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Sometimes it is easier to sell a smaller home vacant because if you have any furniture oversize at all from coffee table to couch....makes the room look smaller. Imagining your things there, might be easier. I prefer vacant to staged.....so do most of the buyers I work with.
I have gotten so frustrated with a client that refused to believe a 12x12 family room was a 'normal' size I actually drove them to a local furniture store. When we got to what they considered a normal collection of sofa, side chair, coffee table and tv I got out my leverlock and had them read off the measurements. 9x11.
As I recall they did buy some furniture from the store. I wish I could've got the commission on that too
I'd rather look at an empty house. It's easier to see any damage or problems with walls, etc.
But, since the house will be vacant and you'll be out of town, it might be best to leave a little furniture there just so the place looks lived in to anyone peeping in the windows and bent on mischief.
How far away are you moving? Would you be able to get back on occasion? When I moved to a new town, I left all my furniture in the house, but came back about once a month to tidy up a little (to do stuff like flush the toilet, wash glasses, and clean up other messes that potential buyers left for me). I also had a friend looking after the yard, etc. And, really, the house gets much less dirty and dusty when there's no one living in it!
Of course, the best scenario is that the house will sell in a few weeks, and won't have time to get dusty!
Well, there you have it. Fourteen responses. Seven for staging and seven for empty. I bet this has really helped in your decision making! ROFL!!
You can't please everyone. Go. Take your furniture. Leave it empty. If it doesn't sell, have your realtor rent a few pieces and spend a few bucks and try it staged!!!
Well, there you have it. Fourteen responses. Seven for staging and seven for empty. I bet this has really helped in your decision making! ROFL!!
You can't please everyone. Go. Take your furniture. Leave it empty. If it doesn't sell, have your realtor rent a few pieces and spend a few bucks and try it staged!!!
LOL, that is too funny! Everyone made some great points, though, so I have plenty of pros and cons to consider. I'll be a long plane ride away, so whether I decide to leave it furnished or vacant, I'll have to find someone to do some occasional cleaning. (Can that be expected of a realtor if the house is in the low-$200K range?)
LOL, that is too funny! Everyone made some great points, though, so I have plenty of pros and cons to consider. I'll be a long plane ride away, so whether I decide to leave it furnished or vacant, I'll have to find someone to do some occasional cleaning. (Can that be expected of a realtor if the house is in the low-$200K range?)
Thanks again for all the responses!
... there are real estate agents that I know, mostly older than even me, that DID have free trucks for their sellers / buyers to use for short haul moves, would have a "crew" of cleaners (sometimes their own kids...) that they would send around to mow the lawn and dust mop the vacant houses, and maybe even they'd stop in their own listings on a regular basis to make sure no man nor beast had taken up residence under the porch or worse.
In this era of "SmartPhones" and 'virtual tours' that is all pretty darn uncommon. Probably makes sense to BUDGET for a visit from "Merry Maids" once every few weeks and set-up some kind of lawn care arrangement if you will be far far away. Mind you this does not have to be expensive -- a reliable neighbor might very well be willing to mow the grass for the price of six pack and bucket of chicken, and even Merry Maids has "new customer specials" that are no more costly than movie tickets for the family.
When my neighbors had a move to Florida, they put their house on the market and left. Our other neighbor was the real estate agent they hired to sell while they were gone. I would see her every now and then coming out of the house with a little bucket and some towels, Windex, etc. She went every week or so and just tidied up. It was a service she provided her seller. The house sold for 600k, so she made about 18k. I'd say she probably felt that for a few minutes every few weeks, she'd dust for 18k! LOL!
Nowadays, forget it. I agree with Chet. Everyone wants to make the same money and do less and less. Not just agents. Just about everyone.
But yeah, you can probably find someone who will come in once every two weeks and dust and vacuum for a small fee. Shouldn't be too expensive.
Good luck. Hopefully it will sell soon.
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In olden times...
