[Donna]

Need opinions..

I have been told it is better to show a home that's for sale unfurnished, now I heard it is better to show it furnished..

I am totally confused! :dontknow:

[samhass]

I vote for tastefully furnished.

[Peachie]

I agree, Sam. I've always read that a tastefully furnished home, (staged), will sell much faster than an empty home. Nothing too personal should be left out, clutter reduced to zilch and the potential purchasers should be able to have a sense of how they could easily live in that home.

BTW, how is it going, Donna? You have a lovely villa and I would think that a sale shouldn't take too long, good luck!! :bigthumbsup:

[JohnN]

like Peachie says, tastefully furnished, somewhat minimalist and not cluttered, remove the personal stuff

[Donna]

Thanks Peachie

I do have a few things I should put away! lol

They had an open house the other day, have not heard anything yet..

[njgranny]

Donna,

I agree with what the others said. I know when I look at houses on the web, I like to
see them furnished, but not cluttered. (I'm an HGTV addict.) I'm working slowly toward "staging" in our Jersey house.

Best of luck to you.

Jan

[travelstiles]

I was a R/E broker for 10 years and tastefully decorated, minimalist is right. We sold our house on LI in less than a month last fall, keeping is simple.
Remove the family photos, clutter, collectibles (too many nic-nacs, etc.), and keep it well lit and clean. Look at some of the virtual tours on TV website for ideas.
Good luck!

[SteveFromNY]

Donna,
I showed my house as I was emptying it (for awhile) and wound up bringing furniture BACK because people would look at an empty BR (where we had a queen bed, dressers and a desk) and ask if a bed would fit! Many people who look at houses lack the imagination to see what an empty room can be. Some it doesn't matter, but many do!
I think an empty house will send a message of desperation to some extent. It'll look like you've already moved, and need to sell soon. It'll promote low offers!
So keep it tastefully decorated! When a buyer compares the nicely decorated house to the one that is raggedy looking, or cluttered, the nicely decorated one will sell first if the price is right. if you were selling the house for $2, you'd have a line of people around the block who'd buy sight unseen. If you priced it at $2 million, no one would even look at it. You need to get the price that will get them in the door. Don't be too hung up on "Well the neighbor just sold for $200K, but mine is better and should be $250!" Be flexible - this market is really tough! There is lots of competition out there.
Steve

[Donna]

Thanks so much for all the great advice!

I agree 100%, we have sold a few homes, and we left the furniture in them, I agree with Steve's thinking on the people with be able to visualize wht their furniture will look like..

We will just have to buy new furniture for the new house :bigthumbsup:

[Peachie]

New furniture? Great plan, Donna!! :bigthumbsup:

[Donna]

Peachie..John will really kill me..hahahahahahaha

[Barefoot]

Donna, as I said in my PM, I totally agree that furnished with all clutter removed is the way to go.

If you get new furniture, you can include the existing furniture with your Villa as an incentive. Lots of peeps love buying a package so they don't have to do any running around.

Best of luck to you!

[Peachie]

Okay Donna, that's two of us thinking you should get new furniture. Should we take a TOTV vote and you could present the results to John so he has expert opinions from which he could base his decision? 040

[Sidney Lanier]

Good luck selling, Donna & John!

Originally Posted by JohnN

like Peachie says, tastefully furnished, somewhat minimalist and not cluttered, remove the personal stuff

Perfect--keep it simple! The next person may not exactly appreciate your taste, but the furniture will make it easier for a potential buyer to visualize.

We bought privately--a typical all-white Florida house--white walls, white carpeting, white ceilings, white kitchen cabinetry, white window and door treatments--and if you can believe it, practically all white furniture! Not to criticize, just not our style. I can visualize, something HB has a hard time doing. But it definitely didn't stop us from buying, and in the decorating thread you can see what we did to make it our home!

If a house is right, it'll be right, but keeping it simple is bound to help.

[njgranny]

Donna, Where is your house?