(CHEROKEE LAKE REALTY WRITES A WEEKLY COLUMN FOR THE GRAINGER COUNTY JOURNAL NEWSPAPER. THIS WAS A RECENT QUESTION ASKED BY A READER.)
Now, I’m addressing your specific situation. If the furniture has been used by renters and is not in the best of condition, I would empty the house out. I know that will present some work for you, but I believe that is the best option. There are some businesses that will accept donations on furniture items that are not in decent shape. This will also make it easier for you to paint, remodel, and do a thorough cleaning. If the furniture is in good shape and you will be advertising it as a rental opportunity, then leave it. It will create more work for you as you clean, for example, but the fact a buyer may want to continue using it as a rental will be appealing to them if it is already furnished.
There are times when a home that is furnished, and has very nice furniture, will look so much better in a photo session than when it’s empty. Potential buyers can get an idea of what their furniture will look like in the different rooms. But be careful. An extra bedroom, or two, that has a bed that is too large for those rooms will make the space look cramped. Whereas you only have a bed and minimal furniture in those rooms, the buyer may have night tables, dressers, televisions, etc. and they will realize that your bedrooms will not work for them.
My recommendation is to feature a home for sale showing the furniture. If there is too much furniture, remove some. Clutter is not your friend when doing a photo shoot that will go live. If furniture is in poor shape, consider some options.
One final observation. Moving is never fun. If you have a lot of furniture, which most folks do, moving companies will charge you a pretty penny. And this goes both ways. Some buyers will not want to move their furniture across the country to their new home. So, your furniture may be appealing to them. The furniture can be used in negotiations with your buyer. They may be willing to pay a higher price for the furnished home. Or perhaps, including the furniture in the deal may make a tough negotiation work out for both parties.
