All Forum Posts by: Jo Faraday

Thank you both. :)

That’s exactly what I was thinking, @Cara Lonsdale! 

We have a rental property that I’ve renovated top to bottom (Texas, 3br, loft, office, 2.5ba, 2200sqft) in order to sell. 

It’s immaculately clean, paint/trim is fresh, new appliances, new fixtures, new carpet/floors. However, the house is empty. Now I prefer to look at homes empty, but as a designer (computer, but designer nonetheless), I can visualize things better than some I suppose. 

Is it really necessary to stage this home? There’s nothing really negative to focus on, like dirt or cracks or holes or whatever. The house isn’t huge so I feel like it being empty, and clean, makes it feel bigger. Seeing as how we lived here a few years I feel like I know how it feels with furniture (and I’m pretty minimalist). I know this market is pretty hot and I get a lot of ooohs and aaahs from people in the neighborhood that have wanted to come in and see what I’m working on, but I don’t want to shoot myself in the foot and have a house sitting on the market longer than necessary. 

Edit to say - could I maybe do some mini staging? I have bathrooms setup with basics (toilet paper, nice towels, soap, etc). Would it be preferable to maybe place a big piece of art on the mantel, fresh flowers on the island? And maybe I could do some digital staging for listing photos? 

Thank you for the responses. 

I do have before and after photos. They did not fill out anything in the initial inspection list.  

The damages did total 10k before the applied security deposit. Honestly, I didn’t even list all the damages. 

That’s good to know about the attorney. I was surprised they went as far to use their boss, given the absolutely revolting conditions they left the house in. One would think having their employer seeing photos of that nature might impact how they are viewed by the company. /shrug

When our tenants vacated our rental property the damages totaled $10k. After sending them an itemized list of the damages, receipts, and estimates from local contractors, we received a response via their attorney stating that the damages were normal wear and tear (they did not request their deposit). 

Would it be advisable to hire an attorney for small claims due to the fact that they have one? I’m fairly certain their attorney is their boss, but I don’t want to be at a disadvantage here. 

We do have ample pictures and can provide witness statements for proof of damages.