| Should You Stay or Should You Go? |
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There were critters of all kinds outside on park benches, on logs, beneath trees and on fence posts. There were birds, dogs, squirrels, raccoons, a family of ducks, and crocodiles. Inside there were puffy white kittens on the bed, there were cardinals and puppies on the shelves and used as doorstops. There were collections of dishes on display and photos of family on the side tables. There were signs around the house with phrases like “Welcome to our cabin,” and “Gone Fishin’.” This was a house that had been made into a home. “Come on, friends,” the house seemed to say, “sit down on one of the three couches or choose a chair in any corner.”
The house, in fact, had so many things to see and so much furniture to maneuver around, that my clients forgot to look at the house itself. The home had been loved, but because of all of the things on display, we became like visitors to a museum instead of house shoppers. It was impossible to visualize this house empty, or with my client’s furnishings placed where they might best fit.
On the other hand, another client and I visited a new neighborhood, with a few vacant homes that were available for owners. Having never been lived in before and containing no furniture, these homes were clean slates, ready for a personality. After our visit to the fourth house, the floor plans began to look alike, and we were unable to remember one from the other.
So, is a home more appealing with furnishings still in it, or is a vacant house easier to sell? For most homeowners, the sale of the current home has to happen before the next house can be purchased, so the seller must sell while still living in the house. But if you have the choice of moving before you sell…should you? That depends on you and your house.
If your house looks like a museum, if keeping your home tidy all the time is a struggle, or if it is difficult to leave the house at various times of the day to accommodate showings, then you may consider a complete or partial move. When we moved several years ago, this is what we did, because I had a kindergartener who left toys about, a baby on a nap schedule, and pets. We took our personal items out of the house, but we left things like tables, couches, beds, and dressers to help buyers get a perspective of the room sizes, and to leave a bit of personality, but not too much. By not living in the house, it could be shown at the time most convenient to the buyer, which resulted in more showings and a faster sale.
A vacant house, while making it easy for a buyer to visualize their own belongings in the home, can also lead them to think that the seller is desperate to sell because they must have two mortgages and double the utility bills, and will take a lower offer in order to unload the property. This may or may not be true, and each case is different.
If you remain in the home until it sells, then at least start packing up your personal things, as hard as that may be. Yes…put your pink flamingos, and souvenirs from your family vacations, and personal collections in a box. You may have to clear out some furniture and do a bit of rearranging, but a home staged for selling will sell.
Claudia Stallings
Coldwell Banker Wallace & Wallace
