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Would you rather show/see a house empty or occupied? In this case, occupied would mean two adults, two big dogs (which of course would NOT be present during showings!) and two cats. I've heard both sides. Some realtors say it shows better with furniture in it, some prospective buyers say they would rather see it empty so they can visualize THEIR stuff in it. What do ya think?
I saw both when I was looking, it didn't really matter. If people are going to live there I would follow the standard advice - remove the clutter, keep it clean, lots of light etc.
As a person who has moved a lot of times, I'd much rather look at an empty house. Lays it all out for you to see - the good and the bad - without distractions. But I take 'em as they are - I wouldn't expect someone to vacate their house just to market it. (Remove excess clutter, yes.) Nor would I expect someone to have to "stage" an empty house. Frankly, your stuff isn't going to influence my decision regarding the house. (But again, I've done this so many times, usually with a week to pick a house in a city I'm not familiar with, that I've gotten to where I know what I'm looking for an can cut through things quickly. Other buyers may be more influenced by factors other than the house itself.)
As I was looking at places before we put in our offer we saw both with and without. They both have pro's and cons. I'd declutter, clean counters off and make it like you have guest coming over.
I'd recommend having a friend come over and look at the house to see if their is anything they first notice good and bad and fix accordingly.
My big one was smell. We went into one place and you could tell smokers lived there and it took my breath away and our agent had to hold the door open.
I prefer showing vacant homes since they are easier to show. Last week, I called to make arrangements to show 15 properties (2 different buyers). Eleven were owner occupied. Eight said it was not convenient to show the next morning.
If your house is cluttered, I'd rather see it empty. If you can keep it meticulously clean, organized, and hopefully pet-odor-free, then I'd rather see it with furniture.
I have seen both it's a toss up i say with furniture is good as long as clean and organized that way you get an idea of how your belongings will fit in the space. But if it's empty and has shiny hardwood floors that's nice too!
I second the smell factor lol if it stinks like smoke or wet dog forget it i probly wouldn't wana live there especially if it's carpet I would wonder how hard it would be to get the smell out.
I've seen both cases obviously, but would prefer a home "empty". My realtor also stated that with furniture and personal items, one can see how the house looks lived in. This is possibly true; but also I can imagine my furniture in the rooms and prefer a vacant house and that is what we ended up purchasing....
Homes that show well usually sell for more than homes that are vacant.
It all depends on what's inside a home. It can be furnished and not show as well as a vacant home.
As a buyer/ buyer's agent I love vacant homes. It tells me the owners are more likely to be motivated. As a seller/listing agent, I prefer to show furnished.
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