If the seller has engaged a real estate agent, the burden of showing a vacant home is virtually eliminated. The agent will field all calls, set appointments, and show the home. You need not worry about vetting buyers, or interrupting your busy schedule to buyers at the house. If your furniture and things are worn-out, outdated or just plain ugly, it would be best for the home to be left vacant, because it will make the home feel worn and dated. Staging and can make the vacant home warm and welcoming while remaining neutral enough so most buyers can imagine themselves there. Buyers’ real estate agents are also more likely to want to show vacant homes. If agents have 20 home options and 15 are occupied, they may well show the vacant homes out of convenience. They don’t have to call and make an appointment and can simply go over and use the electronic lockbox which shows who showed the house, when they entered it, and when they exit. Further, the continual pressure to keep daily life from affecting the home’s pristine staging presentation is eliminated. The seller is not under constant pressure to keep the home in immaculate showing condition. If you’re someone who might struggle to keep your home in turnkey condition for showing purposes — for example, if you have young children — consider vacating before putting the home on the market.
Cons of Moving Out
A vacant home can signal to some buyers that the homeowner is a “motivated seller” who needs to sell quickly. Consider this example found on an online real estate forum. A buyer saw that a home was vacant and offered $30,000 less than the asking price. The buyer was sold on the home anyway and would have paid more, but “haggling” began well below asking price because the
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