Should we "dress" the flat to sell it, or leave it empty?

[threeleftfeet]

Just about to put the flat on the market. It's freshly plastered and decorated, it looks great. It's totally empty - we've already moved out,

I was going to leave it as it is - blank canvas and all that. However I saw some pictures online of an empty flat and it didn't look as warm as the lived in ones I thought.

Do you think it'd be better to put some furniture and bits and bobs back in, and make the place look a bit lived in? (e.g. plants, books in bookshelves etc).

I've heard arguments both ways. If you have furniture, that is nice, (not saying yours isn't but not castoffs that you didn't want in your new place)and that you don't need then yes, it would help people with the size of rooms, looking cared for etc. If the furniture is a bit dog eared, sorry not a good word I know, it may detract from the lovely decoration. I like to watch a lot of property porn and Phil Spencer is always advising people to stage rooms properly.

Have you asked your agent? They should know what sells doesn't sell, if you haven't decided on an agent ask to get different views anyway.

Oh, good luck with the sale.

Thanks tryingtonotfeckup :)

I agree it needs to look really nice. I also watch a lot of property porn!

I've got a nice pine double bed I could put in and I'd get new covers and cushions for it.

I haven't got a non tatty spare sofa, not sure what I'd do about that.

I've got nice bits and bobs (plants, books etc)

I think I'd quite enjoy dressing it but that's not the point is it?!

You can hire stuff for house dress

Ooh, that's interesting. Where do you hire it from?

I think it depends on the local market and who your target buyer is. Your estate agent should be the one to know but you can find out yourself how quickly flats in the area are selling.

I think it depends on the size of the rooms. Rooms around 10 or 11 foot square look a bit poky without any furniture, so it is hard to imagine how you would fit everything in. If you have a lovely big space then i would leave it.

think of the general public as idiots with no imagination. if they see a double bed with pretty linen they can imagine themselves living in it better. I think if it's dressed well, you broaden appeal to a wider range of buyers rather than waiting for the ones with imagination.

We're using an online agent (they charge a flat fee of £600 incl vat instead of 2% + VAT!) so we're doing the viewings ourselves.

The rooms are 14'6 x 16' and 12'6 x 12'.

The target market is first time buyers, probably one of the trendy young things who are currently moving into the area as it's just become very fashionable.

Flats are definitely selling quickly round here. Everyone we've spoken (including EAs and neighbours who've sold recently) reckon it'll be sold in a couple of weeks. Assuming we get good interest, we're going to do closed bids.

dress deffo

people have NO imagination

inc books and mags artfully lying about that will appeal to the aspirations of your potential buyers too.

You can "build" furntiture with boxes, create a sofa and cover and smother in cushions. It's about giving an impression, doesn't matter if it's not real furniture...

For trendy first time buyers I would suggest dressing but only with 'cool' stuff.
If flat is likely to sell rapidly with a bidding war then I'd save myself the cost and bother. HTH :)

What do you think is the minimum needed in the front room?

Would simply a sofa, coffee table, rug and mirror over fireplace do it? I don't think I can justify going to town on it as we need to get it on the market a.s.a.p.

It's a big room with a bay window, shutters and a victorian fireplace.

"For trendy first time buyers I would suggest dressing but only with 'cool' stuff."

I agree, but I actually find myself not knowing what that is!

God I feel old! I mean I know what I think it cool, and I know I have pretty goddam good taste in interior decor

But these young trendies are alien to me. I know nothing of their habits or desires!

Do they like or shun IKEA type stuff for example? Should I add a bit of colour to the otherwise white blank canvas, or go for subtle shades?

I have no idea!

Interesting idea HullyGully, thanks :)

What did you do about carpets in the end?
I always think a house looks better with furniture in, saying that we bought an empty house, that the builders had just finished doing up. It did not put me off at all.
It is not worth spending any more many than necessary on it.
If it is all new and clean, it seems a shame to put anything in that might mark the walls, or carpets.
Most people can imagine their furniture in a house.
You could keep a tape measure out, so viewers can measure the spaces.
Good luck.

Definitely getting carpets :) Thanks for your help with that. I really wasn't sure as all four agents said not to bother, but talking it over here really helped me see that actually it will limit our market by not doing so.

Good idea about the tape measure.

The pine bed is actually there already. DP was going to get rid of it today, but I'm not sure we should.

Do you think it would be weird to just dress the bedroom - minimally (make the bed nice and put books on shelves) and leave the front room?

cant you put things in there from your own property
i wouldnt bother with a tv ect but make sure you dont have bare bulbs

Sorry shoudl have said, definitely putting lampshades in.

I've got nice bits and bobs I can put in but the substantial furniture (sofas etc) in my own home have most definitely seen better days! Not show home quality by a long shot!

I would dress it, I have googled house dressing in London and this is a link you can look at. I haven't used them so its not a recomendation, just somewhere to have a look.

They will have very expensive furniture of various different styles that will wow. There was a house linked on here a while ago that had been staged, I'll have a rootle around rightmove and see if I can find it so you can see the kind of thing they do.

Ha I found it! If only I could remember important information as well as I can random houses strangers post on the internet .

Anyway this is the house. It is classic house staging, probably by a professional home staging company.

I posted on here with a similar question a few weeks ago, I wasn't sure whether to leave my flat empty or dress it, got mixed responses but decided to dress it anyway and it sold in under two weeks. We just moved the better bits from the flat we are living in and I put mirrors up, lovely lights hades and a trolley full of plants from Homebase. As someone else had said I think lots of folk struggle to picture what a place could look like, definitely easier to do with a few pieces of furniture already in it. Good luck, I will try and put a link up to the one we dressed.

I'd be tempted to say, leave it empty, so a) they can see it's easy and available to move into, and B) the rooms will look bigger with no furniture.

strangely some rooms do look smaller with no furniture though, a wonderful warehouse space fine but an ordinary sized room definately looks bigger with furniture in it