I was talking with local Realtor Monica Scott the other day about all the dolls we’ve seen in listings recently. Dolls on the couch in the living room. Dolls on the guest bed. Dolls in the bathroom. Tsk tsk tsk. I would like to say the Listing Agents are partly to blame, but I know these conversations can be difficult to have, especially when clients love their dolls. So I am going directly to you, The Public with this appeal to put the dolls away.
Now before people start calling me a doll hater, I am going to tell you I played with Barbies until I was thirteen (stopped admitting it at eight) and my own mother displays dolls all over her house. There is nothing wrong with playing with or collecting dolls.
That said, when the time comes to sell your house, they fall into the category of “Things That Should Be Put Away.” What are these things and why should I put them away, you ask?
Things That Should Be Put Away:
Dolls/Doll Collections/Barbies/etc
Family Pictures
Hunting Trophies
CLOWNS (really, does this even have to be said?)
The reason these things should be put away is the same for all of the above: They personalize a house and act as an impediment to buyers imagining themselves living in the house. Maybe you are very proud of your doll collection, your hunting trophies, or your prom pictures from 1972. Maybe now that you’re selling your house you are finally getting the chance to display them that you’ve always dreamed. DO THIS AT YOUR PERIL. When buyers see interesting distracting things, they look at those things instead of the house. They let those things color their impression of the house.
Your goal as a seller preparing your home for sale should be to make your house as clean and neutral and spacious as possible. Go room to room and ask yourself, “Is this house a blank canvas waiting for the new owners touches?” If the answer is, “No” put the dolls in storage, hide the bearskin rug, or pick up a paint brush. The sooner you put these things away the sooner you will be moving into your new house, where you can display your treasures for all to see.
