Does how tarted up a house is actually help persuade you to puchase it?

[GretaGip]

It's a slow sell here, on the market for 8 months, 9 views up to now, but for some strange reason there's 4 different appointments tomorrow.

I'm absolutely sick of staging the house a la Channel 4 housey programmes - fresh flowwrs, delightful fragrance, and the garden manicured etc.

The house will be clean, tidy and well-presented.

But do I NEED to dot my 't's and cross my 'i's?

Does it make a real difference?

If I have limited funds and little time a decor I can live with counts for a lot - but as others have said I can see past that - but agree don't think everyone can.
popcorns comment about the view is interesting - I grew up in a house with a great view...I just got used to it and hardy ever noticed - but this house has a great view (most house here do) and DP kept going on about it...it wasn't that that sold the house to me...but it did sell it to him.

I agree obviously staged might put me off ...looking at one house I opened a kitchen cupboard door to look at the quality of the cabinets and it was crammed full of papers, bills etc - obviously they didn't live in there like that all the time and it made me realise actually there was nowhere to put things like that (all open plan, clear surfaces). I couldn't see me living there.

We had to have this house revalued ..at the time I had impulsively striped the living room walls cos I was so fed up of the wall paper (was like that for 6 months -before I gave up and got a decorator in ) Anyway I asked the guy doing the valuation if that would devalue the house and he said it wouldn't - lots of people redecorate and it might actually help to sell - increase the value - as buyers would think at least they didn't have to strip the walls...

Also our neighbour sold their house - it was immaculately decorated (but not to my taste), before and even whilst it was on the market they were doing more, even replaced the kitchen cupboard doors...the person who bought it negotiated hard and got a good few thousand knocked off -and then proceeded to completely redecorate - ripping out the new carpets and replacing the kitchen doors (again)...They'd even 'improved' the garden by paving over a grassed area - new neighbour loves the garden is always tinkering out there and told me they had been looking into grassing that area over but apparently it would cost quite a bit to get it done... (I didn't tell them it used to be -cos I don't think it would help!) Seems most of the stuff the previous owners did to sell didn't help - and may have put some people off...
So I would say don't do anything that costs - just make sure it looks clean and not too cluttered and let the potential buyers decide...

And by too cluttered think about furniture too - have just been to visit someone who has just moved into an identical house to mine - our rooms are large by modern standards - but I was shocked how tiny their living room looked! Puzzling about it later - we have a similar amount of furniture in there - so why did give such a different impression - and it was too much furniture of not quite the right fit for the room (things like one sofa came to just over the door surround - looked crowded - whereas we have a sofa in the same place but maybe 5cm shorter and comes to a cm or two from the edge of the surround) -found it really interesting

Staging a home is quite intense. We did it last year and our home sold in 2 weeks and went over ask. We live in the Us and our agent used to be a stager. She had us go through every room including the cupboards and the wardrobes to make sure that nothing looked cluttered. It did make a difference as the rooms looked much bigger. We also had the place painted out and that made a huge difference.

If your home has been listed for so long I think you need to look at the price you are asking. I would ask your agent for the sake prices of the last 10 homes that are similiar to yours and compare your listing to theirs.

Personally, I prefer to see a nice tidy house. I viewed one that was pretty disgraceful, you could only really tell the size of the rooms by looking at the ceiling such were the piles of boxes and clutter...and the bathroom had a bath full of dirty nappies (!). They were a professional couple, a bit odd, and very apologetic, but no, I couldn't have shown my house in that state. We did actually nearly buy that property but the chain collapsed. It had a lot of potential and it was priced to reflect the fact it needed "work".

I have only sold two properties in the past but on both occasions made sure property was immaculate before viewings. I just thought it was the right thing to do...

Personally, I prefer to see a nice tidy house. I viewed one that was pretty disgraceful, you could only really tell the size of the rooms by looking at the ceiling such were the piles of boxes and clutter...and the bathroom had a bath full of dirty nappies (!). They were a professional couple, a bit odd, and very apologetic, but no, I couldn't have shown my house in that state. We did actually nearly buy that property but the chain collapsed. It had a lot of potential and it was priced to reflect the fact it needed "work".

I have only sold two properties in the past but on both occasions made sure property was immaculate before viewings. I just thought it was the right thing to do...

As long as its de cluttered and cleaned I don't think it makes a jot of difference! My house was old lady hell complete with turquoise bathroom suite, swirly carpets, pine cladding on the kitchen ceiling and ghastly 1960s fireplaces when I bought it. I was attracted to the space and light in the house.

It does make a difference to quite a lot of people. I've bought and sold 30 times, and I buy the horrible unloved homes full of clutter and with desperate owners who can't work out why their house hasn't sold in the last two years. A year or so later I put them back on the market, not huge amounts spend on them, but cosmetic improvements and well staged. I've never had a house on the market more than two weeks, and always at a great profit.

Everyone claims they can see past the staging because they don't think they can be 'fooled', but in reality, most people simply can't. Walking in to a home that has been well staged compared to a home in the same price bracket which is cluttered, unloved and smells a bit funky, then people will almost always go for the staged home.

The first house we purchased was empty barring a few sticks of furniture as the occupier had moved and the owner was selling. I kept comparing other houses to that one until it dawned on me, 'buy the comparison house'.

No huge glaring problems, we ripped out the 1970's fashion statement pine from the bathroom walls but learned to live with the avocado coloured bathroom. The rest was just a redecorating exercise.

Sold that five years later and bought a nice house that just needed redecorating to our taste. Oh and a new kitchen as the current functional one was missing some cabinets and worktops as she had it as a kitchen diner. Oh and install a flame effect gas fire as the gaping hearth that was the fireplace just looked like the gateway to hell.

Ten years later we purchased the current house. Not much wrong with it. Just had old lady's taste. No clutter. No garish décor. Just looked old, cold and tired. Apparently she was a hopeless organiser. She owned hundreds of colour co-ordinated bobbins of thread in her workroom but you could still clearly see it was a bedroom. The rest was just furniture and possessions. Her friends helped her move and they were still there tidying when my husband and I got the keys and took up ownership. I'm sure curiosity was the driver there though !

Eventually when we sell, I'll just give the house a spring clean. I don't intend on doing any more than that. No doubt the new owners will want the house more to their taste in turn. Nothing in this house will come across as difficult i.e. everything clean and functional and a little bit lived in. Not new and modern to the point of unfriendly. I will put a lot of things away just to take them, 'off the eye' but it will be clear that we live here in this clean, comfortable, happy house.

I watch that Phil Spencer programme, 'Secret Agent'. Like him I sometimes can't believe the shit pit that some people are amazed isn't selling, and they just think it's funny.

No offence, OP.

I usually shout at the t.v., 'you are not selling your home you are selling your house.' People that think they are selling their home are usually, 'dead in the water' when it comes to a sale. If they haven't already mentally and emotionally moved out, then it should not be on the market. People begrudge putting their ornaments away. My attitude is, 'well you are moving anyway, so why the reluctance to start packing ?'

Anyway, back on topic please.

I agree with you ToastedOrFresh. I like to yell at the television over those ones. Anyone that refuses to declutter or fix any glaring faults in their house prior to selling are idiots. "People can see past our belongings". Bullshit. If people weren't attracted by shiny things, then stores wouldn't bother having displays, sports cars wouldn't have sexy models in their advertisements and there would be no commercials on television.

When I see a house which has too obviously followed the property show tips I start wondering what's wrong with the place!

I think it matters a great deal. The "feel" of a house is very important.
I have gone to view houses myself, and although they ticked the boxes in terms of specification didn't have a good "vibe".
The house I did buy I fell in love with as soon as I entered the front door.

No-one wants to see clutter or piles of clothes, toys, or very outlandish decor.

I sold two houses last year, and did a serious amount of de-junking before putting them up for viewing. I put extra furniture and belongings into storage. I painted walls in soft airy colours, new carpets downstairs,and when I did view I would throw open the french doors, set a few things on the outside table on the patio, a few scatter cushions, to give an impression of useability.

Within a week I had several offers on both houses, and within 2 weeks they were both sold.

I suspect fundamentally it depends on the competition. Last time I bought in the UK I went round about 30 houses, varying from hoarders paradises to show homes. The grungy houses I just wanted to leave (fast). The show homes felt over priced for things I'd prefer to do myself (granite kitchens etc). Some houses obviously needed lots of work but their prices reflected that, so that's a different thing - some people want to pay less and customise themselves, others just want to move in with no work.

The house I eventually bought had the right 'feel' for me, painted in colours I find warm and friendly but otherwise nothing particularly special apart from lots of space and a decent garden. We did see a couple of identical houses with different decor and were amazed by how different they felt.

Our current house we bought pretty much just for the view!

Interesting responses as lots on here saying they can see past decor etc, but as midnite's case, we buy and sell houses as a sideline business and very rarely do more than minor to major redecoration (although the old internal wall rejig) and they sell fast, for considerably more, when freshly decorated.

That being said, we never sell them with laid tables and room fragrance.

No. Looking at size of rooms, location etc. despite what the tv programs say i dont think it matters to serious buyers. However it does help not to have rooms filled with clutter so you can see size.

I wonder why home builders go to so much trouble and expense with their show homes if it makes no difference?

You would think they could have worked that out by now and saved themselves some effort.

Not for me either. We were put off several houses that obviously needed major decorating/work doing as we didn't want a "project" with me being pregnant at the time. But I wouldn't consider repainting the odd room to my taste enough to put me off a house that ticked all the other boxes. Location and size of the house, along with off-road parking, were the dealbreaker for us.

Good point about looking at the neighbours properties and how well cared for they look too. I definitely did that!

It depends. With our house, it was location, so it was irrelevant that the whole house had shag pile carpet that stuck up 3" and was stickily stiff, and that the bathroom was beyond rank. I didn't particularly want a "project", but we had no choice.

Overly-done houses are just as off-putting as unloved ones. Those antiseptic kitchens built out the back, and acres of laminate flooring are so depressing and will date just as much as knicker-blind curtains and wallpaper borders.

Otoh, if you have a house that is similar to many others in the area, then it makes sense to stage it a bit, ie make it look as spacious and clean as possible. Flowers and freshly-baked bread are ott, but a sparklingly clean bathroom and kitchen will surely make a difference.

Mine's defo a 'family home' with all the clutter and mess that comes with it!

We have been here 20 years and have no intention of selling any time soon, partly as the house would need so much decluttering of 20 years of kids' stuff to make it look like it 'should' as you see on the telly.

Have to say I'd invest in a deep-clean housekeeping company though, if I did want to sell as I'm not the best housekeeper and the idea of keeping it looking like a designer house for months while stupid people who can't see past the clutter come round to tell me how horrid it is! It's not unhygenic btw, just not TV standard! I've always been told by visitors that they'd rather it looked like it was lived in - it is a family home after all and this just gives people realistic expectations I suppose!

When we were househunting we nearly bought the perfect house for us [higher bid got it!] but this was despite abs everything being brown [including the mirror tiles in the bathroom, which were tinted brown - yuk] & knowing that we couldn't live under the roof without completely redecorating! But we'd not have expected the seller to do that - that's the buyer's job - to put their own stamp on it.

The only people who earn anything out of house sales these days must be the interior decorators / house clearance people / DIY stores, who must be creaming off ££ from sellers redecorating in magnolia and hiring skips to get rid of their rubbish so it looks 'designer'.

Not a problem here. Our much loved new home had been in same family since built well over 100 yrs ago, has texture on every surface (mint green wood chip, artex, polystyrene ceiling tiles), mismatched carpets with giant faded patches where rugs were etc. But it still feels like home. Will just look a bit better when we get around to tarting it up!

Clean, tidy and smelling fresh are important any more than that is a bonus.

There was a thread on here a few weeks ago about what would stop you buying a house.

It was interesting how many people talked about things that could be changed really easily eg having a composite sink.

Largely the "red lines" were things like location, shared driveway etc, but I was quite amused that people wouldn't buy a house because they didn't like the colour of the bathroom suite! That's an easy thing to change.

If you're buying on a new estate where there might be several of the same house type for sale, I guess you might buy the one that has the nicest decor, but otherwise you have to see past stuff like that.

keeptothewhiteline: if it's a new build, you do expect it to be pristine - there's nothing to have been 'worn in' - that's the whole point of this thread. If it's a 'second hand' house you should expect it to be lived in, not done up to look like a showhome!

I think people do take note of a lot of it, massive decluttering definitely helps. If you have multiple sheds or a huge trampoline in a small garden it's a bit daft not to take them down and show how much space there actually is.

Doesn't have to be Mongolia but freshly painted walls make the house look loved, and a loved house seems less likely to have a load of flipping annoying minor repairs need doing as soon as you move in.

If your house is at the lower end of the market, small 'starter home' style a newish kitchen and bathroom definitely appeals because most of your buyers are probably stretching themselves to afford to but and don't have the cash to immediately rip out a kitchen/bathroom and replace.

I was happy to buy a fixer upper but we ended up discounting houses that needed everything doing because we couldn't afford it on top of the sale price.

My parents have been house hunting and I sometimes go with them as they're moving to be closer to where I live.

My mother by her own admission cannot see past other people's decor, she is definitely one of those people who need the charms of a property signposted by extreme cleanliness and lack of clutter, open French doors, flowers in kitchen etc.

Even she would think it odd to see a fully laid dining table at 10am in the morning!

Clean, tidy and a bit bland are the things to concentrate on I think.

Rocket science it isn't.

No bad smells, stickiness or dirt. No one actually likes filth. Some people might not care so much but it's not a selling point.

No clutter, but stuff that shows the house is lived in and used. It helps if people can easily imagine themselves enjoying life there.

No weird carpets, massive murals or startlingly coloured kitchens. People look around and think they won't have to change too much.

As a former estate agent I can assure you that you get the full spectrum of expectations from potential buyers. At one end you have couples who are very flexible and are good at visualising what the place would look like without your furniture and with a different colour scheme so really don?t care if your carpets are a bit old or your kitchen needs replacing and at the other you have people who say things like ?I really liked the layout and space but I didn?t like the pictures on the wall/light switches/fitted cupboards etc

If your place is clean and tidy that?s all you have to do, don?t start doing the whole freshly baked bread/coffee thing or fresh flowers in every room, it always comes across as terribly contrived and a bit too Kirsty Allsop.