apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

It sounds like those live advertisements where they hire pretty girls to go to bars and talk about how good their name-brand vodka drinks are.

I think it's great for people that would like to do it . . but I get too attached to places . . . and after a while, moving loses it's charm. It's nice to settle somewhere for a while.

And - as a total aside, because I don't know where else to post it - the delay in posting comments on AT for the last couple weeks is a TOTAL BUMMER. Am I the only one not receiving my much needed instant gratification?

My parents live in one of those high priced neighborhoods, and foreclosures have been problematic for some of their (former) neighbors. The temporary tenants play a key role in keeping the area safe and "lived in."

So basically these people rent the homes like normal people.

I didn't realize this was a "trend."

It's not that recent a "trend" - I've read of folks doing this since at least the early-mid 90's...

...and from what I've read, it's really more a security/maintenance thing for absentee homesellers than a staging thing.

In fact, it's no picnic for the folks who live in these houses - They must keep the place immaculate at all times, cannot have pets, cannot live with personal items or collectibles, must vacate the premises on weekdays and weekends in case an agent brings over a potential buyer - and all valuables must be locked away while away in case someone comes into the house.

This sounds like it would be good for a young couple that is flexible with their living situation. Unfortunately, they probably don't have enough furniture to fill a house... at least, that's the downside for me.

I have done this and liked it. My two roommates and I lived in a 4500 sf house in an upscale neighborhood for about 9 months while it tried to sell. We each paid a ridiculously low $350/mo. Initially, there were just two of us and we each paid $400. A couple of the rooms sat empty (actually an entire wing), but the majority of rooms were used. The house was never really messy but to allow for that last minute cleaning, realtors tried to give us a day's notice before showings.

When I was growing up, this is exactly what my parents did. They partnered with some local real estate agents and offered their services doing this all through the 80's and early 90's. Some homes went faster than others, but I remember those years fondly.

Now that I'm old enough to appreciate it even more, I understand exactly how beneficial it is to everyone involved.

I wouldn't like it myself, it's like suddenly being evicted. I mean you know it's coming.. but I like to move when I want to move, not when someone tells me I gotta get out.

just wondering where I sign up?

I don't understand what's "fake" about it. It's not as if they pretend to be the owners when potential buyers visit.

My parents did this for about 2.5 years in the mid 90s. They had sold their house and weren't sure where they wanted to settle. They worked with their selling real estate agent to approach homeowners whose houses had been on the market for a while empty. They moved in with their nice furniture, made the place look good (my mom's good at decorating) kept it clean and arranged for it to be shown whenever interested buyers wanted to visit. The houses sold faster, and they got a deal on rent. They did move every 6 to 9 months but it fit their needs at the time.

If you're flexible it can be a good thing, at least for a short while.

Sounds good for preventing blight in neighborhoods. I never heard of it before but great idea.

If I were a neatnik (and I'm not, oh I'm not) and the house came furnished, I'd be happy to do it. But it sounds as if renters have to bring their own furnishings -- and move 'em out again when the house sells. That doesn't sound fun, particularly considering one's furniture would have to be sufficiently high-end to suit the surroundings. My back aches just thinking about it.

@ home body, you are not alone in your delayed-comment consternation. Maybe a glitch caused by heavy traffic?

the only problem with this is when the temporary renters want to stay, and they do everything they can to keep the house from selling. my parents just bought a house that had renters like that, and they never cleaned, they never left during showings, and they ran extension cords to half the house, saying the electricity was shot on that side after a storm, which was magically fixed after they moved out. i hope this is a unique situation, but if i were selling a house, i wouldn't want to depend on the cleanliness and reliability of someone else.

kaneeneenie - Were the owners/sellers just not paying attention or something? It seems like they could have been kicked out.

So friends of mine actually did this as well - they bought a new house before they put their old one on the market, and moved most of their furniture to the new house. They are letting a friend of a friend stay in the house rent free (he's just home from the peace corps) in exchange for keeping the place safe and clean for showings, the lawn mowed, etc. They left enough furniture there to make it be a very nice show house, but most of their belongings (the things that clutter a house) are at the new house.

My former husband and I had a blast doing this years ago. Now to find out where to apply...

I'm not sure I see the advantage of having people in the way for staging. The point of staging is to make the viewers feel at home, not to show them somebody else can be at home there. If there are security concerns, maybe, but otherwise, it seems counter-inituitive to have residents when you are selling. (I staged, and we sold AFTER we moved out but BEFORE the staging was finished... having a good agent, right-pricing, and a ready-to-move-into home are what counts...)