Things Ottawa Buyers May Noticed #27 – A Tale of 2 Vacant Houses

Posted on December 11, 2009 
Filed Under Listing and Selling Your Home, Things Buyers May Notice, Valerie Zinger

If you have to put a house on the market because of a serious illness or death of the owner, it would be advisable to treat the house as an investment to preserve and to maintain value.  In the past month I have seen two examples – one good and one not-so-good – about how to keep the value.

In the first house, the executrix had staged the house with a few pieces of furniture and a few things in the cupboards.  She had left a vacuum and mop so that she could visit the house and keep it clean during the selling period.  Everything was spotless.  The staging was just a few bits here and there but showed the function of the rooms.  The dining room table had been set and looked inviting, the master bedroom was cleaned but furniture left in it and the bathrooms had clean towels, soap and toilet paper.  This house sold in less than a week.

In the second house, old furniture, dust bunnies and dirt predominated the house.  The washroom was dirty and old cosmetics and medicines were left on the counter.  In the kitchen, each cupboard had a layer of grime that would have required considerable elbow grease to remove – if someone wanted to keep the cupboards.  At this house, Buyers or Agents did not remove their shoes because the house was so dirty.  It was clear no one was living in the house but also that no one had cleaned it before putting it on the market.  While in a good location, the house did not sell for several weeks.

If you are managing an estate, try to get the family’s agreement to clean and fix the house before it goes on the market.  It will be worth every penny.

Photo credit:  My Old Medicine bottle / jar collection on Flickr @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/aussiegall/309391023/

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