Selling Parents House

[skeemee]

Elderly parents have passed away, so their house will be sold soon.

We will be emptying all their furniture anyway, but is it better to have some stuff in situ (nicely made up beds etc), or just have empty rooms for viewings?

Decor isn’t too bad, nothing too awful. No swirly carpets. Everything fairly neutral. Will make sure everything is clean.

Any thoughts?

When we did this we decluttered and kept minimal furnishings on the rooms.

But maybe speak to a couple of local agents and see what they suggest.

Leaving some furniture might help potential buyers have some perspective of room sizes.

Sorry for your loss op.

We’ve bought and sold a few houses over the years. I think empty properties don’t tend to appeal to ordinary buyers as much, they look a bit abandoned and unloved, and it can be a sign of difficult to sell (i.e. sellers have already moved out). If you can make it feel comfy and cared for but spacious and uncluttered and fairly neutral, that’d probably work best. Had an estate agent round who said similar yesterday when I asked about how tidy & empty. He says family homes sell better if buyers see signs of others having made it a family home.

I’d probably leave a few beds and chairs etc but only if it’s not a massive hassle. Once the furniture is gone people’s attention will be drawn to the shabby bits/ wires etc. It’s a sad time.

It should be easier to sell if you leave furniture and "dress" the house. My SIL painted and dressed her parents house and sold for above the EA's valuation.

Leave beds etc so viewers can gauge space better. Remove any valuables but leave rest in place. We have on going onto market and it looks sparse but has beds, sofa, table and chairs plus books in place.

Would definitely go for furniture, and pictures/mirrors on the walls - we viewed our current house empty, and it felt small, cold (unheated in February) and a bit dingy - the paintwork wasn't awful, but you could see all the marks where pictures had been. It made the house less appealing, and it had been on the market for a while. You also want the photos for the ad to be taken with furniture, otherwise it's hard to tell what you're seeing (bedroom? dining room?) when you look at an online listing.

I agree to having the house “dressed” as otherwise carpets will have big clean “patches” where the furniture used to be. They have a massive mahogany drinks cabinet cum china cabinet circa 1980s that takes up one full wall. I think living room would be better with this removed, and maybe keep one sofa, tv console and lamps on side tables.

Any ideas if house clearance people are any good? Not expecting any money for their furniture, but local Council only takes 5 items for large uplift, and god knows how to get that massive unit out!

Sorry for your loss op.

With the unwanted furniture, I would try putting the pieces on Facebook marketplace or similar for collection only, either free or for a good price.

Lots of people like to upcycle (especially those on the Frenchic forum!) so you may well find people who want it.

Horrible time for you OP!

With my parents, we emptied all cupboards, decluttered, got rid of as much furniture as possible, but left tables, chairs, beds, wardrobes, etc.
We went too far with the decluttering, should’ve left more ornaments etc.

British heart foundation often take furniture. They took lots of my MIL’s furniture when we cleared the house and then we used the council for the last few bits.