Hi Andrew

We desperately need your help. We are selling a modern two bedroom house and are getting ready to put on market, new bathroom, new kitchen and we are painting it neutral. As the house will be empty we feel to give it maximum potential with the housing market as it is it needs to be furnished.

We have heard so many times on different channel 4 programmes that you can hire furniture. We live in Barry, Nr Cardiff, S Wales and we do not seem to be having any luck finding someone in the vicinity who hires this sort of thing. Any ideas please.

REgards
Maggie & Andy

There has been previously been a recommendation on this forum for a company who provides this service. Anyone remember who they were? Despite the constant bleatings from Ann Maurice et al about hiring in furniture to stage your house for sale, I do remember there seemed to be very few companies providing the service - mostly they seemed to provide office furniture rather than domestic.

I'd say definitely - I've viewed empty and tried to be open minded but it can be hard to envisage where the basics will fit and I get a kind of lonely feel from some empty places, especailly older properties.

If you can only afford a couple of weeks I would consult with your agent and make sure they can get enough genuine (ie buyers not browsers) viewers to really make it worthwhile doing an open house.

and there is a very bright side to this - you can choose ideal furniture with no clutter!

Good luck - I hope it works out for you.

I disagree. You are filling the house YOUR idea of good furniture. The viewer may find it hideous.
Empty is bigger and better.


lee

I have to agree with ReenyMc - both Andrew Winter and Anne Maurice assume that buyers cannot visualise any space unless it is defined by furniture, and even Sarah Beeny goes along with this. So while full furnishing is probably unnecessary, and has a risk of alienating your buyers if they hate the style, there should be enough to give a sense of how each room might be used and demonstrate that normal furniture could actually fit it.

Velvet - I think someone linked to this company before.

Thanks phugoid, I knew someone would remember.

Most buyers seem to be completely lacking in imagination as well as spatially challenged, as Ann and Sarah well know - so I also agree with Reeny.

I used Bradbeers Furniture Rental (www.furniturerental.co.uk). Furniture rental is expensive, but I found them to be the most competitive; they had the widest range of furniture and would deliver countrywide.
I just did a "furniture rental uk " search on google and msn and there were several suitable companies on the first page of each.

I prefer to buy empty anyday then I don't have to mentally remove what's already there and also any defects are easier to spot.