House selling - stage it or empty?

[Spryte]

We're closing on our new house next week - yippee!  

 

We had planned to rent our current home, and have found a property management company.  But we're not sold on the idea.  We're now thinking we might put it on the market and see what happens in 2 months, then revisit renting it if it's not moving.

 

If we do put it on the market, it will be empty.  I think houses that are not empty show better, though, and I'm wondering if we should try to leave it slightly furnished while trying to sell it.  We couldn't leave all of our furniture, but a small bit might give it some, i don't know, soul?  Body?  Something extra.  Or we can leave it empty.

 

What do you think?  Empty or minimally furnished, to give a hint of how it might look lived in?  

 

We'll ask our realtor when she comes to discuss it on Sunday, I'm just curious about the hive's thoughts on this.

[Pawz4me]

Empty and super clean is my preference.

[Spryte]

Empty and super clean is my preference.

 

Excellent!  That's what I'd most like to hear!

[Arcadia]

For those that were staged in my neighborhood, the realtor rented furniture for the staging. After the owner moved out, the realtor gets her cleaning staff to spruce up the house.  Then move the rented furniture in. After that she holds the open houses over a weekend.  When the house is sold, the realtor would arranged for the rented furniture to be moved out and a final quick cleaning before handing over the key.

 

We have been to mainly staged ones but we have no bias against empty ones.  The only problem we had with empty ones was we had our kids lie down on the bedroom's carpet to get an idea of how small the bedrooms are.  If there is a twin or queen bed in the bedroom, it helps us visually. My boys were interested in the sofas and coffee tables  in the living rooms of the homes we looked at.

[staceyobu]

I would stage it.  I've typically heard staged homes sell faster for more money.  I would prioritize leaving the living/dining areas staged.  Master bedroom if you can.  I don't think kid rooms will matter as much.  Set up camping chairs in front of the tv in your new place and leave your couches in your old place.  Eat on said camping chairs and leave your couches behind.  

[AmandaVT]

Most of the houses we've seen have been empty which DH prefers. I, personally, prefer a bit of furniture, but I'm visual-spacial challenged. I'll look at a bedroom that's more than twice the size of our current one (which is tiny) and say something dumb like, "do you think our furniture will fit in here?" and then DH and the realtor look at me like I'm nuts. If a room has furniture in it, I can picture it easily with our furniture, but I struggle with empty rooms. I think I'm an anomaly though and most people would probably prefer an empty house!

[Spryte]

This is helpful - thanks!  I'm very interested in all of the thoughts on this.

[3 ladybugs]

Can you do a combo and get cardboard cut outs of the size (foot print) of common pieces of furniture so that the space challenged people can understand as well as the people that like empty rooms?

 

Problem solved!

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

We had two similar homes on the market in my neighborhood. The staged home sold quickly for asking price and the empty one is still not sold months later even though it was priced lower than the other house.

 

Just a small sample, but...

[Just Kate]

I prefer partially staged. Like AmandaVT above, I also have trouble visualizing how much furniture will fit in a room. Also, I remember when we first started looking for a home, I fell in love with a house that really didn't meet our requirements at all. I was really in love with the furniture though. Luckily, dh helped me to see what i was doing.

[DawnM]

Ok, wait, are you all saying you cannot live in the house while you are trying to sell it?

 

We plan to store about 60% of our stuff (after purging) and continue living here with minimal stuff while it sells.  We really can't get a storage unit and pay mortgage and rent a place that will allow the dogs.    At least not for too long.

[hmvaughan4]

The house we're closing on next week was empty. But the photos on the listing had furniture. Can you take pictures now, before you move out? Personally, as long as it's clean, I don't care either way.

[Arcadia]

Ok, wait, are you all saying you cannot live in the house while you are trying to sell it?

 

We went to two homes that have the owners still staying there.  We kept our kids close by because we were so worried that they would touch the owners' items and DS10 actually open a closet in the master bedroom before we could stop him. It was rather stressful in that sense.  If we had went without our kids, we might feel less stressed but we wanted their opinions.

[Kathryn]

The house we're closing on next week was empty. But the photos on the listing had furniture. Can you take pictures now, before you move out? Personally, as long as it's clean, I don't care either way.

This is what my preference would be. Unlike to see pictures of each room furnished, but I'd refer to look in person at an empty house. I like to be able to examine and not wonder if the couch/bed/etc., is hiding something awful.

[Spryte]

Ok, wait, are you all saying you cannot live in the house while you are trying to sell it?

 

We plan to store about 60% of our stuff (after purging) and continue living here with minimal stuff while it sells. We really can't get a storage unit and pay mortgage and rent a place that will allow the dogs. At least not for too long.

Well, we *could* live here. But we would all prefer to live in our new house. :)

 

We close on the new house early next week. We will be moving in late next week, and then finishing cleaning and painting this house.

Then this one we'll either rent out as planned, or put on the market. Putting it on the market is gaining appeal.

 

I'm wondering if perhaps rather than moving everything to the new house, maybe we should leave some of our furniture here, while it is being shown... :)

[momof4babes]

As a realtor I would suggest at least minimal staging.

 

Many, many people cannot picture furniture in an empty house. Even more than that, staging makes your house feel desirable, and like a home, rather than a blank space.

 

If you can get a few air mattresses, put them on 4 cardboard boxes, and make them up.

 

Rental rates for staging is generally reasonable here. If you want to give selling your best shot, make it look nice.

[Spryte]

As a realtor I would suggest at least minimal staging.

 

Many, many people cannot picture furniture in an empty house. Even more than that, staging makes your house feel desirable, and like a home, rather than a blank space.

 

If you can get a few air mattresses, put them on 4 cardboard boxes, and make them up.

 

Rental rates for staging is generally reasonable here. If you want to give selling your best shot, make it look nice.

 

Thanks so much for the air mattress idea!  I can do that.  If you have more tips, I'd love them.  

[Julie Smith]

Well when I buy a house location matters so much, that I don't care. 

 

I actually decided on both houses I have bought before going into them.

[Spryte]

Well when I buy a house location matters so much, that I don't care. 

 

I actually decided on both houses I have bought before going into them.

 

We have an excellent location going for us.  :)

[G5052]

Long story, but I'm part of getting multiple houses ready for market, and we are doing at least some staging the ones where the tenants are moving out (some are being sold with the tenants in place).

 

There is a company in that metro area that brings truck with a basic set of furniture and some neutral artwork, and they set up the whole thing in a few hours.  The furnishings are rented by the month as a group.

 

From what I've been told, in some neighborhoods it's expected, especially for more expensive houses.

[extendedforecast]

Generally, staging will help a property sell faster. I read that a large percentage of staged homes sell within the first 30 days, compared to empty homes. A lot of buyers cannot envision their furniture in a space, and so staging helps with that aspect. I wouldn't recommend it if the home is lovely except for something out of your control. For example, the house is stunning but it sits on the corner of a very busy street. You could deck the house out, but it's not going to have much effect for buyers who don't want to deal with the traffic. I also wouldn't recommend it if you aren't in a huge hurry to sell it. Now if your home has spaces that aren't very well defined, I think staging would help.

[extendedforecast]

Ok, wait, are you all saying you cannot live in the house while you are trying to sell it?

 

We plan to store about 60% of our stuff (after purging) and continue living here with minimal stuff while it sells. We really can't get a storage unit and pay mortgage and rent a place that will allow the dogs. At least not for too long.

No, not at all. Stagers will work with existing furniture if the client is still living in the home. They will have you box up all non-essential items to make the house look uncluttered. They may also bring in props of their own.

[dancingmama]

Stage it, at least minimally. Living/family room and beds in bedroom should be fine. Should sell quick that way.

[trulycrabby]

Empty and clean is my preference!

 

Congratulations on your new home! :hurray:

[rjand6more]

Our realtor asked us to live in our house as long as possible.  Basically he strongly suggested we keep furniture in it.  In our area, houses move way faster that way.

[gardenmom5]

what is the market like in your area?  in a hot market, it doesn't make much difference.

if the market is slower - I'd seriously consider it.  or even taking pictures of it staged - and posting those with the ad.  but you don't have to keep the furniture.

 

how flattering and cohesive are the furnishings?

 

dd bought an empty house. (okay - they'd painted the entire house off white, and put in pale gray carpet so it was a blank canvas.)  she was the 2nd offer on the first day, and there was a 3rd offer before her's was accepted.  there were more who wanted to make an offer - but her's had already been accepted.

 

though there were a few that just sat (in a hot market), even staged and clean - but they had garish colors (more than just bad paint colors in kids bedrooms). or otherwise needed work.

[Storygirl]

We just moved earlier this year and closed on our new house before selling the old one. The realtor strongly encouraged us not to move all of our furniture out. She said her experience is that when buyers see an empty house and know that the current owners have already moved, they are more likely to make a lower offer, thinking that the owners really need the house to sell.

 

For several months, we used air mattresses and folding chairs in our new home and left our furniture at the old place.

 

So I would recommend staging your home.

 

We did live in our old home for quite some time while it was on the market, and I had to stage it and keep it pristine while living there, which was horrible, but here are some tips. (Our realtor was impressed with my staging and said it looked like a model home; a professional stager came in to give advice and had very little that she wanted to change.)

 

* Stand in a doorway and look at each room as objectively as you can. You want it to look like a magazine photo or homey hotel room -- decorated but impersonal.

* A few throw pillows can make a big difference on the bed or the couch. I brightened up the look of an old and slightly battered olive green couch with a couple of pillows that were sage green and floral. It was a little touch that made a huge difference.

* I bought a tray and a few vases to display on it and set it on top of my coffee table, which was scratched on top. It turned an older piece of furniture into something more elegant. I also carefully chose what I would put on each end table/dresser/counter in each room and removed everything else (for example, in my son's room I put his cute piggy bank on his dresser and chose which stuffed animal looked cutest on his bed).

* I bought new lamps for our bedside tables in the master bedroom.

* I took half of the books off of our bookshelves and boxed them up. I arranged the remainder neatly and put some nice baskets, etc. in the spots that were now empty.

* I bought new towels for each bathroom and only used them when we had a showing. We used other towels while bathing.

* I removed or hid laundry baskets, waste baskets, cat's litter box, bathroom rugs, things that I usually let sit out on my kitchen counters (toaster, fruit bowl, etc.).

* I arranged the furniture slightly differently in a few rooms.

* I bought new comforters for the beds (which we needed anyway). We then used the old ones while camping out at our new home.

* I hung a few pictures. I took a few pictures down.

* I cleaned out the closets and hung the clothes in order by color (this takes only a few minutes but makes a big difference). You want it to look like there is plenty of storage, so our closets were about half empty.

* For a previous house, we also repainted a room or two to make them more neutral. For the house we just sold, we didn't need to do that, but sometimes it helps.

 

Generally, my advice is to make it lovely but impersonal and uncluttered. It was worth spending a little money on the extra towels, etc., because we were able to use most of that in our new home.

[Farrar]

When my dad and his wife sold their home, they staged the living room, dining room, and master bedroom - all pretty minimally, but nicely. They cleared out everything else. I thought that made a lot of sense. Those are the rooms that people want to see the most with furniture, I think.

[Orthodox6]

I follow the logic from those with realtors' knowledge.  As a buyer, though, I prefer an empty house.  Other people's belongings distract me from mentally arranging my own.

[lllll]

nm

[mommymilkies]

I agree-empty and clean!  

[DawnM]

I don't like empty houses.  I like staged, at least minimally.

[school17777]

I think empty houses make the rooms look smaller than they really are.

[StephanieZ]

If it is a pricey home, and a couple thousand dollars to have it professionally staged (if that is what it would cost) is reasonable given the price, then I'd consider hiring an agent who can and will handle having it professionally staged with rental/staging furniture. I'd move your own stuff to your new house and get on with life. Life is too short to half-move if you don't really have to.

 

 

[rebbyribs]

For photos, you really want some furniture in the rooms because it's so hard to get an idea of the size of the rooms or even which room is which otherwise.  

 

I'd leave your sofa, a coffee table, and a couple of armchairs in the living room (unless it's really tiny).  You can use a folding table with a tablecloth in the dining room.  Airbeds work fine in the bedrooms, and if the're made up it won't be obvious that they're not real beds.  If you have a small odd space, you might want to have some furniture to show what that spot can be used for (office, breakfast nook, reading spot, etc.)

 

We moved all of our furniture to our new house, painted and cleaned the empty old house, and then hired a stager who brought in her own furniture and artwork.  In my area, staging an empty 1200 sq ft house can run $2500 - $5000.  If I'd had more time and energy, I would've bought some new furniture and artwork and done it myself.

[Happy]

As a realtor I would suggest at least minimal staging.

 

Many, many people cannot picture furniture in an empty house. Even more than that, staging makes your house feel desirable, and like a home, rather than a blank space.

 

If you can get a few air mattresses, put them on 4 cardboard boxes, and make them up.

 

Rental rates for staging is generally reasonable here. If you want to give selling your best shot, make it look nice.

Agreed.

 

I do what I call 'salt' staging. Bascially an empty home with a small table and chairs in the dining area, a large pretty art piece over the mantle, pretty towels in the bath. A wooden bowl with real apples ( I switch them out each week as necessary.) in the kitchen. I call this 'salt' staging because it's just a sprinkle of color and texture in an otherwise empty home. Makes it look loved...

 

If you can leave a few pieces of furniture, leave the very best you can. And do not leave much.

[Farrar]

I wonder if all these people who *say* they like an empty home actually do. Like, I wonder if you could come up with an experiment to see which actually works better to help a house appeal to buyers. And if the people who say they like it empty (or vice versa) actually, in the end, do like empty homes better or if the staging is more likely to hook them just like other buyers.

 

I don't have any particular preference myself. Every house we looked at when we were looking was a wreck and being sold as is. That was just the way everything was being sold in our area at the time. We bought anyway (good investment, as it turned out).

[StephanieZ]

FWIW, I've bought five or so houses over my life.

 

First one was inhabited by sloppy renters.

 

Second one was empty.

 

Third one (actually a rental) was rented sight unseen based on a friend's opinion who viewed it empty.

 

Fourth one was new construction, bought on the basis of a furnished model.

 

Fifth one was empty.

 

Empty looked good to me, especially the most recent one that was neat, clean, in great repair. We were ready to buy it after viewing it through the windows, lol.

 

Then again, my buying decisions are more about the land, basics like bed & bath count, and the general style/look of the house than a particular room or furniture issues.

 

I've sold four houses, too.

 

First one was a super hot market and sold in days, furnished, but very clean.

Second one sat on the market forever, took months to sell, eventually sold empty after trying to sell with renters in it. (Not a good idea to try to sell with renters in it!)

Third one was impossible to sell while we were still in it, despite being a hot market, but sold pretty quick (few weeks) once we and all our pets were out of it.

Fourth one was my mom's, and we sold that empty in a reasonable amount of time. If I had to do it over, I might have paid 5k to have that one staged, as it was a very expensive property, so the staging cost would have been small relative to potential increase in price.

 

At the end of the day, I'd go with what your realtor tells you to do. 

 

 

[jkwynn]

We did almost exactly what storygirl posted, and our house that just sold (in May) had multiple offers and a contract within a week.

We also had a VERY good photographer to take the listing pics.  I personally feel like the pics and the staging together sold the house.

The market there was pretty hot at the time, though.

[Tsuga]

I don't get how Geico sells insurance to anyone over the age of 3, but apparently it works.

 

The same goes for staging. I don't think I like it, I don't feel like I like it, but apparently, it works, and especially on people who have money. I don't know if I'm a freak outlier or if I just don't know my own psychological house-buying workings. I like fixer-uppers or land. I feel I'm getting a good deal.

 

However... market research suggests that if not me, then at least many other people behave otherwise.

 

I say listen to your realtor.

[Guest baltieniterte]

I've typically heard staged homes sell faster for more money.

[DawnM]

Well, we *could* live here. But we would all prefer to live in our new house. :)

 

We close on the new house early next week. We will be moving in late next week, and then finishing cleaning and painting this house.

Then this one we'll either rent out as planned, or put on the market. Putting it on the market is gaining appeal.

 

I'm wondering if perhaps rather than moving everything to the new house, maybe we should leave some of our furniture here, while it is being shown... :)

 

We won't be able to afford our new house until we sell this one.   We need to use the equity from this house as a downpayment.

[teachermom2834]

We just sold. The day the movers took our stuff away I stood there looking at the empty house and glad we had lived in it until the closing. Every knick on a wall or scratch on the floor showed. It looked much better lived in even with our worn furniture. My house was not a model home but a comfy family home and I think we would have had a hard time selling it empty.

[TeacherZee]

Shame you are a continent away or you could borrow some of my furniture. I am (not entirely voluntary) downsizing so I have furniture to spare ;)

 

I think some staging is a good idea. Check with friends/family in the area if they have some furniture/art/curtains etc they could lend you if you don't want to rent/leave to much stuff.

[Lolly]

Our realtor told us empty was better. House sold quickly, but we also had it priced to sell. I prefer empty houses when looking.

[JFSinIL]

If any rooms are very large, having a sofa or bed or dining room table might help folks see just how much space there is.  Or is a room looks small, a bit of furniture may help show it is not as small as it looks.  If that makes sense. 

[YaelAldrich]

Personal anecdote:  Sold our house for the asking price this spring, empty with new interior paint and freshly cleaned in 4 hours.  The market was positive but there were other houses in the neighborhood that I though better deals (bigger, more bedrooms).  I think having newish (1 yr) floors and a great kitchen sealed the deal.

[Acorn]

I prefer clean and empty, with color on the walls. I was nervous when we looked at our current home because the last owners had made no preparations for moving and we wanted a quick turn around. If we had seen the garage half full of boxes, then I would have sensed that they were sincere about leaving and open to a reduced offer.

[KungFuPanda]

We bought our house empty. I am not fooled by clever staging, so it would be wasted on me.

[goldberry]

My realtor swears by minimally staged.  She is not in favor of empty.