An advantage of selling an empty house is that it allows the potential buyer’s imagination to run wild during the home viewing. Without the distractions of furniture and homey touches, prospective buyers can imagine their own things in every room and start mentally placing their own lives in the vacant spaces. Emptying the house could well be a blessing in disguise if the seller is the type of homeowner that has clutter everywhere or a flamboyant taste in decoration. Too much personalization will leave potential buyers unable to picture themselves there, as they will be distracted by the clutter. There are ways to make an empty house feel homey. The impression you want to give is that it is a home eagerly awaiting a new family to start creating memories. You do not want it to look neglected and sorry for itself, as if it had been abandoned. A house needs to have character to encourage a sale and there are ways to give a vacant home the appropriate bit of personality.
CLEAN! THEN CLEAN MORE!
This sounds obvious — cleanliness is next to salesmanship. However, many sellers believe a quick vacuum once they have packed up their stuff is enough to call the place clean. A house must sparkle to the point where it does not appear as if it has ever been lived in. Buyers are looking for a fresh start in their home-buying experience and will turn away from anything not meeting their “fresh start” expectations. Bear in mind that moving furniture out of the house exposes all floor and wall areas. Keep up with cleaning on a regular basis for however long it takes to sell. The buyer will use the sense of smell as much as sight in viewing the house. Eliminate all pet and food odors. Make sure the place smells fresh always. Keep the home aired out by opening windows every few days, and invest in plug-in air fresheners for a longer lasting effect. Keep the home smelling fresh and well-maintained,
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