selling home, tips to get house ready for viewing

I am seeling my home, a 5 year old town house in a good development in north central Dublin.
I have had it repainted recently ( nice and neutral), and it is in quite good nick.
My question is on how far to go with the "declutter."
I am moving to a new place , renting, before selling this house.
Should I leave stuff like paintings, TV, sofas and beds in place, or leave it completely bare for potential buyers?
Should all litte nick nacks, even impersonal ones, be removed at the time too?
I also have a difficulty with the beds in the bedrooms. My second bedroom is a bit small, with quite an ambitious double bed in it. The third "bedroom" ( developers must have thought we were hobbits) is really only used as a study. Would readers recommend putting a single bed in this ( no room for storage then) or keep a desk and chair in there?
I would be grateful for tips from others, who have recently sold, or even better, those who are actively househunting at the moment.

Hi Rob 30

I have been looking at houses for a while now and would definately recommend leaving in the main functional furniture such as beds and sofa's.

for one an empty house suggests a more urgent need to offload as it not lived in or rented - which will affect offers imho. Also any empty house I have looked at never gives off a great feeling, because it is harder to judge the rooms.

Other than these though I would remove as much personal belongings as possible to remove clutter.

would leave a single bed in small room rather than desk but only if you had one already

Paddy

How about buying a 1.5 sized bed for your second bedroom? It would look like a double bed, yet give you more floor space. And if you think your house will be mainly aimed at young couples starting out how about putting a crib and changing table in the third room so it becomes a nursery.

Leave strategic ornaments around the house. Nothing too personal, but a small few tasteful decortaions which compliment the decore.

But remember this is an extremely slow moving market. The most important factor in getting a quick sale will be the price. So set a realistic price as the longer it takes to sell the harder it will be if interest rates rise again and once the new regulations stating banks must stress test for a 3% IR rise becomes law.

Make sure the garden is neat and tidy (trim the hedges, mow the lawn), paint any paintwork that looks scruffy. If you leave these things looking uncared for, prospective buyers may wonder about all the things can't be seen, that may have been uncared for.

If you are using an estate agent for the sale then s/he should be able to advise on the best tips for "dressing" the house for sale.

iguana said:

And if you think your house will be mainly aimed at young couples starting out how about putting a crib and changing table in the third room so it becomes a nursery.

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this turned me right off some houses to be honest as it gave the impression that the previous owners had a child and outgrew the house!

Put a single bed into the study and get rid of your desk and chair.
If you have a double bed in the second room, take out everything else including lockers, you will then have an impression of space.
Pack away all your knickknacks but leave your paintings on the wall. Leave only a minimum of personal photographs.
Clear down all your surfaces. For example in your kitchen remove the kettle/toaster etc from the counters. It gives the impression of space and it also allows the buyer to vision what their items will look like there. Remember not everyone will have your taste!
Strategically place lighting in darker areas then ensure that all lights are switched on before a viewing.
Try not to have too much plain/bland colours and introduce elements of colour in each room otherwise the house can appear too dull.

Thanks for the advice. Anyone interesting in buying a nice townhouse, let me know!

This might not apply to you but one thing that I really dislike when viewing a house is a huge trampoline in a small garden, meaning you can't really look around outside. I've also seen houses with washing on the clothes line, washing machine turned on, radio on etc and also the owners sitting in a car outside! People should feel relaxed and comfortable looking around the house and not like they've just intruded into your home.

At a basic level the house should be spotlessly clean and tidy.

from viewing houses myself its the small things that matter, make sure the bathroom is spotless nothing worse than viewing houses that are dirty and have yuck in the plugholes in the sinks! Nice fresh smells in the house so it feels clean, nothing worse than walking in and smelling yesterdays dinner or dirty bins! Good luck with the sale!

Agree with Pc7. never underestimate the little things - if these are left undone house can look a bit uncared for and can make the viewer question whether all has been well maintained even in a relatively new house. My cousin is one of those who'd run her finger along skirting boards to see if they're hovered as well as the floor. Also make sure no cobwebs.