Advice on two houses
Advice on two houses
We are closing on a new house while the current house is still on market and no offer/contract yet. This is the first time we are going through his, so I am asking for advice from this forum:
Should I pack up and move to the new house and leave the current house empty while on the market or stay in the current house until it's sold or move some stuff to the new house and split time between the 2? They are 6-hour drive apart.
what shows better? a live-in or empty house? TIA
Should I pack up and move to the new house and leave the current house empty while on the market or stay in the current house until it's sold or move some stuff to the new house and split time between the 2? They are 6-hour drive apart.
what shows better? a live-in or empty house? TIA
Re: Advice on two houses
We've done this on six or more occasions and have always moved into the new house. It is nice to move in at your leisure and also easy keeping the old house ready for showing when empty. I've always felt an empty house is more appealing to the buyer because he's not distracted by your things and can also visualize himself in the house more easily.
Gill
Gill
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Re: Advice on two houses
If it were me, I'd move half my stuff out. I think a house that is staged with a small amount of furnishings looks better than an empty house or a full house. For example, remove half the stuff from your closets to give the appearance of lots of storage space. Remove stuff that shows your personality, personal pictures, etc. the idea is that you want the buyer to visualize how the rooms will look with their furnishings. You want them staring at the space, not stopping to stare at your unique artwork.
Re: Advice on two houses
+1Hayden wrote:If it were me, I'd move half my stuff out. I think a house that is staged with a small amount of furnishings looks better than an empty house or a full house. For example, remove half the stuff from your closets to give the appearance of lots of storage space. Remove stuff that shows your personality, personal pictures, etc. the idea is that you want the buyer to visualize how the rooms will look with their furnishings. You want them staring at the space, not stopping to stare at your unique artwork.
Re: Advice on two houses
I've done this numerous times also.
Forget the advice to "stage" the house. That certainly can work, but here's what works even better, from my experience: Move all your stuff out, and then repaint the entire house , the interior in a neutral color. Replace any worn carpeting or flooring. Make sure the landscaping looks nice. Polish everthing you can, and make sure the house would pass an inspection with no significant problems. This is Marketing 101, and it has always worked fast and effectively for me. Buyers believe they're getting a new house at a fair price, and that always clinches the deal. You may even have multiple offers, depending on your local market.
Make sure to price it properly, right at current market levels, and the offers should come rolling in.
Forget the advice to "stage" the house. That certainly can work, but here's what works even better, from my experience: Move all your stuff out, and then repaint the entire house , the interior in a neutral color. Replace any worn carpeting or flooring. Make sure the landscaping looks nice. Polish everthing you can, and make sure the house would pass an inspection with no significant problems. This is Marketing 101, and it has always worked fast and effectively for me. Buyers believe they're getting a new house at a fair price, and that always clinches the deal. You may even have multiple offers, depending on your local market.
Make sure to price it properly, right at current market levels, and the offers should come rolling in.
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Re: Advice on two houses
Agree with dognose and I'm a realtor.
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Re: Advice on two houses
Like others, I have done this and I say move and just spend some time back at the old place polishing up things, repainting, etc. I think that does more towards selling a house than whether or not it has someone else's furniture in it. Also, empty houses with stuff in them and for sale signs out front tend to attract thieves. I've seen that happen several times in the past to others. I think thieves attend open houses and find out the sellers live six hours away and suddenly you end up with an empty house anyway plus a repair on the window or door that got broken.
I do recommend that you leave the air conditioning/heater running so that a constant temperature is maintained. Nothing like extreme heat or extreme cold to encourage someone who is looking to keep on moving. It is also hard on your house to go through temperature extremes and I've seen it crack drywall and plaster. Do shut off your water heater and the water valve. Do keep the lawn and landscaping well tended.
I do recommend that you leave the air conditioning/heater running so that a constant temperature is maintained. Nothing like extreme heat or extreme cold to encourage someone who is looking to keep on moving. It is also hard on your house to go through temperature extremes and I've seen it crack drywall and plaster. Do shut off your water heater and the water valve. Do keep the lawn and landscaping well tended.
Re: Advice on two houses
+1Saving$ wrote:+1Hayden wrote:If it were me, I'd move half my stuff out. I think a house that is staged with a small amount of furnishings looks better than an empty house or a full house. For example, remove half the stuff from your closets to give the appearance of lots of storage space. Remove stuff that shows your personality, personal pictures, etc. the idea is that you want the buyer to visualize how the rooms will look with their furnishings. You want them staring at the space, not stopping to stare at your unique artwork.
Re: Advice on two houses
I have moved to a new house before old one sold. You may want to check with your homeowners insurance. Ours made a big deal about our old house being vacant.
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Re: Advice on two houses
I would move and remove all my stuff from the for sale house, after first having the new house painted and made ready while you don't have to live in that mess.
I have never understood why "staging" a house is supposed to make it attractive to buyers. If a sofa is against a wall, I wonder if the wall is cracked. Plus the furnishings taste is unlikely to be mine. With the house emptied out, a buyer can better see what's what.
Agree with paint, clean, trim and water the landscaping, keep a good temperature. Check your homeowner's insurance and liability insurance.
I would worry about someone breaking in and ripping out the copper piping and appliances. In general, I hate alarm systems because they send me into high anxiety about getting from the door to the keypad, but this might be a place for that.
A close neighbor who keeps an eye on the house for you would be very nice.
I have never understood why "staging" a house is supposed to make it attractive to buyers. If a sofa is against a wall, I wonder if the wall is cracked. Plus the furnishings taste is unlikely to be mine. With the house emptied out, a buyer can better see what's what.
Agree with paint, clean, trim and water the landscaping, keep a good temperature. Check your homeowner's insurance and liability insurance.
I would worry about someone breaking in and ripping out the copper piping and appliances. In general, I hate alarm systems because they send me into high anxiety about getting from the door to the keypad, but this might be a place for that.
A close neighbor who keeps an eye on the house for you would be very nice.
Re: Advice on two houses
+1 I did this prior to selling a condo that I had been renting. I had an offer on it within 3 business days of the listing.dognose wrote:I've done this numerous times also.
Forget the advice to "stage" the house. That certainly can work, but here's what works even better, from my experience: Move all your stuff out, and then repaint the entire house , the interior in a neutral color. Replace any worn carpeting or flooring. Make sure the landscaping looks nice. Polish everthing you can, and make sure the house would pass an inspection with no significant problems. This is Marketing 101, and it has always worked fast and effectively for me. Buyers believe they're getting a new house at a fair price, and that always clinches the deal. You may even have multiple offers, depending on your local market.
Make sure to price it properly, right at current market levels, and the offers should come rolling in.
OP - how long have you had your current house on the market? Any feedback from any previous showings? Were there any deficiencies listed?
Re: Advice on two houses
A consideration that ought not be taken lightly would be security and maintaining an occupied look. I found myself in a similar situation a few years back where I had essentially moved out of a house that I listed for sale, with a "for sale" sign posted in the front yard. Long story short, someone kicked in the side door into the house and ripped out all of the copper piping resulting in a basement flood and an $18000 insurance claim. So, I would consider if a "for sale" sign in the front yard would attract any unwanted attention to your property. Also, I recommend that you use a series of lights/TVs/radios on timers and install deadbolt locks on all exterior doors, not just handle locks. Maybe consider installing some motion activated exterior lights. Lastly, if available, park an extra car in the driveway and ask a trusted neighbor or your realtor to check in on the house frequently and do things to make the house look occupied ( put decoy trash cans out on trash night, remove flyers from door or mailbox, turn on different exterior lights, etc).
"When the market's going up, we think it's going to go up forever. When the market goes down, we think it's going to go down forever. Neither of those things actually happen" - John C. Bogle