Selling houses - photos on walls yes/no?

Mrs_J_3

When I've viewed proprties I actually like to see some personal touches, it proves that the house is live-able and not some show house where the lack of storage/usable space is hidden by having no possessions.
We saw one house with some photos from the couples travels and a wedding photo, the kitchen was crammed full of gadgets and cook books and we fell for the place as we knew that people with a lifestyle we aspired too functioned perfectly well in that space. When I see no books on the shelves, generic mass market artwork and a home devoid of evidence that people live there I get very suspicious and assume there is a real problem with living in that space.
I think the key is to think who is likely to buy your home? Is it a small flat that really would only appeal to couples of singles or a big sprawling home which a growing family would love.

DVardysShadow

googler wrote: »

That's the spirit, take down the photos but don't repair the nail holes or vacuum the dust bunnies away from the wall ......

Seriously, would anyone take them down and NOT clean up behind them?

Sometimes it is the place where the pictures were that is clean and it is the rest of the wall which needs sorting...

beccad

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Decluttering and depersonalising is about only leaving out items that actually add something to the look of the property - photos of you are there because they hold memories, artistic photos of places can be attractive to anyone. Sorry to be blunt but your make-up is not interesting to anyone but you!

As many surfaces as possible should be clear of clutter so make-up, toiletries, washing up liquid, cooking oil and condiments put away. Lots of bits and bobs out is a subtle signal to a prospective buyer that there isn't enough storage space, that you are growing out of the place. Books should be in their designated home on a bookshelf, they are only clutter if they are on surfaces.

I'm not expecting my make up to be of interest to anyone (it's not of much interest to me!), but we still live here and I find it hard to believe that buyers will walk into someone else's home and be surprised to see evidence of people living there?? My flat isn't a mess. We've tidied, decluttered and cleaned the flat to within and inch of its life, the books are on the shelves, cooking oil is in the cupboard (where it has always lived !) but we still have to function day to day. I'm not talking about leaving dirty laundry scattered around, or last night's dinner plates unwashed in the kitchen :eek:

Mrs_J wrote: »

When I've viewed proprties I actually like to see some personal touches, it proves that the house is live-able and not some show house where the lack of storage/usable space is hidden by having no possessions.
We saw one house with some photos from the couples travels and a wedding photo, the kitchen was crammed full of gadgets and cook books and we fell for the place as we knew that people with a lifestyle we aspired too functioned perfectly well in that space. When I see no books on the shelves, generic mass market artwork and a home devoid of evidence that people live there I get very suspicious and assume there is a real problem with living in that space.
I think the key is to think who is likely to buy your home? Is it a small flat that really would only appeal to couples of singles or a big sprawling home which a growing family would love.

It's a two-bedroom flat - classic FTB property. I too would be suspicious of walking into a place that has no evidence of occupation....

Anyway, I've taken down some of the photos and left some up

googler

Semi-formal poll on this one - should they have removed the baby photo from the wall, and the family photos on the window ledge prior to taking the photos...?

http://www.espc.com/EspcPublicMedia/RegistrationMedia/284000/284900/284989/Particulars/284989.pdf

???

greenface

when we bought this current house off a "old girl" there were pictures every where mainly seaside pics in old frames (about 40/50 in each downstairs room and over 50+ in the small loo . Made the place dark and small. We could see beyond the pics and bought it, a lovely bright empty house a few weeks later.

Not a picture or photo in sight then found out the "old girl" was married to a very famous artist and they were worth a fortune. Still looking under floor boards

Fire_Fox

beccad wrote: »

I'm not expecting my make up to be of interest to anyone (it's not of much interest to me!), but we still live here and I find it hard to believe that buyers will walk into someone else's home and be surprised to see evidence of people living there?? My flat isn't a mess. We've tidied, decluttered and cleaned the flat to within and inch of its life, the books are on the shelves, cooking oil is in the cupboard (where it has always lived !) but we still have to function day to day. I'm not talking about leaving dirty laundry scattered around, or last night's dinner plates unwashed in the kitchen :eek:

I don't wish to offend you but what I am saying is what some viewers will think or feel. Many buyers will not feel comfortable nosing around YOUR home; what they want to do is visit THEIR future home. You are not selling your life you are selling a generic aspirational lifestyle. In some ways your home stops being your home the minute you put it on the market, it is a house on Rightmove, it is virtually public property! Would you buy somewhere you felt like you were invading a stranger's personal space or would you buy a place that you felt immediately comfortable?

googler

beccad wrote: »

I'm not expecting my make up to be of interest to anyone (it's not of much interest to me!), but we still live here and I find it hard to believe that buyers will walk into someone else's home and be surprised to see evidence of people living there?? ..... we still have to function day to day.

Previous poster said it too - once it's on the market, you shouldn't be presenting it as your home - you should be presenting it as a product.

If that means buying a box or bag that will hold all your daily make-up and personal grooming products, so that once you're done in the morning, you tuck them all away until the next time you need them, so be it.

If that means putting your toothbrush and toothpaste away in a similar fashion, so be it.

Doozergirl

googler wrote: »

Semi-formal poll on this one - should they have removed the baby photo from the wall, and the family photos on the window ledge prior to taking the photos...?

http://www.espc.com/EspcPublicMedia/RegistrationMedia/284000/284900/284989/Particulars/284989.pdf

???

Who cares! Offers over £440,000 for 1500 square feet!? That's what I'm thinking. Wow.

Catblue

googler wrote: »

Semi-formal poll on this one - should they have removed the baby photo from the wall, and the family photos on the window ledge prior to taking the photos...?

http://www.espc.com/EspcPublicMedia/RegistrationMedia/284000/284900/284989/Particulars/284989.pdf

???

In that one, I'd say they should remove the photos you describe. However, it doesn't look bad with the photos around since there aren't too many of them and the rest of the house is uncluttered.

Just my opinion though.

googler

Doozergirl wrote: »

Who cares! Offers over £440,000 for 1500 square feet!? That's what I'm thinking. Wow.

...and not even proper gateposts!

Pics could have been so much better with just slight changes, though...

Remove the bog brush, and reframe it without the reflection in the bathroom cabinet mirror?

Take away the red flowers in the en-suite, and lose the shower mitt from the shower cubicle?

Reframe the bedroom photos to lose the objects at the edge of frame?

The agents are very keen to show us all the light fittings, make no mistake..... and it looks as though the rear lawn is dying