Opinions Needed

[Yeti]

OK, my wife just called from Florida and asked me a question.

She has started her new job and is working out of the house. We are moving from the High Plains of Texas back to Richmond Virginia. We are waiting until we get a contract on our house until the move. Her new employer (it is actually her old employer when we lived in Richmond & South Florida) asked if we would relocate on July 1st. They would pay for temp housing until our house sells. We would still have to pay the mortgage on our house in Texas but it would get us back to Richmond. I also have job offer as a producer/director for a local government TV station that they want filled in July.
Her company really values her as an employee and also gave her back all the benefits she had before leaving the company a year and a half ago---4 weeks of vacation, full moving expense(packing, etc)--Anyway

My questions---
**Should we have our furniture moved to Virginia and into storage or leave it in Amarillo until the house sells?

**Does a house show better empty or with furniture?

**Should she continue working from home until we get our house sold?

Personally, I am excited to get back to my old stomping grounds and I think we should have all the furniture moved to Virginia and into storage.

I will have to pay for a lawn service and I worry about my Koi Pond. The filters need changed every 2 weeks and the Koi need to be fed twice a day.
Lots to think about......but it looks like I am going back to the East Coast.

[Yeti]

I just hate leaving our house without it being sold but we did the same thing in Florida.

I can't wait to drive from North Texas to Central Virginia with 3 cats and a 9 month old boy. Yipeeeeeeeeeee

[Rock]

My friend is a house selling master. He told me that furniture in a house you are trying to sell would be better....for single family homes.

Good ole Virgina.

When I use to do relocations for work...we would pay for property management until the house got sold....maybe your wife can talk to her company about that for the koi pond and lawn and general upkeep for the property.

[Yeti]

She will need to do some negotiation. I am guessing they will pay for our temp housing and all the moving expenses. I am worried about leaving the furniture in Texas only because it may be hard to get back. We can do all the contracts through fax and mail. If we move to temp housing it will also give us a chance to look at houses and find a nice home without deadline pressure.

We sold our house in Florida when it was empty. Sometimes furniture causes people not to look at the overall room. I agree that it would be nice to leave the furniture but it might not be the best option.

I am also guessing I will have to get someone to mow the lawn and maintain the Koi Pond but I will make sure to get her to mention it during her negotiations.

[Yeti]

I just mapped it----23 hours, 15 minutes

Arghhh

[hpdrifter]

I just bought a house and I looked at places that were new and had no furniture and places that had furniture and it didn't really make a difference to me. I was mainly thinking about price, location, and square footage.

[cookiepuss]

there's some shows on the Home network you should check out..."take this house and sell it" is one of them.

Empty house is ok...but most people are uncreative and unable to visualize thier stuff in a blank space. they are also unable to visualize thier stuff in a space that has too much of the sellers stuff in it.

take your personal effects and any extra furtinture and heirlooms and put them in storage. leave just enough furniture to give an idea of how the space can be used.

that's what all these home shows ephasize when trying to sell a house.

[Yeti]

I agree.
My house is just over 4,000 sq ft so with no furniture the rooms will be huge. I don't think it will matter but I do want to ask my realtor and talk more with my wife.

[Yeti]

Yeah, they have house stagers on those HGTV shows.
I think if someone loves a house they will buy it.

[bigblu89]

**Should we have our furniture moved to Virginia and into storage or leave it in Amarillo until the house sells?

**Does a house show better empty or with furniture?

**Should she continue working from home until we get our house sold?



**Leave it till the house sells

**Shows better with furniture

**Yes, continue working

[Yeti]

**Leave it till the house sells

**Shows better with furniture

**Yes, continue working

She is already working for the company that offered to relocate us to a furnished condo.
I meant should we stay and should she continue working out of the house until we get a contract on the home.

I left a convoluted message so it was probably lost in translation.
If we do go I have decided we need to go ahead and move everything. I just don't think it will be very easy to get back to Texas for the furniture move.