When it comes to selling your house, many people like to give it a new paint job, and generally do a spring clean out to tidy up areas. however the most efficient way of making things look clean and looked after is by buying new furniture, especially centre pieces such as sofas, and dining tables. Estate Agents suggest to make a number of changes, such as replacing antique furniture with pieces of a different style. The whole idea behind this being updating old tired pieces / unique styles to make it more appealing to a broader spectrum.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 39 million Americans — or about 14 percent of the population — changed addresses in 2005. While that is one of the lowest rates in more than 50 years, long-distance moves are becoming slightly more common, the bureau reports.One San Francisco resident, Michele Spitz and her two siblings couldn’t be persuaded to go the same route to sell her parents’ home after they died. “We were encouraged to consider painting and removing carpets and what have you,” she said. “But it’s quite a luxurious home on Marina Boulevard. It’s dated, but it’s a unique property on a unique street.”
Spitz, who has worked in real estate marketing and sales support for many years, said she didn’t see the need to plunk down $15,000 or $20,000 on upgrades. Her instincts proved correct: The house was on the market for only 3 1/2 weeks before it was bought by someone who had previously lived in the neighbourhood. “Granted, she’ll probably gut the house, but even if she hadn’t been the specific buyer, the home had shown quite well,” Spitz said.
The contemporary house had been gutted by her father when he purchased it in 1990, so it needed some updating, she said. Spitz said they rearranged some decorative items and removed some small pieces, but they were generally content with the home as it was.
“We didn’t depersonalize it like most people would,” she said. “There was an entire photo gallery on the top floor, and we decided to keep those photos.”
At first, the agent thought the photos might be distracting, but after several showings, she agreed that they added warmth to the home. Obviously leaving a personal touch WILL be appalling to a minority, hence why you have to make the decision of whether to go for a minority who may love your house, versus a lot of people who will just like it if it is depersonalised, but will very rarely fall in love with it. Either way the furniture of a home being sold, has to be correct looking for the type of house that it is. There is no point putting in cream leather sofas, with minimalistic dining tables and furniture into a country cottage. It needs warmth, wood etc.
Either way a house with furniture of either kind is much better than a cold looking empty house, as it helps give the buyer a sense of imagination.Information from: sfgate.com
