Tips for Selling a Vacant House

I am asked on a frequent basis which is better, 'to sell a house vacant or occupied?' The rule of thumb has always been that houses show better occupied than vacant. However, I can give you many cases in which the seller's occupancy hurt the sell more than it helped and other cases where the sellers decorating forte sold the house.  Ultimately, buyers pay for what they can see and when you sell a home vacant the defects & dirt become more obvious. Sometimes, sellers have no or little choice whether or not to sell occupied vs vacant, due to their circumstances. Here is a list of general do's and don'ts if you must sell your home vacant.

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Vacant House Do's & Don'ts during listing:

Do
1.  Lightly staged in key target areas (does NOT necessarily
 mean furniture) Speak with your Realtor prior to vacating your property; in the event it is possible to leave some key items for staging.
2. Professionally deep cleaned after move out.
3. Clean all appliances inside and out.
4. No dead bugs on floors or window seals or cobwebs anywhere.
5. Climate controlled at comfortable temperature.
6 . Walls, trim are freshly painted with no defects.
7. Floors are professionally cleaned and vacuumed periodically.
8. Well lit with lots of light. No closed blinds/shutters and no burnt out light bulbs.
9. Neutral odor fragrance diffuser. (periodically open doors/windows to air out)
10. Ceiling fans set on low.
11. Hire for weekly yard and pool maintenance.
12. All utilities remain on.
13. Baths have hand towels and toilet paper.
14. Have someone to check on home weekly/daily to ensure presentation and security.
15. Ensure security without impeding showings.
16. Consider a professional house sitter/stager.
17. Speak to your insurance agent about vacancy coverage on your home.
18. Consider having a bi-weekly maid service to sweep, vacuum, dust counter tops and remove dead bugs.

Don't
1. Expect your listing agent will take care of the items in the Do list. Most won't and don't.
2. Assume showing real estate agents will re-secure your home appropriately.
3. Leave unattended for weeks at a time.
4.  Use the garage as a storage or trash facility. 
5. Turn off the heat/air thermostat.
6. Leave the house dark.
7. Let the landscaping die or become over grown. Or pool green.
8. Let flyers, mail or newspapers pile up.
9. Let bugs or cobwebs collect on floors, ceilings or window seals.