Turnkey or Empty

[Sondancer]

My villa has been rented as turnkey for two years. I just found out the renter took most of my furniture and moved out. I will be down next week to figure out what I need to do to sell my place. Have you heard what new buyers are looking for? Either the home to be empty, partially furnished, or turnkey? What is the best way to advertise to sell it yourself? I would appreciate any tips or experiences so I know how to move forward when I arrive. I really appreciate any help you can provide.

[vintageogauge]

Well, sorry to hear about the theft of your furnishing, I hope you have content insurance. Personally I would try selling it empty, freshen the paint and clean it up. The villas are selling rather quickly. As far as marketing, start with a sign and an ad in The Daily Sun with a photo.

[Toymeister]

Sell empty. Advertise on Zillow. Expect to hear from Real Estate agents who want 2.5% to bring a qualified buyer. Good, professional pictures and your prompt response to all inquires sell your home, not agents especially in this market.

[OpusX1]

Empty.
I remember when we first started looking for our first Villages place That all the turnkey places would cost me money to get rid of the stuff!

[SKBandME]

My villa has been rented as turnkey for two years. I just found out the renter took most of my furniture and moved out. I will be down next week to figure out what I need to do to sell my place. Have you heard what new buyers are looking for? Either the home to be empty, partially furnished, or turnkey? What is the best way to advertise to sell it yourself? I would appreciate any tips or experiences so I know how to move forward when I arrive. I really appreciate any help you can provide.

What Villa do you have? What area is it in? We are looking for a Villa to purchase and will be in the area in August.

[Packer Fan]

I don't think it matters - everything is selling right away. There was a jasmine in Winefred overpriced and had ORANGE WALLS and sold in a week. As far as your renters, call the police and report the stolen property, I would put them in Jail. I have two rentals and have reciepts for all the furnishing (needed for taxes) so I assume you can prove it is yours. Unbelievable.

[JohnN]

You'll have buyers lined up in no time. I'd sell it empty.

[Jax171]

My villa has been rented as turnkey for two years. I just found out the renter took most of my furniture and moved out. I will be down next week to figure out what I need to do to sell my place. Have you heard what new buyers are looking for? Either the home to be empty, partially furnished, or turnkey? What is the best way to advertise to sell it yourself? I would appreciate any tips or experiences so I know how to move forward when I arrive. I really appreciate any help you can provide.

As you can see from some of your responses, you should not have much problem selling your villa yourself. Definitely empty, and yes, freshen up the paint, and clean it. Fix anything broken. We, too, may be interested in purchase, depending on location, price, and condition. Good luck!

[JeanC]

At this point any house will sell fast. We purchased our home turnkey. It was absolutely perfect. Decorated just my style. We kept everything except a queen bed because we prefer king. It made moving so much easier. We downsized and gave a lot of stuff to our kids. I know this is hard to believe but we actually didn’t have a lot of stuff to begin with (minimalist). My brother is in the market for a new hime here and prefers turnkey as it will be a second home.

[Shansonmarx]

My villa has been rented as turnkey for two years. I just found out the renter took most of my furniture and moved out. I will be down next week to figure out what I need to do to sell my place. Have you heard what new buyers are looking for? Either the home to be empty, partially furnished, or turnkey? What is the best way to advertise to sell it yourself? I would appreciate any tips or experiences so I know how to move forward when I arrive. I really appreciate any help you can provide.

Please leave empty. My husband and I live in Wisconsin and plan on moving to the Villages in the next year. Tastes vary so.
We look at the homes we are interested in and dread the thought of buying a turnkey and having to haul 80% of the furnishings to a Habitat for Humanity type store. We plan on living full-time and will have our current home to bring with us as many others will too.
I think it will sell a lot faster empty as well because people can visualize where they want to put things easier with a blank canvas.

[Girlcopper]

I don't think it matters - everything is selling right away. There was a jasmine in Winefred overpriced and had ORANGE WALLS and sold in a week. As far as your renters, call the police and report the stolen property, I would put them in Jail. I have two rentals and have reciepts for all the furnishing (needed for taxes) so I assume you can prove it is yours. Unbelievable.
Its only a theft. They arent going to jail unless they are career criminal and even then,I doubt it. The jails are overcrowded and have no room for theft crime people. Its saved for violent crimes. I hope there was insurance and cut your loses and move on

[noslices1]

Sell it like it is. Don’t do anything except clean it. Ask at least $10K more than you think it will sell for and let the bidding wars begin. If you aren’t in a hurry to sell, wait at least three days after it’s listed before you accept an offer. Yes, they are going that fast right now.

[bowlingal]

you can post a sale of a home on Nextdoor. No charge and you get lots of interest. Nextdoor (http://www.nextdoor.com)

[khtg59]

Wife and I are interested in a Villa. Can you provide some details?

My villa has been rented as turnkey for two years. I just found out the renter took most of my furniture and moved out. I will be down next week to figure out what I need to do to sell my place. Have you heard what new buyers are looking for? Either the home to be empty, partially furnished, or turnkey? What is the best way to advertise to sell it yourself? I would appreciate any tips or experiences so I know how to move forward when I arrive. I really appreciate any help you can provide.

[Scouty]

The numbers in the windows are reflective. The ambulances, firetrucks, police, etc know where to look for house numbers there. It might not be pretty, but it is a safety precaution. I would suggest that you go out side when it is dark, no house lights on and just see if you can see your house number on your pole light or anywhere else on your house. Of course, now days, everyone has GPS and can find almost any house, but do you want to be the one they can’t find

[Ghat724@gmail.com]

Do not try to sell it yourself. Pay the 5% commission. And everything is done RIGHT! Anyone can be fooled once (loss of furnishings). A real fool is fooled twice. A real estate professional will quickly bring you a quality buyer willing and able to quickly purchase your home and most likely at a higher price! Doing it yourself is full of pitfalls. (I have no connection with real estate agents.)

[La lamy]

I would appreciate having the basics like a bed, some living room and dining room furniture and kitchen stuff when buying far away from original home. Then buyers can take their time refurnishing as they want if needed while still being able to move in right away.

[Debset]

I would sell it empty, and don't try to sell it yourself. Let a professional handle it. Besides, sounds like you have enough on your hands. It's awful what happened! How do you ever trust again!

[irishwonone]

My villa has been rented as turnkey for two years. I just found out the renter took most of my furniture and moved out. I will be down next week to figure out what I need to do to sell my place. Have you heard what new buyers are looking for? Either the home to be empty, partially furnished, or turnkey? What is the best way to advertise to sell it yourself? I would appreciate any tips or experiences so I know how to move forward when I arrive. I really appreciate any help you can provide.
Sorry to hear your experience. What a shock. Many homes we looked at were fully furnished. Our home was offered with all the furniture. We purchased some so we didn’t have to move it. You could have your home staged which is very economical and really helps to sell home. Best of luck with your sale!

[rlcooper70]

Remember also that you can rent it empty .... you don't have to sell just because of this. Perhaps you can list the address here because many of us are interested in a transaction without a fee.

[KRMACK55]

Sell empty. Advertise on Zillow. Expect to hear from Real Estate agents who want 2.5% to bring a qualified buyer. Good, professional pictures and your prompt response to all inquires sell your home, not agents especially in this market.
Sell empty like I did and put on Zillow. Sadly the agents that call are not decent but will hound you.

[Roron123]

As a realtor I prefer to sell empty so buyers can picture their furniture in the home!

[merrymini]

Do not pay for staging. There are computer programs that will stage a house for you and your real estate agent can do that (or should be able to). Selling yourself can be a pain.

[sallyg]

You will sell it whether it is empty or furnished. Homes are going fast. Zillow is a really good resource for home buyers. Be sure to take a lot of pictures. Best of luck.

[DAVES]

Its only a theft. They arent going to jail unless they are career criminal and even then,I doubt it. The jails are overcrowded and have no room for theft crime people. Its saved for violent crimes. I hope there was insurance and cut your loses and move on

An endless debate, an endless problem with no clear answers. Stories abound about Walgreens closing in Calif due to ban on prosecuting thieves. How we got here.

People have said, I hope it is insured. That reads I hope other people who bought insurance don't mind paying more due to losses.

Do we need my jails? NO we need fewer criminals. Did you hear about Joe Smith, they took his car, his bank account etc etc etc all because he STOLE some used furniture.
Hum all who know Joe Smith and the story will have learned his lesson.

[DebeeDoo]

I’m here in TV right now looking for a home. I don’t like looking at turnkey places, usually the furnishings aren’t my style and/or they are just outdated. I don’t want the hassle of cleaning out a property so I can move my own beloved items in! I would say sell it partially furnished if you don’t want to remove everything - I wouldn’t put any cash into it. I don’t think you will make any more money off of it. Yes, things are selling like hot cakes down here. I went to a FSBO open house (I saw in the local paper) and by the time I got there, it had already sold!! About Zillow though: if you list it there please remove it when you sell it!! There are so many properties there and I call and leave messages and I have not received one single call back. So I don’t believe the properties listed on Zillow are teal. I’ve stopped using it. Go with signs and local paper! And have one open house and I’m sure it will go! Good luck!

[alehew]

Hope you did not give back security also notify police you should have is address on lease

[DAVES]

Do not try to sell it yourself. Pay the 5% commission. And everything is done RIGHT! Anyone can be fooled once (loss of furnishings). A real fool is fooled twice. A real estate professional will quickly bring you a quality buyer willing and able to quickly purchase your home and most likely at a higher price! Doing it yourself is full of pitfalls. (I have no connection with real estate agents.)

Re: 5%
We sold our previous home 9 years ago. I still laugh. We had wall to wall, good quality emerald green carpet. Truth I liked it. I read somewhere it is way out of date. Everyone wants hardwood floors. Our home was built in 1948. The broker convinced me to have the carpets removed. It was good stuff. It was expensive. It was tossed. The floors, that no one ever walked on were quality real tongue and groove oak. I don't think you can even buy that quality today. People loved our floors.

Trust? That is another issue. You the seller do not see what is really happening. If for example your agent is also the listing agent they get full commission. If, another agent comes in with a higher offer the commission is split. No motive for them to get you the higher offer.

Hiring a broker, I am not trying to sell my home but I am hearing 7% commissions. When we were selling I interviewed several agents. One who we were considering hiring, I asked her twice about commission and she ducked the question twice. I hired someone else. She was offended and said so. I told her, straight, I asked twice, because I wanted the answer. She lost all trust because that is the way she handles questions that she does not want to answer.

[MrFlorida]

Sell it empty.

[Ahall]

Have an agreement on a Designer home in the Villages and we were better able to visualize the home without furniture.

[am.zinger@aol.com]

I have an excellent realtor that just sold my home. I wish I had the vocabulary to rave about her but you will never find another who has your best interests at heart. If you can believe it, she sold my home BEFORE it went on the market and the buyer made an offer without knowing the asking price. Email me... I will be happy to give you her info and more details. am.zinger@aol.com

[wiltma]

Well, sorry to hear about the theft of your furnishing, I hope you have content insurance. Personally I would try selling it empty, freshen the paint and clean it up. The villas are selling rather quickly. As far as marketing, start with a sign and an ad in The Daily Sun with a photo.

We just sold our villa, unfurnished in 24 hours for over asking price. Just spruce it up if needed.

[RuthA]

I hope you will report the theft to the police. If thieves know they can get away with it they will do it again! Unbelievable!

[Gettingoutofdodge]

My villa has been rented as turnkey for two years. I just found out the renter took most of my furniture and moved out. I will be down next week to figure out what I need to do to sell my place. Have you heard what new buyers are looking for? Either the home to be empty, partially furnished, or turnkey? What is the best way to advertise to sell it yourself? I would appreciate any tips or experiences so I know how to move forward when I arrive. I really appreciate any help you can provide.

I am coming for a LSV next week. I am looking to buy a property but want it unfurnished. I am selling a 4bd home in NY and have to downsize enough. As a new buyer I don’t want the responsibility of removing furniture.
Someone who is purchasing a home for rental may prefer it furnished.

So sorry to hear about your experience. That’s horrible.
Best to you.

[Ginsanders]

We are going to be selling small 2/2 home in August. If interested, contact me at gingersanders0@gmail.com and

[mamamia54]

That’s terrible. So sorry that happened to you.

[pgettinger01]

If you can somehow include an option for furniture allowance in the purchase price it is mortgage money at less than 3%. This way you can sell without furniture or a furniture allowance.

[Velvet]

Depends on the furniture. If it takes the value of the place up, I would list it and if the buyer wanted the furniture ask a couple of thousand or use as bargaining chip. A house looks more livable if it has some furniture, like the model homes that The Villages use to sell. If the furniture is very used looking, mismatched etc then it will lower the house value.

[joelfmi]

[QUOTE=Sondancer;1974102]My villa has been rented as turnkey for two years. I just found out the renter took most of my furniture and moved out. I will be down next week to figure out what I need to do to sell my place. That is a big problem when buying at the villages, because management allow people to rent heir homes. I have heard a lot of complaints about this problem and a great deal of other negative comments from people on Talk of the Villages whom own homes living there. That is why to do your due diligence before you buy.

[DaleDivine]

The numbers in the windows are reflective. The ambulances, firetrucks, police, etc know where to look for house numbers there. It might not be pretty, but it is a safety precaution. I would suggest that you go out side when it is dark, no house lights on and just see if you can see your house number on your pole light or anywhere else on your house. Of course, now days, everyone has GPS and can find almost any house, but do you want to be the one they can’t find
You're replying on the wrong thread...
:ohdear::ohdear:

[Bellavita]

I stage homes for sale empty is cold and most people need to see. My villa has been rented as turnkey for two years. I just found out the renter took most of my furniture and moved out. I will be down next week to figure out what I need to do to sell my place. Have you heard what new buyers are looking for? Either the home to be empty, partially furnished, or turnkey? What is the best way to advertise to sell it yourself? I would appreciate any tips or experiences so I know how to move forward when I arrive. I really appreciate any help you can provide.

[IRISHGIRL3US]

Fyi, it didn't sell in a week. It was on the market, for TV, a while because of the colors. It was over priced.

[Corvettegal]

We purchased our villa turnkey and gave away most of the furniture. I would look for an empty one, or one that the furniture is available to purchase. A lot of sellers stage their homes but not always include the furniture in the sale. We just bought another home last December which was unfurnished. We move all our furniture to the new home. Hope that helps

[nick demis]

My villa has been rented as turnkey for two years. I just found out the renter took most of my furniture and moved out. I will be down next week to figure out what I need to do to sell my place. Have you heard what new buyers are looking for? Either the home to be empty, partially furnished, or turnkey? What is the best way to advertise to sell it yourself? I would appreciate any tips or experiences so I know how to move forward when I arrive. I really appreciate any help you can provide.

If your furniture is missing, I would suggest your first call would be to the police.

[J1ceasar]

homes always so faster if there is furniture in there that is reasonably nice and not overcrowded. Agents will always tell you to take away most of the junk on the tables and walls so it's not personalized. But people want to see where the beds go if the dining room is large enough for the table etc. It doesn't hurt to have fresh paint but of course everyone will tell you in today's market it will sell the minute it's on the market. Most wives want something they can move in that is totally clean which is ridiculous because for a hundred bucks you get someone for 4 hours to wipe everything down but that's wives.
Tan or off white walls.
Clear kitchen tables make that room bigger and in the Lanai just a few pieces of furniture. If you have a pool table or a big screen TV it makes a great bargaining chip to give away if you overpriced the house

[NY2TV]

The numbers in the windows are reflective. The ambulances, firetrucks, police, etc know where to look for house numbers there. It might not be pretty, but it is a safety precaution. I would suggest that you go out side when it is dark, no house lights on and just see if you can see your house number on your pole light or anywhere else on your house. Of course, now days, everyone has GPS and can find almost any house, but do you want to be the one they can’t find

I think you posted this on wrong thread.

[Sjbpens@verizon.net]

My villa has been rented as turnkey for two years. I just found out the renter took most of my furniture and moved out. I will be down next week to figure out what I need to do to sell my place. Have you heard what new buyers are looking for? Either the home to be empty, partially furnished, or turnkey? What is the best way to advertise to sell it yourself? I would appreciate any tips or experiences so I know how to move forward when I arrive. I really appreciate any help you can provide.

We moved down from PA and did not bring any furniture so we were looking for a house that was turnkey. We found one that had some furniture which was great.

[dewilson58]

Depends

This says it all. :MOJE_whot:

[jmpate]

My villa has been rented as turnkey for two years. I just found out the renter took most of my furniture and moved out. I will be down next week to figure out what I need to do to sell my place. Have you heard what new buyers are looking for? Either the home to be empty, partially furnished, or turnkey? What is the best way to advertise to sell it yourself? I would appreciate any tips or experiences so I know how to move forward when I arrive. I really appreciate any help you can provide.

Make sure when you take interior pictures, turn ALL lights on. I was amazed at how gorgeous my home looked in pictures. Light, bright, airy and sold in 48 hours. We would have bought a villa had any had been recently painted inside or landscaping refreshed.

A few pieces of furniture provides visual interest but NO wall art work regardless of its value! Good luck!

[Barborv]

Wait until you get a buyer before you go through the hassle of getting rid of everything. My first place I bought was new and I bought it to rent. Since it had no furniture, I did a long term lease, my renter had her own furniture. I recently bought another house that I will be retiring to in a year or so and it was fully furnished, which was a blessing because we have rented it for the high season and when we come down once in awhile, it's great. When I move in permanently, I will re-furnish some of the stuff, but some I'm keeping. My cousins just bought a place totally empty and since they are not permanent, they are trying to set up from NY to get at least a bed and somewhere to sit for when they come down , (a bit of a hassle) which they will have to furnish for the time being .

[LG999]

I got an over ask immediate cash offer on FSBO. You can take your own photos, write your own ad/house description but you may need someone to show it. Not everyone will buy a house on line.
Sometimes ppl attempt to go that route but once they do see the house they change their mind bcs it doesnt seem the same in person as in photos.

[OhioBuckeye]

Empty.
I remember when we first started looking for our first Villages place That all the turnkey places would cost me money to get rid of the stuff!

Not if you give it to Goodwill

[newgirl]

Sadly, homes sell faster if they are staged. I have been exactly where you are, I had squatters in my house and they sold ( even sent me a invite to the estate sale) and the law protects them, not the owner! They destroyed my house too and cost me well over $70.000 to get them out and repairs( and that was just to make it so someone could go in without a chance of getting sick after, they had a meth lab and the police still would not do anything!)
Anyway, it is easy to sell by owner, feel free to send me a message privately and I can help you with details. If you can afford to stage it ( just bed, end tables, a couch , chair , and tables, a small dining room kitchen table. Houses are selling fast( most within a day if marketing is done correctly) so it will sell quickly either way but cute gets you more money( furniture can be included or not. There are places you can rent a few things, or just buy inexpensive items from a resell or garage sale.
Just have fun, I sold real estate for a long time and miss it so much. It should be easy and smooth in this market.

[Mellow]

My villa has been rented as turnkey for two years. I just found out the renter took most of my furniture and moved out. I will be down next week to figure out what I need to do to sell my place. Have you heard what new buyers are looking for? Either the home to be empty, partially furnished, or turnkey? What is the best way to advertise to sell it yourself? I would appreciate any tips or experiences so I know how to move forward when I arrive. I really appreciate any help you can provide.

I would toss the old furniture, keep what is in good shape or call Bargains & treasures consignment to pick up the good stuff & sell it. People buy them partially furnished. I had full time renters. They are the worst. Not only did most of my kitchen stuff disappear small & large appliances, bedspreads. Never again long term renters only seasonal, month to month. Most people prefer their own towels & bedding. You can try to sell it as is with the stipulation that the furniture is a “gift”, but if they don’t want it you will remove it

[lindaelane]

If you wish, you can hired what is called a "skip tracer" to find your old renter and hopefully your furniture. I know you may or may not want to do this, just wanted to make sure you knew of the option.

[WesMan]

Re: 5%
We sold our previous home 9 years ago. I still laugh. We had wall to wall, good quality emerald green carpet. Truth I liked it. I read somewhere it is way out of date. Everyone wants hardwood floors. Our home was built in 1948. The broker convinced me to have the carpets removed. It was good stuff. It was expensive. It was tossed. The floors, that no one ever walked on were quality real tongue and groove oak. I don't think you can even buy that quality today. People loved our floors.

Trust? That is another issue. You the seller do not see what is really happening. If for example your agent is also the listing agent they get full commission. If, another agent comes in with a higher offer the commission is split. No motive for them to get you the higher offer.

Hiring a broker, I am not trying to sell my home but I am hearing 7% commissions. When we were selling I interviewed several agents. One who we were considering hiring, I asked her twice about commission and she ducked the question twice. I hired someone else. She was offended and said so. I told her, straight, I asked twice, because I wanted the answer. She lost all trust because that is the way she handles questions that she does not want to answer.
Good!!!!! She is not be a good person.

[Pginbr]

Tos

[Rolfing]

My villa has been rented as turnkey for two years. I just found out the renter took most of my furniture and moved out. I will be down next week to figure out what I need to do to sell my place. Have you heard what new buyers are looking for? Either the home to be empty, partially furnished, or turnkey? What is the best way to advertise to sell it yourself? I would appreciate any tips or experiences so I know how to move forward when I arrive. I really appreciate any help you can provide.
We are sorry about your stolen furniture. We have a friend looking to purchase a villa in THe Villages. Please call and leave a message to sell directly. - 507-280-9307.

[Dorebea]

you can post a sale of a home on Nextdoor. No charge and you get lots of interest. Nextdoor (http://www.nextdoor.com)

FYI. Non Village residents cannot see houses on Nextdoor.

[DaisyDE]

There are investors in the Facebook page noted above. I'd suggest you join and see if you can sell by owner. I know a few in our group of over 650 landlords are looking to purchase.

[kleeh]

Well, sorry to hear about the theft of your furnishing, I hope you have content insurance. Personally I would try selling it empty, freshen the paint and clean it up. The villas are selling rather quickly. As far as marketing, start with a sign and an ad in The Daily Sun with a photo.

Before you stick a sign in your yard, know if that is allowed in your neighborhood. If it is not, possibly you would be allowed to put one in a window.

[JackieandBobHall]

We sold our patio villa a couple of years ago...McLin Burnsed had a 'contract sales package' that you can obtain by going to their offices---We checked off the things we wanted to include/exclude, fees, etc. ...very self explanatory and gave it to our potential buyer. They signed off and for a fee...I seem to recall it was under $500 at the time, McLin Burnsed would do the rest for settlement. It's probably a little more than that now, but I would check with them to see if they still do this and sell it yourself.

[PSbabs09]

My villa has been rented as turnkey for two years. I just found out the renter took most of my furniture and moved out. I will be down next week to figure out what I need to do to sell my place. Have you heard what new buyers are looking for? Either the home to be empty, partially furnished, or turnkey? What is the best way to advertise to sell it yourself? I would appreciate any tips or experiences so I know how to move forward when I arrive. I really appreciate any help you can provide.
Sold our patio villa a few months ago and regret I didn't wait a few more months because the cost of patio villas (and all other homes) has gone up so dramatically in just a few months. Beginning of the year patio villas were going for +/- $220,000. Now I see them listed for well over $250,000 and they are selling fast. Suggest you do your homework and what homes similar to yours are going for currently. You shouldn't have any trouble selling yourself because there is very little supply available. Don't worry about selling it turnkey.

[MrFlorida]

Sell or rent empty, it will go either way.