'Staging" your house for sale when you're into cycling
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A realtor gave us really good advice once. As long as your house is neat and uncluttered, that’s the important thing. If buyers can easily imagine their stuff in your house, it’s good. But if your house is full of things like junk and iheavy, almost immovable objects, that keeps buyers from making that positive, mental move in to your house.
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When I first moved to Santa Cruz, and was looking to buy a house, the market was so "hot" that the seller of one house thought it was perfectly fine to leave a steaming pile of cat shyte in the middle of the house. I shyte you not.
#30
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A realtor gave us really good advice once. As long as your house is neat and uncluttered, that’s the important thing. If buyers can easily imagine their stuff in your house, it’s good. But if your house is full of things like junk and iheavy, almost immovable objects, that keeps buyers from making that positive, mental move in to your house.
Having built, lived in, and sold several homes in the last two decades, a clean neat home will absolutely sell. As you said, if the buyer cannot imagine their stuff in your house it’s best they move on.
Pet odor can be an instant show stopper on a house sale, especially house cats.
Last edited by Patriot1; 04-07-18 at 04:44 AM.
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A realtor gave us really good advice once. As long as your house is neat and uncluttered, that’s the important thing. If buyers can easily imagine their stuff in your house, it’s good. But if your house is full of things like junk and iheavy, almost immovable objects, that keeps buyers from making that positive, mental move in to your house.
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As much as I love looking at my bikes, and as much as it gives me the warm fuzzies to see them in other peoples’ houses, I would definitely NOT have them anywhere in a house staged for sale, other than a place typical of bike storage, such as a garage.
In terms of a bike on a trainer, I would lose it unless it is in a room that seems like it was intended as a “rec room”. Definitely not in a bedroom or den.
In terms of a bike on a trainer, I would lose it unless it is in a room that seems like it was intended as a “rec room”. Definitely not in a bedroom or den.
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Having bought and sold houses and lived with parents who did it a LOT and mom who is an architect and interior designer- staging a house doesn't mean removing everything and putting in something else.. it means neatening it up so it looks usable, and then removing things that might impede someone seeing it as their own... adding things to make the rooms look functional and designable. Make sure that it looks like it can be lived in and EVERYTHING has a home. Bikes in the garage or a workout space, but if there is any question about a room being listed as a bedroom having room for a bed, etc.. better to make it look like a bedroom than a craft room, office or workout room... if its big enough that it can be imagined in other ways even with the workout gear, and that is minimal enough to not make the room look small, leave it.. we had my bike on a trainer in the family room when one house sold... it was the spot we had taken out the loveseat to put it in... there was plenty of room to picture it with other furniture- it actually looked bigger with the bike than the loveseat!
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We put our house up for sale 4 weeks ago and I did as many have said. The stuff that wasn't being used went in to a storage are and the rest was tucked away nice and neat. Sold the house in 20 days which is very good in our area.
4 pics: The first is a BEFORE pic of my shop (4th bedroom) and the other three are AFTER pics.
IMG_4324 by trsnrtr, on Flickr
After by trsnrtr, on Flickr
IMG_0667 by trsnrtr, on Flickr
IMG_0875 by trsnrtr, on Flickr
4 pics: The first is a BEFORE pic of my shop (4th bedroom) and the other three are AFTER pics.
IMG_4324 by trsnrtr, on Flickr
After by trsnrtr, on Flickr
IMG_0667 by trsnrtr, on Flickr
IMG_0875 by trsnrtr, on Flickr
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#35
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I love the idea of this thread, as my wife has indicated we’d have a similar dilemma if/when we sell our current house.
My thought, having seen a lot of your pics, hypnotoad:
- hide the drop bar pugsley...among non cyclists fatbikes are weird. Among cyclists, 90% think a drop bar fat bike is weird, and the other 10% will think it’s so awesome they will steel it.
- biggest risk is being considered a hippy liberal biker...hedge your bets with an Escalade in the driveway.
But seriously...
I don’t think it turns off anyone. A lot of people have hobbies and decorating tastes that are different than mine. Seeing a taste of reality in a house just emphasizes it has been lived in and enjoyed by someone else, and isn’t just a “flip” that someone spit-polished to sell fast.
My thought, having seen a lot of your pics, hypnotoad:
- hide the drop bar pugsley...among non cyclists fatbikes are weird. Among cyclists, 90% think a drop bar fat bike is weird, and the other 10% will think it’s so awesome they will steel it.
- biggest risk is being considered a hippy liberal biker...hedge your bets with an Escalade in the driveway.
But seriously...
I don’t think it turns off anyone. A lot of people have hobbies and decorating tastes that are different than mine. Seeing a taste of reality in a house just emphasizes it has been lived in and enjoyed by someone else, and isn’t just a “flip” that someone spit-polished to sell fast.
Funny enough, the drop bar Pug is the hardest bike to put in a 'nice' place. It typically leans on the snowblower next to the garage door. I don't have a hook to hang/store the beast. Since I work from a home office, I plan to take the Pug with me when we have showings... I'll use my car to haul the dogs and bike to the doggy daycare, leave the car at daycare, and bike to a coffee shop to set up my laptop.
The photographer shows up later today, and the listing goes live tomorrow. Here's hoping we get a strong offer right away and spare me all this running around.
#36
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Update: the house is officially listed. Try to find a bike in these pics... you'd think we don't know about bikes. LOL
https://www.edinarealty.com/pete-ice...5391-4938711#/
https://www.edinarealty.com/pete-ice...5391-4938711#/
#37
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Since you are definitely moving, put as much stuff into storage as you can. I actually think one trainer in a guest room is not a big deal. You just want enough stuff so it looks like a house but a really spacious and clean house. If you live in a "hot market" this should be over really quick!
If you have an amazing bike garage that could be a selling point to other cyclists!
Last edited by KraneXL; 05-07-18 at 06:13 PM.
#38
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I'm happy to de-cluttered and organize (just look at the pics in the link I posted), but bikes are therapy for me (my liver can't take the level of booze needed when I can't ride bikes). We've found a good balance with the stager, agent, and our love of bikes.
Also consider your community, in some areas having a classic car in your garage would be awesome to buyers. In our area, bikes are very popular - Minneapolis is much like Portlandia - we didn't make it a bike house, but there are bikes in the garage and basement.
To that point, we have a 1937 Chrysler Royal in the garage, not gonna hide that. So we kept a couple framed items near the garage door to tell the car's story (Grandpa's receipt from 1958, '37 magazine ad for the car, and a calendar pic of the car).
Also consider your community, in some areas having a classic car in your garage would be awesome to buyers. In our area, bikes are very popular - Minneapolis is much like Portlandia - we didn't make it a bike house, but there are bikes in the garage and basement.
To that point, we have a 1937 Chrysler Royal in the garage, not gonna hide that. So we kept a couple framed items near the garage door to tell the car's story (Grandpa's receipt from 1958, '37 magazine ad for the car, and a calendar pic of the car).
Last edited by Hypno Toad; 05-07-18 at 07:15 AM.
#39
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Now that the ink is almost dry on the offer, counter-offer, counter-counter-offer, .... I can post a quick update: Our bikes never came up in the process.
I talked with our buyer last week and the only comment was that she likes our bike hooks/storage for their bikes. The 1937 Chrysler in the garage wasn't mentioned except that I said we've been able to store 4 cars in the 3-car garage (classic car on wheel-dollies sideways in the front of the garage). I'm gonna miss this huge garage!
I talked with our buyer last week and the only comment was that she likes our bike hooks/storage for their bikes. The 1937 Chrysler in the garage wasn't mentioned except that I said we've been able to store 4 cars in the 3-car garage (classic car on wheel-dollies sideways in the front of the garage). I'm gonna miss this huge garage!
#40
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We are in the rent storage and stash phase here. I wasn’t planning on leaving anything here but one bike and a pump
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LOL! But we're looking for a smaller house... and I'm happy to say we found one! We're moving next month, but first our daughter's wedding is next week (what the hell were we thinking?!?!) The new house is at the nexus of 4 major rail-trail bike corridors, two lead into Minneapolis and two lead out west of the city... and great roads to ride too.
I will steal the trainer table from this pic... that's a great idea!
I will steal the trainer table from this pic... that's a great idea!
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