Usually when you sell your house, you’ll want to take your furniture and belongings with you. But sometimes you’d rather leave some things behind. Whether you’re downsizing, relocating across the country, selling an inherited property, or simply don’t want to incur additional moving expenses, figuring out what to do with unwanted items can sound like a daunting task.
Thankfully, selling a furnished home isn’t as hard as it may seem.
If you’re looking to get rid of some furniture or want a quick move, you might want to know how to sell a house full of stuff.
How much is your furniture worth?
Before you start deciding what to do with your furniture, it would be a good idea to get an understanding of how much value your furniture has. The quality, condition, and style of your furniture will affect which outcome is the best option for your home sale.
High-quality or rare pieces of furniture can add value to a home. Buyers may see a house as more attractive with beautiful furniture and it could lead to more, higher offers.
Low-quality furniture will have the opposite effect. Atlanta buyers may be less inclined to make offers, and the offers may be at a lower value.
How to get rid of furniture you don’t want
Once you have a good understanding of the value of your things, you can start taking action.
First, you can throw away any unwanted items—especially if they are broken or damaged. They won’t help your home sell, and they may actually deter potential buyers.
Depending on the amount of stuff you’d like to throw away, you can rent a dumpster if you really need it. Dumpster rentals can cost anywhere from $200–$1000, with a national average of $470, according to Budget Dumpster Rental.
If you decide that you’d like to keep some of your things, you should consider renting a storage unit. Renting a 10’x10’ storage unit costs an average of $125–$175 per month and renting a climate-controlled storage unit of the same size typically ranges from $100–$250, according to HomeGuide.
How to sell a fully furnished house
If you don’t want to throw your furniture away or put it in storage, you could also:
- Donate or sell it before your home sale: One option you may consider is to get rid of your furniture before you sell your Atlanta house. You can choose to donate anything you don’t mind getting rid of or if you think it would be hard or pointless to sell. You can choose to sell your furniture by having a garage sale, selling through an online marketplace, or conducting an estate sale. You can even hire an estate sale company to manage this for you. If you do decide to hire an estate sale company, it’s important to look for one that has auctioneers licensed by the National Auctioneers Association.
- Include the furniture with your home sale: Keep in mind that selling a house with furniture can be complicated. Home furnishings sold with the property are subject to sales tax. As the seller, you would be responsible for collecting and remitting the tax. On top of that, it may be more difficult for a buyer to secure financing from a lender, since the value of the furniture would be added to the lender’s appraisal and artificially raise the inferred property value. The lender may not want to cover the cost of a house that includes personal property.
- You may want to sell the house and the furnishings separately. Price each piece individually, provide the buyer with a bill of sale, and the buyer can either purchase the furniture outright or get a personal loan to do so. If you go this route, you will need to finalize the sale of your furniture before the closing date of your home sale. When you sell your furniture with your house, you should know that the valuation of the furniture may be lower than expected. This can be due to depreciation, general wear-and-tear, and current trends.
- Sell to a home buyer: You could work with an off-market home buyer that deals with buying fully furnished and partially furnished houses. When you sell to a home-buying company like HomeVestors®, you don’t have to worry about selling your furniture or the timeline of your home sale.
Selling a furnished house with HomeVestors®
Wondering how to sell a house full of stuff in Atlanta? You can sell your house “as is” with HomeVestors® and avoid the hassle and headaches that come with a traditional home sale. We are a nationwide network of home buyers who focus on helping home sellers get an easy home sale, even when they’re selling a house full of stuff.
Here at HomeVestors® in Atlanta, we have a 3-step home-buying process that lets you take control of your sale, from consultation to closing. We buy houses, but we also buy other types of property too, such as apartments, condos, townhomes, and even some commercial properties.
We will take care of any unwanted belongings left on the property at no cost to you, and we don’t charge commissions or hidden fees. We even pay all typical closing costs. Keep in mind that our offers are typically discounted below market value in exchange for speed and convenience.
With HomeVestors®, you can sell a house full of furniture and get a fast closing.
Get a fast offer for your house.
If you accept our offer, it comes with an added bonus—The HomeVestors Advantage®. After signing the contract, we provide you with a 3-day grace period in which you have the option to back out of your home sale contract with us. During this period, you can take the time to consider our offer and confer with friends and family to figure out if this is right for you. If you decide you don’t want to sell to HomeVestors®, all you need to do is contact your property buyer in writing by the 3rd day to cancel the contract.
Ready to sell your house fast in Atlanta, furniture–and all? Reach out to HomeVestors today to get your home sale started with a free consultation toward a fast offer.
This blog is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal advice.
