'dressing' the house for sale

[SlimJimBra]

Should we go for "show home" or "family home"? Would you rather see a home set up how we use it (tidy but lived in - we have seriously decluttered and made the spare bedroom into a bedroom rather than storeroom) or show home with no personality? Have looked round both and I find the show home style a bit cold but does leaving our house as a home mean we'll not sell? What would you rather see?

I'd rather see a very tidy family home. One that the viewer isn't scared to breathe in incase something moves out of place, but one that inspires me to want to buy the place and live in it. It's good that you have decluttered because that is the one thing that puts me off houses. It looks like you will grow out of the house before you have even moved in

I second what noisytoys said a tidy family home

The decluttering only works as long as no one wants to see in the loft...

I think a tidy family home is better (hoping to sell to first time buyers) but I was just reading about white towels and aspirational toiletries and was having a panic that "tidy family home" wouldn't sell as well

I can always tell a "dressed" home and it doesn't impress. I've bought and sold more than a few houses, and what I'm looking for is the bones of a house. I usually find other peoples taste to be not mine (and I'm sure it's vice versa!), so the simpler the better in presentation, really. And I'd advise don't be tempted into cheap tart up jobs.

I've just bought a house after looking at about 20 or so over a couple of months, and what I'd say is that I look for "legible" space I want to see the logic of the layout. Generally that's more than simply a presentation issue it's about fiddly extension or bad basic arrangement of space.

The house I'm buying was presented absolutely shockingly, indeed it wasn't presented at all, but the space flowed clearly and I could look past the current owner's utter mess. I just have to make sure there's a clause in the contract that the house is completely cleared before we complete!

For ten years I sold new build homes and I found them very false
However when I sold my last house I de cluttered it within an inch of its life as well as cleaning like a mad women.I had a18 mth DS and a 7yr old DD but what I Did was stage it so it was a space to grow into.Most kids stuff was put away however a few nice bits were left out to show we had kids as well as a few key pieces on show ie nice laptop to show landing could be used as home office,designer carrier bag on chair in bedroom etc.When we had a viewing all lamps on even during the day(it was Jan),fire ready to be lit,flowers ,nice fruit bowl,etc.We sold really quickly to a young couple who went on to have kids there.
Saying that the house we then bought was shocking to say the least but we could See the potential .
Good luck x

Tidy show family home...but no harm in a few "show home tricks"....bottle of pimms on the kitchen worktop (all other clutter away), designer carrier or coat hanger casually thrown on the bed, a few "posh"/wooden toys casually stacked in a wicker basket, the only pair of shoes in the hall your poshest pair of immaculate heels/boots.

I left my Fiat 500 (then still shiny and new and aspirational) on the driveway but always moved DH's midlife crisis daft brutish truck down the road.

Scream, the people in this home shop, lunch, dress beautifully, have perfect children and are not drowning in plastic tat and spaghetti hoops..

as someone else said 'they don't want to buy your dirt'. Immaculately clean shows you look after it. No obvious half-done jobs, a general air of maintenance. No horrible smells. Equally, don't worry about brewing coffee or making bread - but maybe easy on the curry the night before a viewing.

put away the cleaners, toys, excessive toiletries. No clothing lying about (says 'there's not enough storage'). Ditto other clutter.

they want to feel that they can move straight in without having to deep clean it and finish building it first.

good luck.

Some people buy with their heads and others need a "feeling".

Those who buy with their heads will work out the quality of the location, the space, gauge the age of the boiler and the electrics, the roof and the windows and then do a calculation to work out whether it represents value for money. It really doesn't matter to them how the house looks. In fact if anything, they'll hope that you are messy and have a highly personal taste in decor because they know that will put a lot of the "feeling" type of buyers off.

The feeling type buyers are the ones you are debating in your question. They want somewhere they can imagine living. Clean, comfortable, stylish but not too obviously staged (because that will seem false).

Tidy show family home...but no harm in a few "show home tricks"....bottle of pimms on the kitchen worktop (all other clutter away), designer carrier or coat hanger casually thrown on the bed, a few "posh"/wooden toys casually stacked in a wicker basket, the only pair of shoes in the hall your poshest pair of immaculate heels/boots

Do people REALLY fall for such silly tricks? Gosh. MOre money than sense < shakes head & feels old >

I agree with fishgingerareok
People do fall for it as justvasvtheybdo some good awful new builds because it has got a beautiful show home
They get so seduced by the showhome they forget about lots of important stuff ie schools for the future if they move with v young kids
I bought then bought a property that had been on the market for over 2 years and 7 years on have still not finished the journey!But fab village,school,etc and also love my new house but not be for everyone .
Some people want to by a easy to live in house as well as a bit if a lifestyle

I pad typos
Sorry off to bed as work tommorrow so have not got time to correct x

I didn't bother with any of it due to mental full-time job and being a single parent to 2 messy boys under 6. My house sold in a week. :-)

I think if you are struggling to sell or are in a niche area/market it certainly cannot harm! And I will never forget the grimness of one house I went round - the dirt, 3 days worth of washing up, the mould up the bedroom walls shudders