Another 'how to sell your house' question!

[oxocube]

Sorry if this is daft - I have to sell my lovely house and am reading lots of stuff on the internet about decluttering and depersonalising a home to make it more attractive to a buyer.

But the same websites also say you are selling a lifestyle, in which case why are we advised to remove EVERY photo, picture etc. Surely the really lovely tasteful one of my daughter in ballet pose is allowed as are the couple of black and white photos of my kids in the study. And what about the poncy books? (Obviously, I have stored/hidden my chick lit and left the 'good' books on show )

House has been seriously decluttered, cleaned and painted throughout and teenage boy room cleansed of teenage boy stuff, garden sorted. All this I know is good and the place looks loads better for it. But does this drastically depersonalising stuff actually work?

[lalalonglegs]

I think people go over the top about depersonalising their homes - as long as there aren't any weirdy, 6-ft portraits of you and your family eyeballing visitors, I don't think a couple of small photos make a difference. Clean and tidy is all people should expect - this buying a lifestyle thing is developer's crap and I'd hope anyone with sense would be able to see straight through it.

[Moomoomie]

Sounds like you have done a good job.
Clean and tidy and not crammed with junk is what i would expect if i looked at a house.
Now the hard part..... Keeping it this way until sold :)

[notquitenormal]

We got rid of a lot of junk & clutter and repainted the bedroom because womb-purple isn't most people's cup of tea. We made sure it looked like there's room for everything and we've not got any significant questionable statement pieces.

Other than that all my family photos are still out, there are toys where you would expect toys, the kitchen has kitchen stuff out. We sold on the first viewing, I suppose we were just very lucky.

I think a family home should look like a family home. We saw a lot of very depersonalised houses and I couldn't imagine anyone living there. The house we're buying has clearly been cleared out for sale, but it still looks like a home (and not to my taste at all.)

I suppose it's a delicate balance.

[crw1234]

I think it sounds like you have done enough - we decluttered loads and packed away a load -but not all of our books - and I cleaned like a mad thing before veiwings - but really what worked mostly was someone falling for our house and the right price!

[maryjane71]

IMO sensible buyers don't care about photos/colours/clutter. When we viewed this house it was very 1970s. Hadn't been updated in 30 years. Brown carpets, magnolia painted woodchip, polystyrene ceiling tiles, a serving hatch between the kitchen and lounge - very Hilda Ogden . No fitted kitchen and a 'feature' electric fire.

Buyers SHOULD look for potential. Large rooms, good location, good position, decent sized gardens and the neighbouring houses being kept neat/smart.

Colin and Justin have a lot to answer for grrrr

[GnomeDePlume]

Look like the best value in your price range. Look at your price bracket on Rightmove and make sure that your photos look the best. Completely clear kitchen and bathroom surfaces for the photos. Normal stuff looks like a lack of storage in photos. It doesnt matter if you put normal stuff back for viewings.

DH says you should remove photos of children. You are selling lifestyle not your life.

For viewings we have normally cleared the bathroom of all personal stuff (toothbrushes, soap etc). Make sure the house doesnt smell of anything.

Ride your estate agent like the devil. Dont let them rush you into having photos done until you have had time to do a thorough tidy up. Sometimes the estate agent will try to rush you and I think that estate agents are totally short sighted when it comes to the photos. If you dont like a photo make them do it again.

If someone likes your house then they will want to show the EA details to other people so make sure that the details are something to be proud of.

After viewings ask the estate agent for feedback (oh yes and get the EA to do the viewings and you should be out of the way). Ask the estate agent if your house smells - this breaks the ice and will make it easier for the EA to tell you if the furniture needs to be rearranged.

DH & I are property developers so have bought and sold a few times!

[MaryMotherOfCheeses]

Depends on how many people you want to appeal to. If you're happy to just go with those who can see potential, or who don't mind a bit of work, then you don't need to declutter etc.

However, if you want to make sure you've got all bases covered, inlcuidng appealing to those who just want to move in and unpack their stuff, then makes sense to do as much as you can.

[randomimposter]

what you describe is great... I wouldn't strip back any more. Otherwise it looks too sterile IMHO. Good luck.

[oxocube]

Thanks to everyone on this thread. The place is looking better than it ever has and hopefully will sell quickly. Removed and stored loads of stuff from the kitchen which is already small, loads of fresh flowers from the market in simple (matching, cheap) vases, everything clean, bathrooms spotless, kids' rooms tidied of toy soldiers, make-up and Hendrix posters. Unfortunately, the few photos I have on display ARE of my kids - the estate agent comes round this week so I'll ask him/her about it.

We are not in UK so can't look on Right Move but have looked extensively on the local equivalent and will hopefully get the pricing right. Was actually quite shocked at some of the other houses being marketed for a similar price. Of course there are those that look great but quite a few owners seem to have made zero effort to tart their places up. Am hoping some of these are my competition