They Told Me To Remove All of My Furniture...
It happened again to my caller. They decided to list their home at the beginning of summer, with the hopes of being moved and settled by 
the beginning of the school year. They have already closed and moved into their new home.
Unfortunately, some well-meaning friends told the homeowners that they should remove everything, including their furniture because a vacant home would be easier to sell.
No one told them any different. The caller told me that no one had ever mentioned staging.
And, even though they’d moved, they did leave some items behind.
Well...ok, maybe we can work with it!
After inquiring, I discovered that what they had left was a dresser in one bedroom and an old desk in another. Oh yes, they had patio furniture in the back but it really was old and needed to be trashed.
Had it been painted?
Well, yes, they’d painted the living room, dining room, and family room walls white. The bedroom walls had nail holes in them. And they never touched the other rooms. But, the wife said she hung some clothes up in the closets!
How about the kitchen...had it been updated?
Minimally...which I took to mean not really.
With very few showings and no offers, the sellers realized they needed to do something.
We discussed their options.
Bringing in furniture and accessories was certainly doable but with their budget in mind, I felt they would be better served if they addressed other conditions of the house.
First step-Remove everything. Lonely items left in a house, without rhyme or reason are distractions.
Second- Address the nail holes in the walls, then paint the whole house a soft neutral color.
Third- Soften the rooms and add texture with items in the kitchen and bathrooms, using what they already had.
Fourth-Make sure that everything in the house sparkled and that every repair had been made. Check on the curb appeal and make sure that whoever is maintaining their yard is doing a good job.
Vacant homes will sell. But remember it’s all about price!
The condition must reflect the asking price, and the flip side is that the offer will reflect the condition.
If you have furniture in your house, don’t touch a thing...yet!
Call Room Service Home Staging and ask for a tailored-for-you Home Staging Consultation.
Comments(31)