How much would it de-value our house to sell empty?

9 replies

tiokiko · 19/01/2011 12:35

How much do you think it affects the value of a property if it's sold empty (with no upward chain)?

We will be renting a house when we move and are keen to get there ASAP but I'm aware that it's harder to sell an empty house and am sure it must affect the value, but don't know by how much.

I'll speak to the estate agent later this week but thought I would see if anyone has any experience of this.

OP posts:

Jeremyess · 19/01/2011 13:20

A lot of people would think no upward chain is a good thing. Often empty houses are probate cases or ex-BTL that need lots of work doing, that is what puts people off. Also houses empty for long periods (more so over winter) do go down hill. If yours is in a good state then an empty house will be viewed as a positive.

Original poster

tiokiko · 19/01/2011 16:58

True - although we have no upward chain anyway as we are ready to go as soon as we get a buyer, could be out the next day!

It's a pretty bog-standard Edwardian terrace and really the furniture/presentation does help at first but maybe people will see beyond that anyway.

Will have a chat to the EA and see what he reckons as we really want to get going now!

OP posts:

ThisIsANiceCage · 19/01/2011 17:05

Maybe take pics now of the rooms specially dressed with your furniture still in, and print them A4 to make up a folder for the estate agent to show viewers?

Might help them imagine what the rooms could look like furnished (some people struggle to visualise stuff).

scurryfunge · 19/01/2011 17:06

It shouldn't be a problem if people can still see the potential. Can you leave hints in each room so visualise what it would be suitable for? I see plenty of pictures of clearly empty properties but sometimes you see a chair, a rug or a bed left in situ. Anything that grabs a potential buyer's attention will help.

lalalonglegs · 19/01/2011 17:43

If the rooms aren't unconventional shapes and the layout is normal, I don't think it would be a problem. I think the idea of an album of the rooms looking at their best is a good one though to help cretinous unimaginative viewers.

AnnoyingOrange · 19/01/2011 17:48

I have bought 2 empty properties I see it as a huge plus as there is no chain to break down.

In once case the owner had moved in with her boyfriend and in the other the owner had relocated.

Slugontoast · 19/01/2011 21:47

Keep some heating on to ward off damp.

My DH had an empty flat on the market and without heating and airing there was a whiff of dampness which put people off.

Wigeon · 19/01/2011 21:53

No chain was a big big plus when we bought our current house 13 months ago. And it was empty when we viewed it. It hadn't been changed since the 1970s and generally looked pretty tired, but I think the price we paid reflected that, and we still bought it!

I'm not an estate agent, but to be honest I don't think the emptiness devalued it, just the state it was in.

Tips for selling an empty house: don't leave random crap in the porch. Don't leave a few pictures up if they clearly look like they came from a charity shop. Just take them down. Don't "decorate" an empty flower bed with large bumpy lumps of concrete (what were they thinking?). Don't leave your crappy old stupid garden ornaments, like 20 year old little statues of birds and rabbits, in the garden. Presumably they thought all this made the cold, empty house look a bit more lived in. It didn't. Still bought it though !

LadyBiscuit · 19/01/2011 21:57

When I bought my house a few months ago, it was empty when I came to look at it but furnished in the estate agent details. So I knew what it would look like furnished rather than having to imagine it.

Can you do that? I was delighted that there was no chain as I was about to exchange on my sale

Flip