Are you thinking about listing your home or condo for sale? While there are many aspects to consider when deciding to sell a property, one of the most important considerations a seller ponders is whether to show the home furnished or empty? Answers to this question vary among experts in the market place and opinions on both sides of this argument offer valid points. However, the scales tip slightly in favor of leaving a property furnished when showing to perspective buyers.
The Argument for Staging
First, leaving a property furnished, takes the “guess” work out of how an individual may layout and best utilize particular spaces in a home or condo. Buyers need not wonder if the wrap around couch would fit in the family room or where to hang the big screen television. They can easily picture how the master bedroom furniture may be arranged. Another reason is a furnished home with the right style of furniture and layout adds aesthetic appeal and charm to the property. This concept is apparent in the new trend of professional staging. Hiring a professional stager to decorate and maximize a home’s potential is always an added benefit, but not all sellers are in the position to seek that type of expertise.
Clean and De-Clutter
When you can’t hire a professional to help stage a home, it is essential a potential buyer’s experience be positive when first seeing the home. If the property is cluttered, dirty, or emits an unpleasant odor, the seller can say goodbye to any expectations of a written offer. Bulky or lack luster furnishings and tacky decor may leave a potential buyer unimpressed and uninterested. The first impression of a property will always determine if a second showing or a written contract is a possibility. Keeping this in mind can help guide both the realtor and seller in the decision to keep the home furnished or show it empty.
When a seller can’t afford to hire a professional stager, it’s best to try to think like one. As a seller, if you do decide to keep the property furnished THINK: less clutter, cozy comfortable layouts, neutral interior paint, lighting counts, clean, pleasant odor, and depersonalize. A potential buyer will take all these things into consideration when viewing a property to purchase. The first impression must be the best impression.
What Do the Experts Think?
So, why do some experts believe leaving a home unfurnished is better? One consideration for leaving a home unfurnished is that it allows a potential buyer to view the property as a blank canvas. Someone else’s belongings in a home, can lead to a buyer relating the property to the previous owner and never personalizing it and seeing it as his or her own. Also furnishings and decor in a space may not appear attractive to the buyer because personal taste and styles vary among individual home owners. An empty space enables the buyer to be creative and imagine the exact layout of his or her own belongings arranged in a multitude of ways. They begin to personalize the space.
Another argument for leaving a home unfurnished is that it provides potential buyers the flexibility to move in as soon as closing occurs. It also removes the concern that the property could be damaged by the former owner when moving out. Finally, an unfurnished home provides the buyer more assurance that there is no hidden damage, such as a hole in the wall behind a headboard, or a stain on the carpet beneath the couch.
Pluses and Minuses
Regardless if you are working with an agent, or selling a home for sale by owner, these are important points to take into account when determining if it is best to leave a property furnished or empty. Both options present compelling sides, thus leaving room for open discussions and different conclusions from the experts. More professionals in real estate agree that leaving a home furnished is the best way to sell. This eliminates any conclusion that an empty property means a desperate seller, thus decreasing value. Also, experts’ site that an empty house can surprisingly feel smaller than one furnished. Regardless a seller can rest assured that all experts agree; the first impression could be the last impression. Whether your home was listed and shown furnished or unfurnished, always leave the best impression on the potential buyer, therefore increasing the success of a sale.
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