Selling an empty or occupied house?
You have decided to sell your house, but are you taking the pictures in an empty or occupied house? To get straight to the point, houses that have to be sold can look best inhabited.
Selling an occupied house
Selling a house is easiest when it can be seen when the house is occupied, clean and well maintained. This gives buyers an atmosphere of the inhabited house. This also immediately provides the potential buyer an image of how he can divide the space when it is occupied.
Furthermore, it is important that the house you are going to sell looks occupied, but it should not look like it is lived in. You do this by removing things like trash cans, toilet rolls and anything pet-related.
As a result, the focus is on selling an inhabited house instead of imagining the lives of the previous residents. Objects that are not immediately necessary to make a house look inhabited also make the room appear smaller. Also, as many wrong associations as possible should be omitted.
There is also the risk when selling an occupied house that unnecessary accessories hide possible disturbances. Like a painting hiding a hole in the wall. If you leave all this out, you also show that the walls, floors, doors etc are all in good condition.
The inhabited house must look homely, without the selling party’s own style being visible.
Selling an empty house
The idea of selling an empty house is that the space is clearly visible. However, the vacancy also ensures that potential buyers have no orientation point for the space.
The vacancy of the house ensures that the focus is on small imperfections. In this way, the image of buyers is negatively influenced more quickly.
Another disadvantage for people who sell an empty house is that the house is more difficult to imagine as a home. This is due to the lack of furniture. This also does not give potential buyers the idea of whether their furniture can replace the furniture of the current residents.
Selling an empty house therefore has the disadvantages that imperfections are visible more quickly and it is more difficult to present a home as a home to potential buyers.
How do you make a house look occupied despite being vacant?
Want to make a house look occupied when it is vacant? There is a solution for that, namely a sales stylist. This is also known as sales styling.
The sales stylist ensures that a house that is vacant for sale looks like an occupied house. Before the sales photos can be taken, or potential buyers come over.
This has been happening in America since 1972. Did you know that in America 95% of all houses are only sold after an interior update?
The effect of sales styling is that an empty house for sale is sold faster on average and a higher price is often offered on the house. A sales stylist can get started for €500,- and will only recommend investments that pay for themselves.
A sales stylist is also fiscally interesting when selling a vacant house. This is because the costs of the stylist are part of the selling costs. You may deduct these costs from the equity, which increases the mortgage interest deduction.
Tips for selling an inhabited/styled house
-Does the house you are going to sell have a fireplace? Turn it on for the photo!
-Make sure the sales photos are taken on a sunny day. Sunlight creates a positive association.
– Before the sale photos are taken and potential buyers come by, try to make the house look as fresh as possible. You can do this by putting flowers on the table or a plant in the rooms.
-Before potential buyers come by, make sure the house is well ventilated. This will blow the unpleasant odors out of the house (scents you might not notice yourself anymore). This prevents possible negative associations.
Styling tips for an occupied house for sale
In an occupied house for sale, there are different focal points for the spaces. Make sure to incorporate as many of these tips as possible before the interior photographer and potential buyers come along.
Kitchen styling tips
Make sure the counter is as empty as possible, arrange a flower or a filled fruit bowl and make sure that kitchen utensils such as dish brushes and tea towels are tidy.
Garden styling tips
Make sure all windows are closed, garden furniture is dressed, the grass is mowed and the sidewalk is swept.
Styling tips living room
Remove the net curtains so that more sunlight comes in, try to make as much floor visible as possible and clear the windowsills.
Bedroom styling tips
Try to let in as much sunlight as possible by opening the curtains, make sure there is a neutral duvet cover and remove as much stuff from your nightstand as possible.
Bathroom styling tips
Make sure that when there is a toilet roll it is full, lower the toilet seat and remove products that you have at home for personal hygiene such as toothpaste and deodorant.