I’m ready to sell my house. Should I stay or should I go?

Posted by | 307 Real Estate

And no, we’re not talking about The Clash song. Sellers often wonder if they should move their belongings out of their home before putting it on the market or leave everything in its place while their home is on the market. While ultimately the choice is up to you (and maybe your agent), there are pros and cons to having your home vacant or furnished when it is up for sale.

Keep reading to find out more!

Selling a Vacant Home

Pros:

• Agents can show the home at any time and with little notice which can make it easy and quick for potential buyers to tour your home
• You won’t have to keep cleaning and tidying! It’s hard to stop your life in between showings, and there’s pressure to constantly be cleaning things up which can be stressful and cumbersome.

 

Cons:

• Vacant homes can be less appealing. Without any furniture or belongings in your home, it may be hard for potential buyers to picture themselves being at home there!
• Empty houses could attract vandals. If the empty house gets vandalized, it could lead to more expenses to clean up damage.
• Little flaws become more obvious. When there is no furniture around the house, there’s nothing to distract buyers from little nicks and dents and scratches.

Selling a Furnished Home

Pros:

• Your home will be more appealing. Like we said earlier, potential buyers might feel more at ease and be able to picture their own belongings in the home if they see how the floorplan and rooms are set up. This can make buyers more emotional about wanting to purchase the house (and might get you a faster and higher priced offer!).

Home Buyers may be encouraged to offer closer to (or over) your asking price. Staying in the home gives buyers the impressions that you are not in a hurry and that you are waiting for the right offer to come along.Cons:

• It can be a lot of work to keep your house in tip top shape all the time! Ideally, you want to have flexibility for agents to come through the house at any time. If you have a full-time job, it could be hard to rush home at any hour to tidy up before the next showing.

So, what’s the final verdict?

At the end of the day, it is up to you as the seller to decide what is best for you and your circumstances.

The good news? Whether there’s furniture or not, every agent at 307 Real Estate knows how to best market your home to get the best possible outcome in the sale of your home or property. If you are on the fence about which route is best to take, any of our agents can give you his or her professional opinion about what’s going to work best. And if you want more than one opinion, we have a full team of agents for that!

 

We can’t wait to help you sell your home!