We're also getting ready to sell our home. The stager (service provided by the realtor) told me to remove the valance as it is not "in" anymore, and just leave the windows bare, pull the blinds all the way up during showing, because buyers want it bright and light and airy. She said I can leave the curtain rods there, but maybe I'll remove them.

I have curtain panels in the formal living room and dining room, and she said those are ok. I don't know if this is regional.

We are doing the same as you, selling to downsize. We have nothing on our windows, including shades or binds. Your realtor will hopefully have a professional photographer come in to photograph the rooms. I have seen some horrendous pictures that include clutter in the rooms. Because your home, like ours, will have some rooms with no furniture, in my opinion that is better. Mae sure all rooms are spotless with nothing extra except furniture in them (except lamps, vase of flowers etc). I have seen photos with dog toys piled next to a couch, totes beneath a desk, clutter on counters (take off as much as possible including small appliances), too much furniture cluttering rooms, too many knick knacks and the dreaded exercise equipment in the bedroom (along with bed and dressers!). It amazes me that realtors do not say anything to their clients and do not know enough to have this taken care of at least for the photos being taken.

You will get conflicting advice on staging.

I think clean and bright comes first. Our realtor also had a stager/designer consult with us. We had nice custom panel track blinds in the main rooms. Those could stay...and stay open. Pottery barn curtains in the guest rooms stayed. Mini blinds in the office and walkout came down. Curtains in the kitchen came down and into the trash. Hardware and and rods removed. I think it depends on current styles for the area.

As for furniture. If you have a beautiful decorator home, by all means thin out the personal effects and stage it. But for many of us, by the time we are moving furniture can be old, worn, dated. In this case it is better to remove it than keep it.

People like to see beds in bedrooms, otherwise they have a hard time with the size (will a bed even fit in here? I don't know...let's move on). But don't junk it up with other furniture or it starts looking too small again.

Oddly shaped spaces or unusual rooms need something. Our stager had us leave a custom sectional in the family room (the only furniture) so that buyers could see how furniture could fit the 30 degree angles and still view the tv.

We removed most stuff to a pod and had it stored off site. So closets and drawers were empty and spotlessly clean, etc.

Good luck!

Expectations for staging can vary greatly from region to region - here I didn't find it necessary. If you have space or rooms where the use might be questionable and a specific furniture layout required to show how to best use, then by all means stage that area...

I took down the formal window coverings and the rods hardware, had the plaster repaired from their removal, fresh new paint on all window trim and left them bare. I did leave neutral custom inside mount roman shades in two of the bedrooms, purchased only about a year previously and dust free. The house looked bright, airy, was spotlessly clean including all that glass (there were a lot of windows ;0)) and there was no delay at all in selling. Without seeing photos of the rooms you are questioning, my best advice would be leave clean and bare rather than try to guess what a buyer might find attractive on the windows.

The last house we sold was 4500 sf and had curtains on only one window and blinds on 3 in the entire house (privacy not an issue because of lot size). Our windows had white painted trim, so looked nice, and it was just a clean look.

I wouldn't specifically purchase window coverings to stage a house. That gets beyond simple staging into decorating, which IMO isn't necessary.

HGTV shows are usually heavily scripted shows, where buyers-I guess-are being pushed into portraying certain things more than the others, for entertainment value.

I think the majority of population has much more common sense.

If you return all your window treatments now(I can imagine the hassle)-won't it bring your allergies back? Do you need this additional stress at vulnerable time of selling your home?

Don't worry about that. The fate will bring the right buyer to your door)) Curtains or not.

I can decide not to look at the house online because architecture doesn't appeal to me, or location, or a very small lot..I truly can't imagine myself thinking "oh they don't have window treatments".

Bare windows may make a room look a little less finished or more casual, but they won't distract a buyer like drapes they don't like. I would only look at putting something back on windows if needed to screen the view -- a house too close, an air conditioner or something unattractive.

Like aprilneverends, I don't think window coverings have ever been the reason a person has wanted to see a house or not look at it. New construction generally doesn't have any window coverings (even if the builder later includes blinds in the sale) and people flock to them. In terms of deciding between two homes, you can assume that 99% or buyers will take down any drapes about 99% of the time. If you have windows that need some screening for view or privacy, get 2" blinds from a big box store (they can cut them to fit if needed) and hang them inside the window.

We had very few window coverings in the listing pictures, and they were custom vertical low-allergen blinds inside the window frames.

The comments about it were not flattering - no one commented on it at all. The only comments were how spacious the house was, because we listed and showed it empty.

Thanks everyone. You've put my mind at ease. We have already done the decluttering of personal items, and we generally keep things pretty minimal, so that has made this a bit easier. In one bedroom, I piled up some moving boxes and covered it with blankets, a quilt, and a couple pillows to show how nicely a twin bed fits into the room.

My biggest challenge will be my adult child's room. That child is multiply handicapped and has conditions that necessitate removing the bedding pretty much every day and soaking it for a period of time before washing and putting back on the bed. Because the mattress/mattress cover also needs to be cleaned and aired out for a while, it won't always be picture perfect for showings. I think the only thing I can do when I get a call that someone wants to show the house is to tell them that one room belongs to my disabled child and won't be totally put together when they show it.

Do you have a spare quilt, blanket or spread you can pull over the bed and just ave that and a pillow over it -- not much to peel off to make the bed when the laundry is done. I think not having to explain would be simplest -- for you, the realtors and potential buyers. I feel bad even suggesting the idea and I may not be saying it well, but so many people are uncomfortable with disabilities. Even if they don't feel negatively about the house, they may feel like they are intruding and just less comfortable looking at the house -- like they are inconveniencing you. Even if that doesn't translate to the house, you really want them to focus on the house and see themselves there, not who lives in it now.

For every day life, I would invest in a second set so you can have one set on and one set in the laundry. When my mom went into memory care, I bought 3 waterproof mattress pads -- one that zipped on and should never have to be removed and two with elastic that pulled over. The sheets and pull on mattress pad could be changed as often as needed and there was a second set so the bed could be made without waiting. The wear on the bedding is spread out too, so you pay for a second set sooner, but then should be covered for longer. It sounds like you have enough on your hands that something like that might help you too.

Hope you have a quick listing and sale and a smooth move.

Lascatz, Yes, I've wrestled with others' perceptions as well. I do have multiple sets of bedding, which we rotate. I've tried adding extra flat sheets like a hospital does to try to protect the mattress and mattress pad. However, my child thrashes around so much in the night that these all are pulled loose---I have even found some of the waterproof mattress pads ripped open after a particularly restless night. (Thus, I no longer use the zip-up type mattress pad that fits like a pillow case completely around the entire mattress---it got too expensive to keep replacing them.) Plus, I can clean up the mattress & mattress pad, but it is still damp and needs to air dry for a while. If people come to look late in the morning or in the afternoon , I can have it put back together before then, but if we get calls to come first thing in the morning, my options are limited. I don't use pillows on my child's bed anymore. I fold up blankets into the shape of a pillow, put in a waterproof pillow protector, then in another waterproof pillow protector, then a pillow case. Nevertheless, they are usually soaked through (with drool) by morning. We've tried various medications to help with this issue, with no success. It is truly a huge issue for both me and my child. I have dealt successfully with my child's issues with incontinence, but this is something beyond belief unless you've had firsthand experience with it.

It's a lot to wrestle with. Sounds like you should leave some breathing space for yourself. For example, how about asking your realtor to set up seeing the house by potential buyers only in the afternoons?

From my experience, if you're a serious buyer you try to be as flexible as possible in order to see the house you consider. You're pressured for your own reasons, sometimes very much so, and you wouldn't pass an opportunity to see the place only because the owners can't make it possible at eight am.

You also understand a family lives there, and they can't magically disappear or appear whenever it suits you. It's a normal situation-trying to find a time slot that will work for both sellers and buyers.

Once there was a miscommunication-our agent talked to the sellers agent, and thought the sellers were ready for our visit, but they somehow had no idea somebody's about to come and see their home. And on weekend too, no less. I still remember how embarrassed I was, to intrude like that, even by honest mistake.

Sailaway I cannot imagine how stressful this must be for you. I am stressed just reading it! I agree with Aprilneverends that you have a unique situation and imagine the realtor can make sure to help you in this regard so you are not running around trying to prepare for a showing with little notice. Can you tell him ahead of time you really prefer afternoons? You are the seller so you can set the rules. Why make it any more stressful for yourself? Just getting a home ready to sell is stressful enough never mind the selling part. I wish you much success in the sale of your home.

With the best selling season coming to a close soon, I don't want to do anything that would discourage a potential buyer from looking at my home. I'll see how it goes and if it becomes unmanageable I guess I'll have to say something.

Some good ideas, Lily, especially the shower curtain idea. That will be a nice backup that I can rely on if necessary. The boxes are full (packed for the move) and then covered with several layers of blankets before covering with a quilt and pillows. It amazes me that people will actually sit, much less lay down, on someone's bed. It actually grosses me out that they can be so inconsiderate. My personal dresser drawers have also been cleaned out and neatened, as I know some people look in those---which is, again, ridiculous, since they do not convey with the house.

I agree -- looking in a cabinet or cabinet drawer is one thing, but furniture drawers is just a no. Likewise laying on the bed. Why? But I hear that people do it. Sitting on a chair, sofa or at a table I can understand -- people get tired and they may also be looking around and talking about whether and how the rooms would fit their needs.

The shower curtain and quilt or blanket is along the same lines as what I was suggesting -- something to just cover the bed for showings.

Something else that occurred to me -- as well as scheduling showings in the afternoons only, you might talk to your realtor about whether you could use an open house or two to concentrate showings -- maybe letting people know you will have certain periods to view the home and will then be accepting offers at a certain time. We've all seen it done for other reasons, but something a little out of the ordinary might help make this easier on you and your daughter. It's worth thinking and talking about.

Love the idea of an open house, but our realtor says he doesn't do open houses. If we don't have a good amount of showings in the first couple weeks, I told DH we will need to talk with the realtor about needing to have an open house in this case.

I'm editing this to say that I don't actually love open houses, but know they can be effective in selling and would probably be the less taxing for our family to do that rather than a lot of individual showings. I have heard a number of horror stories, though, about some of the things that can go wrong with an open house. OTOH, we have sold two homes at open houses---one we sold the first day it was listed, when we held an open house, for full price.

Your realtor doesn't do open houses? In most areas that is a bad strategy even in the day of real estate web sites. Yes there are a lot of lookers that come through an open house but serious buyers also come through. Even if there are 10 lookers for every 1 serious buyer that 1 person might be the one who buys your house.

Are other houses for sale around you having open houses? What criteria did you use to select the realtor? If you are in a strong seller's market its a big mistake not to do everything you can to get the house sold in 2 weeks. After a month buyers will think there is something wrong with the house.

We bought our new home after seeing it at the open house..makes it hard not to agree with Stan Z..

I know that the realtors we have used here are not big on open houses for buyers, but they do them for other agents every month. They are not big on them because they tend to get more neighbors that serious buyers, but they do them for homes with special features or situations or where the seller needs to get a push. Sounds like they do well in your area. Make sure jewelry and any attractive small items are put away (not just tucked in a drawer where they would be easily spotted). That should take care of a lot of the open house concerns.

Even if your plan is to promote like heck and concentrate on an open house or two for traffic, if an agent has that out of town buyer who has 2 or 3 days to find a house, you can work something out, but try to make that the exception rather than a daily occurrence. And if your agent won't do an open house period, I'd talk to him about either showing up an hour before every showing to help you or getting another agent. At least put some pressure on him to come up with some marketing ideas that will work better for you.

Thanks for your comments. The reason we chose this realtor is a bit complicated. He primarily represents the builders with whom we are working and also sells houses. We got a deal on our house by agreeing to list (at a lower listing percentage, also). He represents the construction company and has been very good to deal with during the building of our house---works with us to keep our costs down, never objects to us providing any of the items we want in the house, with no upcharge for the contractor. Also, we've made adjustments along the way, and there is never a change order cost either---we just pay the cost increase, if any. We are on track to have occupancy the end of August, which will mean the house was built in 5 months. We've been over there every day, and the work has been excellent. We've caught a couple things that needed to be changed, and they have promptly responded. He was upfront about feeling that if we get it on MLS that other agents will bring in buyers. I think he is just beginning to expand the real estate sales part of their construction business. He's training a new employee to handle more of that, but I don't think she's ready to jump in yet---still has to get her license, etc.

I should probably mention that they are friends of friends and built our house for those friends. We also have become friends with them. Just another layer of complexity. When on-the-job, however, we all are very businesslike---no verbal agreements, handshake agreements---everything is in writing to protect all of us from misunderstandings or hard feelings down the line.

I asked this week about possibility of an open house and was told they don't usually do them. I am not happy with that, but DH feels we should stay with these guys and give them a chance. We do trust their honesty and integrity. One big selling point is that they will do any repairs needed on the house, if necessary, at a very low cost (we've discussed some specific things a buyer might request) and been given estimates of the cost). I think his area of expertise will be sorting through anything an inspection might reveal and honing in on the reasonable requests and explaining to the potential buyers why the other items are not of concern. We don't expect any particular issues, but with a 25 year-old house it's possible something could come up and I've heard a lot of reports that many inspectors are really nitpicking the homes these days.

I am a little frustrated because I think he is basically going to throw the listing on MLS and see what happens. If we don't get some responses soon, I feel like DH and I should ask them to either hold an open house, or we will do so ourselves.

I understand why you are using this guy, and it sounds like a lot of his business is gotten the easy way (directly or indirectly through the builder) but if he is a friend of a friend, and assuming you have explained the special circumstances with your daughter's care and how viewings will be more difficult for you, her and any potential buyers, wouldn't this be a situation where doing something you don't normally do would make a lot of sense? Really, on either basis --- friend of a friend or your daughter's and your difficulties with showing should be enough for someone who stands to earn a portion of their living to do something to prove their are a professional and meet the need. Have you asked and explained to him what you have to us? Not normally doesn't mean don't ask or explain why this is a situation to try one or two. But if you are uncomfortable or afraid to have folks in your home without a one on one with an agent, that's another issue.

Thank you, lascatz. You bring up a lot of valid points. Since my last post, I did some research and found that houses in this area seem to be selling quickly, with or without open houses. I also did some general research that indicates that, while there is anecdotal evidence of open houses working (my own experience included), the statistics do not indicate a correlation between open houses and sales. And, yes, I do have some lingering concerns about people coming to an open house. I've already been thoroughly warned by several different realtors about all the things that need to be removed or locked up before any showing, so an open house does seem to be an added risk. I researched our realtor's history specifically, also, and his houses seem to be selling within a month (the average is probably much shorter).

So I'm not ruling out an open house entirely, but I'm willing to try it the realtor's way for a while and see what happens. Depending on the stress of showing the house on demand and how my child is coping, or concern about the amount of interest that has been generated, we may need to address the open house again.

Thanks everyone for the excellent advice. I am keeping all your comments in mind as we move forward.

Hope everything works out well for you. I know how stressful it is to get your home ready then put it on the market and have people traipsing through. We are closer to putting our home on as well. Here in RI there is low inventory. Hoping it is,that way for you as well and you sell quickly!

Thank you Nancy. I hope thinks go well for you, as well. We're on the opposite coast, so no issues of competition! : ) By the way, I really appreciated your comments earlier and the empathy you expressed. I find it's hard for some people to understand the particular challenges of taking care of a child with special needs and doing so for their entire life, no matter how much we love them and wouldn't dream of doing otherwise.

My experience has been that open houses haven't worked for me -- selling or buying, but I did see stuff to rule out and get familiar with what was in some neighborhoods as a buyer. We may have had interest as a seller (and no disasters), but can't say that an open house has ever brought us a buyer and I don't think they are considered that useful here. Unless it is the realtors' open, they can even be seen as a sigh of urgency-approaching-desperation, and that could work against you. If homes are selling well in your area and you can work a way to deal with laundry and staging on a daily or even twice daily, then that may be the best place to start -- but you've fleshed out the options here and hope you feel better about it now.

I wish you the best of luck with considerate buyers and agents, smooth showings and a quick sale. It's never fun to live in a house that's for sale, even under the best of circumstances.

Nancy, You've obviously done something right with your own children for them to end up in the careers they have. I know some days can be very demanding, but also rewarding.

I wouldn't care if you were right next door. Id wish us both luck anyway! Let me know how you make out. Hugs

Ditto. In fact, we do have friends a couple miles from here who lives just a couple miles from us and has just listed their home. I have shared bits of helpful information with them when I could, including a glaring mistake that was made in their listing. I feel sure they would do the same for us, and both couples are supportive of each other.

Thanks, Lascatz. Appreciate the kind words and the information about your experience with open houses. It does make me feel better. And just making a decision and sticking with it also helps! We've had to do that a lot in the process of building our new home, and it always makes us feel better to just make a decision and move on, doing everything we can to make it work out.

If anyone's interested, I've posted an update on selling our house.

House Sold