The Dos and Don’ts of Selling a Furnished Home

The majority of buyers are looking for their dream homes. But, sometimes, what they primarily get drawn to isn’t just the house itself. Instead, they might fall in love with the perfect pieces of furniture that complement the space. Therefore, when selling a furnished home, you’ll need to put a lot of attention into the way everything’s represented. The primary reason for this is that your tastes in how a home should look don’t necessarily have to match the preferences of your potential buyers. 

So, in your endeavor to sell a home with furniture, you’ll need to pay special attention to decluttering your home, staging it, and finally, negotiating the sale of your pieces during closing.

Selling a furnished home: the “how-to”

Some buyers might never want to buy a furnished house, while others might specifically seek homes with furniture. The latter is prevalent in areas where investment properties and vacation rentals are popular. This enables potential buyers to rent out the vacation home quickly or even go on vacation themselves without worrying about furniture.

According to our interlocutors from manhattanmoversnyc.com, we found out that the customers who required their services but moved to a furnished home were usually first-time buyers. The reason for this, they said, is because the process of furnishing their new home themselves felt extremely daunting after house hunting. That’s why they wanted to avoid this scenario and moved only what they needed and held dear.

As you could’ve seen, numerous factors play essential roles in selling a home with furniture. Some of those are your potential buyer’s preferences, how your furniture is represented, the price, and possible negotiations. So, if you wish to learn more about what to do (and not to do) when selling a house with furniture, let’s take a more in-depth look.

The dos of selling a furnished home

• Declutter

The first step to preparing your house with furniture pieces for listing is cleaning and decluttering it. If you’ve lived at this address for a long time, you’ve probably accumulated a lot of possessions. Some of those possessions you might hold dear, while others might be trash. Therefore, it would be best to make a furniture plan, as in what stays and what goes with you. Once you decide on the pieces to take with you, you will need to disassemble those to avoid potential damage during the relocation process.

So, once you move the pieces that go with you, you will have more room to work with and make the most use of the furniture you have. Primarily, you want to get rid of all the clutter to make your furniture pop, which is an inexpensive way to make your house look more high-end.

• Deep clean your furniture

This one goes without saying. However, if you wish to sell your home with furniture, make sure you hire a professional deep cleaning company. Firstly, they will help you get rid of any stains. Secondly, you’ll be amazed at how new your pieces will look. 

• Do the necessary updates

If your furniture has some stretches or holes from some previous accidents, as well as loose parts, make sure you take care of those repairs before putting your home up for sale.

• Use the furniture to stage your house

Finally, it’s time to work with what you have. Be sure to research the home staging tips and position the furniture in a way that accentuates the best parts of your home. The point of home staging is to showcase your home’s best assets.

Make sure you pay attention to:

1. the position of your furniture pieces so that there’s enough space for walking and functioning;
2. the furniture should be tidy and inviting;
3. add some cushions and throws to add a pop of color if the room is too monochrome.

• Hire a professional decorator

Ultimately, if you don’t have time to invest in home staging, you can always hire a professional home stager and decorator. They are professionals who will make sure to present your home and its furniture in the best light possible. 

The Don’ts of Selling a House with Furniture in It

• Don’t set an unrealistic price

Many sellers think that they can increase the price of their home listing by having furniture in it. Unfortunately, this isn’t the typical case. You can somewhat increase the price for sure, but asking for too much more would be a big mistake.

There are two primary reasons for this:

1. Many buyers aren’t attached to furniture and don’t like a particular style.
2. Also, most buyers consider doing you a favor by buying your home with furniture.

Therefore, it would be wise to talk to your real estate agent about this, so you figure out a reasonable price together.

• Don’t forget to advertise it the right way

It would help to keep in mind that selling a furnished home means looking for specific types of buyers. You will limit your buyer’s pool and eliminate buyers not looking for furnished homes by advertising your home correctly. This way, you won’t waste your time.

The good news is that furnished houses sell faster. But, you’ll need to make sure you create an eye-catching ad.

• Don’t go overboard with the personal touch

This is a step that goes for your whole home staging process. Usually, the houses with the highest chances of getting reasonable offers are the ones in neutral colors. 

For instance, it might be worth repainting walls with a neutral color that fits everyone’s taste. This tip also stands if you have accent furniture pieces in bright colors. The colors are fine, but they have to be balanced out with more neutrals around them. For example, you could use accessories, cushions, and throws in more neutral colors.

• Don’t forget to hire a professional photographer and market the house correctly

Finally, you might already know that most buyers will first look at online listings before contacting your or your realtor for a showing. That’s why you should make the first impression count. Having pictures taken by a professional is an investment that will pay off. Firstly, a professional photographer knows how to accentuate the best parts of your home from different angles. Secondly, it will make you appear serious and professional to buyers, which is always a plus.

Conclusion Selling a furnished home is possible. Like everything, this also requires some thought and a few changes and investments. However, the tips you read in this article are the ones that will most certainly pay off. Happy selling!