Your Vacant Carlsbad Home May NOT Be Helping You Sell It!
And There is Risk Involved
Selling a vacant Carlsbad home may not be an easy thing to do. I’m not speaking about REOs and short sales – that’s a topic for another post.
But if you are an equity seller, your vacant Carlsbad home may not be helping you sell it, particularly where there is plenty of competition.
Most sellers, when moving out of their home to a new one, or at least a new location, leave behind a vacant house. I get that.
You want your furniture and personal possessions with you, so you pack up and leave an empty home to show.
Truth is, many buyers have a hard time with vacant homes, especially if they are unique with unusual or non-traditional spaces, or have “no personality” making it harder to envision how they would “live” there. Yep, it’s probably all about emotion and psychology, but it’s there.
We all know depersonalizing and de-cluttering…or staging, to go to the next level…is important to not distract buyers.
But the opposite extreme is presenting a blank canvas, and some buyers simply cannot start to feel they could live in that environment, at least if comments I have heard hold true.
If nothing else, the boring nature gives them something else to gripe about.
Thankfully some enjoy the blank slate and appreciate being able to make it their own.
The risks to a vacant Carlsbad house are obvious. A vacant Carlsbad house invites intruders, especially if it sits there for a long period with no lights on and no one paying attention to the property.
Possible remedies include having neighbors check on the property, making sure your agent does so at least weekly, and having a light or two on timers.
Another option is to leave some furniture in your old home, if you can manage it. This can help make the house feel more welcoming, and perhaps adding a bit of life.
An additional option, costing money of course, is staging. But if you can keep some of your own possessions there for a period of time, that’s a good solution.
It’s true some Carlsbad homes actually show better without the homeowner’s stuff, and if there are great views that may be enough. But some houses convey a more positive impression if there are some furnishings –if the home is very neutral or all white, with no enhancements, interesting finishes or architectural features.
The other potential risk with a vacant Carlsbad house is your homeowner’s insurance. I have heard of insurance companies canceling policies of homes vacated by homeowners, and the insurance provider might have an issue if the policy holder is no longer living there, depending on the type of policy. It may never come up, or they might not find out, but what happens if there is a claim due to theft or damage? It’s probably prudent to check on your policy if you are not living there to make sure you have coverage in the event of a problem.
Obviously sometimes there is little choice BUT to leave a vacant house behind.
But I’m curious what others think, pro or con.
Will a vacant house sell? Absolutely, they do all the time. But can it hurt. Possibly.
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If I can provide more information about Carlsbad homes and real estate for sale and surrounding areas, the housing market in general (or locally), or otherwise assist you, friends or family in a home search or sale, please contact my mobile office or text me at (760) 840-1360 or email me at JeffDowlerSolutions@gmail.com
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