is not a bad idea to give a sense of size in your pictures, but since you redid the walls, use something like Command Strips if you hang anything. I have actually shied away from some because they had SO MUCH on the wall that I feared once taken down it will be more holes than wall.
I prefer vacant or minimal furniture. Freash neutral paint will al holes patched up is greatly appreciated.
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