Your Furniture May Totally Be Tanking Your Home Value During Open Houses. Here's Why

If you're working on selling your house, you know that giving prospective buyers what they are looking for is the key to selling quickly. While you might think that your home is ready to be viewed by potential buyers, there is something that you should know: a feature most homebuyers look for in a new home is a house that feels spacious and has enough room to comfortably live. This is especially true when you think of the fact that many professionals are working from home these days. Something, therefore, that could be working against you during open houses, and tanking your home's value, is overly bulky furniture.

First impressions matter immensely during an open house — you only have a few minutes to wow the people coming to look at your home. It's also a simple reality that larger furniture takes up more square footage. "In today's market, square footage is one of the most valuable assets a home offers, but furniture that visually reduces a room's perceived size can diminish value in the buyer's mind," Stephanie Engel, a Strategic Interior Design Advisor, said in an article by The Spruce. Large couches, family-style dining tables, huge coffee tables, and the like spread throughout your home can create a cramped look and feel in your space, potentially turning away individuals who would otherwise be interested in your home.

If you think you may have too much furniture in your home, but still aren't clear on what pieces to cut, here are some guiding principles. First, avoid having furniture that isn't serving a purpose. You already know that when it comes to showing your house, you're essentially living in a staged space that doesn't feel like your own. Now is not the time to cling too tightly to your massive La-Z-Boy recliner and large coffee table situated next to it; rather it is a time to make your home appeal to the greatest number of people. Living rooms should have a couch, coffee table, smaller sitting chair, perhaps a TV stand, and some pleasant decor. The same goes for the bedroom. You want your buyers to imagine life in the home, so a bed, side tables, and dresser are suitable, but other niche storage furniture or a sitting chair might do more harm than good.

Second to consider is the flow that your furniture allows. Beyond the essentials, it's best to include only what fits without creating pinch points. Real estate experts who know how to stage a house like a professional encourage furniture arrangement that makes a room feel spacious. While you might think that pushing your couch up to the wall will showcase the space in the living room, it's actually best to allow for flow around furniture by giving a couple feet of space behind large items like couches.

You understand what the problem with too much furniture is, as well as what pieces are not essential during the staging process. Next comes the question of what to do with your larger furniture items. A few options exist, but what you choose just depends on what best fits your needs. If you have a basement, you can move items that are cluttering up your home down there. Many buyers are used to seeing jam-packed garages or basement spaces in the home, so it shouldn't faze them. Another inventory management technique is simply spreading out your furniture; if some rooms in your home are not as heavily furnished, you can use the excess from one room to balance out that sparseness. If storing furniture at home isn't a good choice, you might be stuck with renting a short-term storage unit until you sell the house; some facilities offer discounts or first-month-free offers, though.

Now might also be a good time to consider donating or selling items that you are ready to part with. This is especially a good idea if you're planning to move into a smaller house and already need to. With some thoughtful choices, you can make your living room look bigger without costing you a dime, helping your home sell faster, too.