What's your take on Depersonalizing?

I have to take the other side of the fence.  I have walked buyers through homes where the wife and her girlfriend have literally stood in the hallway looking a family photos wondering, "Do I know these people?" and "My, look how much their kids have changed over the years".  Problem is, while they're strolling down memory lane THEY HAVEN'T LOOKED AT THE HOUSE!

I personally think it's distracting and I think there's a balance - depersonalize but don't create a museum where it's really cold and you're afraid to touch anything.

Interesting blog. I personally thought that Realtors always suggested that the personal photos be taken down. Maybe its just the Realtors I work with. 

The main difference between a Home and a House is not the personal photos. If you have staged the home correctly it will be cozy, warm and inviting. If the Realtor is noticing the photos then their clients are too. Aren't they suppose to be focusing on the virtues of a home instead of the seller's photos?

The first impression is the most important. A good staging job will make the homes first, second and third impression great - and it will be all about the features of a home. Please take down the personal photos of people. If they are of scenery like a great cafe in Paris then leave them hanging. Or better yet, have them taken down and the walls painted and let the stager put them back up where they should go. Packaging is everything and how this expensive product is packaged is too important to leave to chance.

   Someone lives there....and if without the risk of being a Clutter Bug.....it can look just like any buyer would imagine it would look if they chose to call it home.

I believe that the home can be kept warm and personal without the personal photos.  I know its been said many, many times... but, the way we live in our homes is completely different from the way we sell our homes.  The objective is all about making the home the star and letting it shine above all of the others currently on the market.  Therefore, eliminating items that distract from that goal is key.  When items such as personal photos are left in the home, it reduces the potential of attracting each and every potential buyer who views the home.

I have to agree with the comments from the other stagers on this subject.  It has been by experience and through training that I believe in removing personal photos.  I recently gave a consultation to a friend who was getting ready to list her home.  Since she and her husband had lived in the home many years, there were photos of their family everywhere.  I suggested to her that she remove them for marketing her home.  She later shared with me that although it was difficult to do so, removing the family photos helped her to emotionally detach from the house and focus on packing to move out. 

Her home sold in less than two weeks.

Hi Jeannette, 

Recommending the seller de-personalize their home opens the way for potential buyers to see themselves and their families living in the home.  Often times personal pictures and other items distract the buyer from really seeing the features of the room, size, details and different uses that can be made of the space. Additionally - while the home owners pictures and collectables may be one of a kind, a very unique piece, there is, unfortunately, the chance of breakage and thief.  By explaining to the home owner that while the items are beautiful - it is best to pack them away until they are settled in their new home. It protects the homeowner's possessions, the people coming through and invites the buyer to see the home in a way that allows them to picture themselves living there.

As far as white walls I believe neutral colors work better in a home for sale because they add warmth and an updated sense of style to the space.  The stager can then add the WOW factor complete the look by staging with uninque, colorful accents.

Louise

3rd Sister Design, Inc

Terry Lynn thanks for starting the question..

I agree with some of the feed back on leaving a few personal photos, especially if that is all they have.   Depersonalizing also goes beyond photos!  Many homes are so over crowed of photos you can't see the fireplace... then they must go!  I think stretegic placement, like on a side table or a night stand are acceptable.  

This may sound a little freaky, but I also think of the safety of the family. You never know who is viewing the house.  If there are many pictures of children, I wuold not personally want strangers to know my family in such an intimate manner.  I would limit them to make a much more subtle statement.  Less is More!

I agree white walls are a huge negative.  It leaves the space cold an uninviting (unless in a modern enviroment) There are great neturals that add warmth and personality.  Also the # of colors used is important.  A house should not feel like confetti, it should flow seamlessly from one room to the next by having easy transitions of colors that work together.

From a fellow ASP!

Darla Rowley, www.Impactids.com  248-761-3320 

You know, I never  have asked any client to de-personalize.  I  have asked  for a de-clutter.

Hey, listings are like friends, choose them wisely. I your listing homes that look like the photos above, well maybe you might want to rethink your plan.

I actually (remembering back) did have a listing that looked just like that photo. I tried to help, I thought the sellers were great people. But they just could not, could not keep there house clean. Ultimately I cancelled the listing and referred to a new agent in my office that lived right in the neighborhood. Win-Win  

Subject, Moderation and Design are all factors to be considered when de-personalizing a home for listing. We remove "family walls" like the picture on the left and clusters of photo's in frames on piano's or buffets. Many time the cluttered look is too many mismatched frames, sizes or subjects. Below is a staged space where we kept their family photos because they displayed well and worked with the design.

Hmm.... makes you wonder why model homes decorated Professionally have a couple of well placed pictures of very happy people with the biggest cheesy smiles imaginable.

Selling residential real estate is an emotional process and people want to buy the perception of happiness. Keep it clean and simple and keep those big cheesy smiles of happiness around.

Personaly, I was taught to depersonalize every room in a home.  Although I like to go with how the room looks and feels, if I am using the clients furniture and accessories and for instance if it is a babies room, then I might leave one baby photo in that room to add that warm cozy feeling. The same would apply for other rooms, depending on what kind of room it was, with out being over personal and making it part of a focal point in a room, just to add some character to a room, I might add a picture.  Another example might be a library where some people might have certificates and awards posted, I wouldn't keep them all up, but I would think about keeping one around just to give the room an additional feel of what it could represent.  There are many things you can do with photo's with out making them look too personal to someone else.  I believe we have all been given this label of depersonalization and it has stuck with us, we all know what too much is and so I say we go with what we are comfortable with.

Tricia

I comment to my sellers that the way you live in a home and the way you sell a home are completely different. Yes, buyers want to see them in the home.  Yes, you must depersonalize and take down all on the photographs. Yes, you must declutter.  Yes, you must take everything off of the kitchen counters and leave it squeaky clean and inviting. Freshly painted rooms as well as new carpeting is also important.  WHY?  There are so many choices out there and you have to look better, present better and show better than your competition.   FAIR MARKET VALUE- includes location, competition and conditon of the property.  All have relevance when you present the home to potential buyers.

Unfortunately when sellers move all those 'cutesey' pictures and "stuff" goes with them.

A few personal things are OK but buyers should not be distracted by photographic "shrines" and huge collections of whatever.

If photos have an "artsy" feel, are sepia or black & white, more obscure scene shots, etc., that's great.  There's more going on in the image than just the family, it's scenic.

Hi Jeannette...in our Market Buyers like to see some personal photos, we all curious to see who they are and what type of people live there. I have never had an occasion where buyers were put off by personal photos, especially with family pictures...

No Cultter... Now that's a horse of a different colour, De-Cluttering is a huge benefit when presenting a home to buyers.

Cheers, Congratulations on this Feature Post!

I believe that some personal photos are ok, however people do get distracted by the photos and are more curious about that than the house itself.

I also agree that clients should be advised not to have a cluttered house. People cannot see past the clutter. I provide a list of items that I recommend on my listing presentation and it includes remove the clutter!

 

 

 

The discussion seems to have turned into a picture argument, clutter of any sort is still the worst enemy!  Second is over personallization of colors.  I recently had some buyers who tried to guess what nationality people were by differentwall and floor colors! Sad, but true!  we have to think before we speak, I've found it better not to suggest any but the most obvious changes until there is a little feedback to back it up.  As far as pic, less is better.