Oh my goodness, Dorie, hilarious!  But, oh-so-true.... I never thought of "staging" a refrigerator, but I do have buyers look in fridges sometimes.  Colorado is like Texas when it comes to the Fridge and Washer/Dryer, and I have not yet had a buyer express excitement or dismay about the contents of a fridge, but I'd bet it is coming... Great post!

I will go one step further : if we have Dutch clients (red cheeks now) for french houses we need to send a picture of the toilet. Also during the visit the toilet is one of the major proofing points. If it is not clean and fresh .... oops .....

Dorie,

I never thought about inside the refrigerator but why not.  I makes sense and does tell what kind of people own the house.

Hi Dorie.  Yes, the refrigerator says volumes about the owner: neat, organized, clean .... Buyers like to see a tidy, maintained refrigerator; therefore, it translates to the house.  Thank you for sparking the interest; very intriguing. :)

Here in Hawaii, properties are often sold with appliances. Homeowners are encouraged to thoroughly clean all of the appliances that will stay as buyers typically do open up dishwashers, fridges, ovens... to check them out. And yes, I have stocked an empty refrigerator with small bottles of water with a note as it can get hot and tiring visiting properties. Aloha!

My teenage son cleans out the refrigerator every night after we are in bed.  I suppose I should get him to remove the trash when he is done.

Super post Dorie. In Connecticut the appliances almost always convey.  But when my buyers looked in the fridge I thought they were just doing it out of habit, like pulling open all cabinet doors and drawers that really dont seem extra ordinarily interesting, nor unusual enough to warrant a peak.

Thanks for highlighting the possible significance to the buyers Dorie, it hadn't dawned on me and I didnt think it was important enough to take under consideration. I like the idea of leaving lemonade or some drinks in the fridge for the buyers to have while viewing. Its something so simple and easy.

Great post. I don't read the Times so would have never been exposed to the article. I loved it because I was one of the people that tried to read the sellers when I previewed a house. So I was one of those people that opened the Fridge. Another thing was noticing that a married couple selling a house didn't have any shaving gear in the bathroom or men's clothes in the closets even though the listing agent mentioned nothing about a divorce. Just things that would provide a read on the sellers. So staging the Fridge seems like something we as listing agents should pay more attention to.

Dorie, what a great post.  People always like to comment on the beverages in particlar!

Too funny and sad too ... love the Hellman mayonaise comment.

I thought this might just be a joke, but then I thought again and yes, buyers do look in the fridge - not so much to check out the food but to check the condition of the fridge and get an idea about the upkeep of the home and appliances.

Dorie, as if we don't have ENOUGH to worry about explaining to the sellers what they need to prep! Pretty soon the To Do list will be as long as those d**ned listing agreements!

HOWEVER, congrats on the Daily Drop/Feature and the perfect post!

Love your post.  Everyone loves to try to guess about the sellers when they go through a home. Adding "inside of refrigerator" to my list. Maybe there is a food we can add that buyers would like. Personally, I say...more chocolate.

Great post and so very odd that a buyer would discount a home due to the contents of a refrigerator. It really does make sense, we focus on the inside of the pantry now it's time to add the refrigerator to the list. Thank you again for the great tip!

Dorie, That is a great post. never thought of the fridge but some can be pretty nasty. Some days I am not sure I would want anyone looking at my refrigerator.

I have never had a buyer open the refrigerator. Definitely, food for thought!

Dorie,

Buyers always look in the refrigerator in the greater Washington DC area. The refrigerator generally9 conveys with the home and buyers do check it out.

Thanks for a great post.

Dorie, Just wanted you to know that I featured the post in my Favorite Posts for the week. great job

In 27 years of selling, I think I have seen TWO Clients look in the refrigerator.

In Florida - typically they do convey  ;-)

Joy

I loved this. little things give big clues.  I always sneak a check inside the car of someone I am considering renting to, neat and tidy, or old diapers and beer bottles?