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Hi. I am just wondering if when it gets down to it if it is better to sell an empty home or wait until your home sells (even if it is months)? I can see good and bad points to both. I am hoping for others opinions as maybe I'll read something I have not thought of or read before.
I've seen a few jobs I could post for in the state we hope to move to, but I am holding out currently. We've waited for our neighborhood to progress to a point that the location part of the condition of the home, price and location would measure up to the other two and to date, no such luck. It is rapidly approaching time to list.
We're in AZ and I am a realist and know our chances of a quick sale are not something to bank on. I still remain hopeful though. In this neighborhood, some of the ordinance violations have been taken care of, some have not. We have another new problem in the mix which included booming music that resounded throughout the neighborhood for over three hours. I finally fell asleep after 11 p.m. If we had a late showing last night (this began at 8:30 p.m.), that would have been a deal breaker. Two calls to TPD did not resolve it. I know they're busy elsewhere, and now am worried about the potential for these offenders to know this and just keep this up.
So, though against every other time we've sold a home, I am considering putting an "end date" to staying and trying to sell (approximately giving it 8 weeks). We are in a position to move, and rent until the home sells, and look for a job versus absolutely needing a job immediately.
I hope this makes some sense as I am on only a few hours of sleep. What are your pros and cons to both selling and waiting out a less than desirable market and just moving on and selling empty?
We are in a similar situation. Hubby has already started a new job in Florida. The kids and I have stayed behind to sell the house. It is really slow market, even priced well.
We've decided to go ahead and move. We are renting our house to a family. We've cut them a deal on the rent, in return for the inconvenience of the house still being for sale. At least the mortgage is covered, and we can hope that things pick up in the spring.
From a Staging point of view it would be better if the home is vacant. This way there are no dirty dishes in the sink, it's uncluttered, it can be shown anytime, and the Stager has a blank palette to work with.
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I agree. When my wife and I were looking for a home we hated going into an occupied one and it was awkward to look at someone's home when they or their family was present (which we did a couple of times). Suffice it to say that the one we ended up buying was and had been empty for almost a year.
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I agree. When my wife and I were looking for a home we hated going into an occupied one and it was awkward to look at someone's home when they or their family was present (which we did a couple of times). Suffice it to say that the one we ended up buying was and had been empty for almost a year.
That is awkward. Most people leave before a showing.
I think seeing a nice clean house has definite appeal to buyers. On the other hand, for those who are visually impaired (*coughmecough*) seeing a house already furnished sometimes allows for you to truly see the size of a room with things in it, as well as spark potential ideas for how the room currently flows and how you may or may not be able to alter that.
I have never sold a home before but am thinking about selling and relocating out-of-state (I'm retired so I don't need to find a job first). Whenever I think about getting my house ready to sell I start to feel overwhelmed. I don't know how people are able to keep their homes looking like models and ready for showings while still living in them for months and months at a time. It just seems to me that it would be less stressful to move first if you are in a position to do that. I'll have to see how it goes, but that's what I'm thinking of doing.
The research done by NAR and others shows that higher prices and shorter market times go along with OCCUPIED homes. It is no-brainer that no one wants to see any clutter / unclean dishes / dirt, the owner should NOT be present during showings and all the other stuff that has been covered here and elsewhere.
I suspect the numbers reflect both the reality that BUYERS sense an occupied home has a different kind of seller (one that probably will not accept as low an offer...) as well as being easier to visualize your "stuff" taking the place of the seller as opposed to requiring a more creative shopping strategy.
The other thing is that if your home is VACANT you will have to live some place else AND THAT generally adds considerable cost to the equation...
It all depends on your stuff and how well the house shows furnished. We just listed a house this weekend that is a stunning home and has stunning furnishings and furniture. This house will show much better if they leave it as currently decorated. It's a large home and will feel empty and cold without all her warmth and beautiful decorating.
On the other hand if your stuff resembles early college, dumpster furnishings I would move it out.
Hi. Thank you so much for your really great points.
We are staged. All rooms and ceilings are painted. The carpeting is new. The bedding in all rooms is new. The counter tops in the kitchen and vanities in the bathroom are new. All lighting is new including ceiling fans, updated kitchen and dining room and in general, it is staged well with no early college type decor. The furniture is new or was already a plus on its own.
The last thing we left is the "decorative rock" that adorns most yards out here and we saved that to do until right before selling. The garage is 2 car and cleared out and both our car and truck fit into the garage. The pool and spa are in excellent condition and our backyard has both a grass area and patio blocks in both patios. We have extended the roof to cover the table and chairs and we have planted trees and roses in the backyard.
The issue at hand is the location (relative to the disrepair and ordinance violations of the neighborhood). That is the part of the condition of the house, price and location that we are iffy on. This may or may not cost us sales. We waited out a few violators, but it is increasingly obvious that we could wait for something that may never come to pass and we just plain don't want to live here any longer. Additionally, we want out before real estate falls further here.
Hope that helps give a better recap. So, would you give it say two months and then move on and sell empty knowing the location isn't going to improve without pretty much a miracle (if it hasn't improved in the 5 months we've already given it)? If you'd sell empty, what are other negatives I am not thinking of or any positives and/or negatives that you've experienced? Or, would you stick it out no matter how many months (years) it could take?
also , a vacant house will not hide all those dirty spots that seem to appear out of nowhere once you start taking down pictures and moving furniture out.
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