A home that goes on the market unfurnished presents additional challenges for prospective buyers.
That’s because they’ll need an excellent sense of perspective and a good imagination to picture what the property might look like when furnished.
Often, buyers will fear a property is smaller because it lacks furnishings to give some perspective to its actual size.
This challenge should give sellers some pause. Making life harder for the buyer is not ideal.
However, there are pluses and minuses to buying and selling an unfurnished property.
As an experienced real estate agent in your neighborhood, I’ve written down some thoughts to explain these pros and cons. I hope you find them helpful.
Selling an unfurnished property can be easier, cheaper and more practical, especially for those needing to sell or move on quickly. You can also save money by deciding not to stage your home.
Cleaning it before buyers arrive is also a lot simpler.
However, unfurnished properties can quickly reveal structural flaws or issues, such as cracks, gaps, dents – or worse. For buyers, this is an advantage as it’s better to have such problems exposed.
Sellers also need to consider that unfurnished rooms can look smaller because there’s no furniture, such as a large couch or a queen-size bed, to give you perspective.
Empty properties also miss that homely, lived-in appeal.
Home decor is always highly subjective, and your well-loved furniture may discourage rather than attract potential buyers. This is why so many agents recommend staging and repainting in neutral colors.
Buyers should be prepared to use their imagination – and measuring tape – when walking through these properties. Many buyers appreciate an empty property because it offers a blank canvas of possibilities.