Should we leave furniture etc in our house we are about to sell, or can we move it all out to our new place?

Question

We have almost completed building a new house and will be ready to move in soon. We have not sold our current home yet as we decided to do this once the new house was completed. We are unsure how much we should move out of our existing home, as we are unsure whether it's OK to show an empty house, or whether it should still look lived in

Answer 1

This is a buyer's market. There is an enormous glut of house on the market right now with very few serious people who want to buy.

I recommend that if there is any way that you can do it, that you keep your house as a rental property.

You will be thoroughly delighted that you kept it in a few years when the market turns around.

If you must sell your property, I recommend that you hire a professional stager to stage your property for sale.

A professional stager has their own furniture, pictures and other props.

This is what builders do with their model homes.

Unless you have some unusually nice furniture I recommend that you do not try to use your own furniture to stage your house.

Answer 2

It is okay to show a house without furniture in it, however, there is a better chance of selling it furnished so that the buyer can get ideas of how to set up there new house. However, you don't want the house to look cluttered or too full so maybe (depending on how much furniture you own), you could move some to your new house and leave some for viewing. Another option would be to take pictures with the furniture in it to post on the real estate website and show it empty. This way they can still envision what it would look like with furniture in it and you have your furniture to use. It really depends on what you want to do and what would make it easiest for you. Good luck and enjoy your new house!!

Answer 3

Its prob best to keep some furniture in but try not to make it look too lived in. In my point of view I would be more likely to remember a house that felt warmer with furniture as it helps to give the buyer an idea on how it could look for them. A good tip would be to take out any large obtrusive furniture pieces and keep the style and furniture to a minimum, having a homely feel to houses before they sell can save time waiting for a buyer and could even get you more money as some people ask to buy the furniture with it if you were willing to sell.
I have heard another good tip while trying to sell is to bake some scones or bread just before your viewers arrive to give off a "homely" aroma! lol
Either way I hope it goes well for you and best of luck in your new home! :)

Answer 4

We went through this a few years ago and was told to keep the furniture in the home. Our realtor called it staging, people will remember how the house is put together and the decor will assist with that. The other piece is if a house is empty the buyers may think you are desperate to sell and you may be leaving money on the table.

Answer 5

Potential buyers have a hard time visualizing empty houses

Houses sell faster if they are clean....fresh paint helps
Staged with furnitur to give it a cozy livable feel

There are professionals who do this. They bring in the furniture and knick knacks and stuff

CLEAN IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT
especially in today's tough, competitive market!!!!!

Answer 6

Your best bet is to hire a "stager"
They will tell you to get rid of personal pictures, clutter, most furniture, some painting etc. They are good at what they do, and you'll need all the help you can get in this declining market

I spent 20 Thou. on mine and sold it for 50 over asking!

Answer 7

Watching TV shows like "Sell this House" answers this.
Remove any personal items & all of the clutter.
But leave enough basics behind so that people can visualize.
Most people have a very poor sense of spatial visualization.

Answer 8

Potential buyers like to be able to see how a home looks furnished. Many people have very little imagination when looking at an empty room for the few minutes they have during a viewing. Leave it minimal so there is room for them to project their tastes over a simple foundation.

Answer 9

you can but if you ever watch those t.v. shows called sell it, they put some furniture in there so people can get a fill of how it would look. but you don't have to give them yourstuff, unless they make a really good offer. good luck.

Answer 10

Always leave a few pieces to give the prospective buyers an idea how they can use their space. Can you live like campers for awhile?