Anonymous wrote:The owner’s little cat followed us around during our showing and it made me feel cozy and at home. It just seemed like a happy home.

So funny! I would not want to buy a house that a cat lived in. Hair everywhere, cat smell permeating rugs and drapes, etc.

New face plates on light switches and outlets.

New toilet seats too.

Anonymous wrote:I prefer empty houses. The things that most impress me are thorough cleaning and fresh paint.

+1

Totally turned off by staging. It's not how people live. I want to see where you put the kitchen trash can. Where does the TV go? Space in the hallway for shoes and coats.

Either empty (so I can envision) or keep as you live there.

Anonymous wrote:The owner’s little cat followed us around during our showing and it made me feel cozy and at home. It just seemed like a happy home.

Ew cats.

Forever urine scent and dander in the house. Automatic deal breaker.

The amount of light that was streaming in. May want to time your open house accordingly.

I also liked it when there were obvious solutions in sight - like if there was no entry closet there was a set of hooks behind the door (uncluttered of course).

I prefer empty houses. The things that most impress me are thorough cleaning and fresh paint.

We got a POD delivered, filled it with "extra items" to make the house look a bit more spacious. For instance- 2 of the dining table chairs (from 8 to 6), the ottomans, a couple of small tables, extra dinnerware from cabinets, decorative items off the tables, clear bathroom and kitchen counters and 1/3 of our clothes out of the closets. We aren't clutter keepers by any means but it looks so much more spacious when you do this.

I don't know how helpful this will be because I generally don't like staged homes. But I'm currently house hunting and this is the stuff, design wise, that can make the difference in choosing to go see a house or put in an offer or offer above ask (keeping in mind that none of this matters as much as fundamentals -- location, size, price):

- Furniture that fits the space well and shows how it can flow. I want to be able to see that the living room can comfortable fit a sofa and a couple chairs, or a good size sectional, without creating odd traffic flow or weird sight lines. The furniture does not (should not) need to be the biggest possible items. It should be proportional to show what it feels like in those rooms when fully furnished.

- Design details that maximize or demonstrate the usefulness of bonus spaces. This isn't a necessity if the house is larger, but in a smaller house, it's really nice when spaces like an enclosed porch, a finished basement, powder rooms, and alcoves are staged to highlight their size and functionality. Because in a smaller house, those spaces are likely to become a home office, exercise room, or playroom for us, and seeing them decorated and staged helps me be able to tell if they are large enough and functional enough for those uses. We only have one kid and are very specific about location, plus we like "charming" houses, so we are considering 2 bedroom houses but need some flexible, pleasant bonus space to make that work. Staging can help a lot with that.

Other than that, fresh paint, having the floors properly cleaned up and treated as necessary to address scratches or wear/tear, and then making sure indoor and outdoor spaces are clean and uncluttered is enough.

The selling agent. Her genuine vibe.

Our house was fully empty when we bought it- but freshly painted, new light fixtures, etc. Looked very clean and move in ready

Good tip on not having fake chemical Glade scents above. It’s a turn-off and makes people think you might be hiding another scent. And those went out of fashion in 1999.

From looking at houses with my parents:
Clean the windows, stair rails, switch plates, anything that gets touched.
No boob lights, find something plain but better looking.
Absolutely no cooking, weed or smoke smell. My parents walked out of more than one house immediately due to these. Many people don't like perfumed Glade scents either. Boil some cinnamon sticks or mint leaves.
No evidence of pets...I saw everything you can imagine including crated dogs!

Replace the toilet seats, especially if they are wooden or plastic plush. So gross.

Everything clean. We have gone into so many houses where the people have moved and Zillow says they have been painted. The inside of the closets and pantries are dirty and scuffed and detract from the other paint. Also, we have seen houses that look great and then get to utilitarian parts of the basement and it feels like they haven't been touched in generations.

Less is more. No clutter. But show a couple pieces of furniture so we know the purpose of strange rooms.