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I saw this a lot in the DC area and other places. A big house with many rooms, such as a dining room, or living room, with little to no furniture in it. These were places that had been lived in for a while.
I preferred to have a balance of a smaller house that was more manageable in terms of upkeep and maintenance.
I saw this a lot in the DC area and other places. A big house with many rooms, such as a dining room, or living room, with little to no furniture in it. These were places that had been lived in for a while.
I preferred to have a balance of a smaller house that was more manageable in terms of upkeep and maintenance.
When we were younger we chose to buy our house first and furnish it second. We moved from an 800 sf apartment to a 2500 sf house. We didn't have enough furniture to furnish the entire house at one time. We did not want to go into a huge amount of debt for furniture so it took us some time (a few years) to furnish the entire house. What's the big deal?
If you're talking about homes for sale, it is also possible that it is a divorce situation and the spouse who left took some, or most, of the furniture with them. Or an estate situation where the kids took what they wanted and left the rest for now.
If it's a matter of people simply not furnishing certain rooms for lack of money/interest/whatever, who cares? How people choose to spend their money is of no consequence to me, unless I end up footing their bill.
WE prefer a big empty house. It is fun to seek out appropriate furniture one piece at a time.
When we bought our first house, we had thanksgiving dinner sitting on blankets on the dining room floor. It is a distinct and fond memory for our kids. It was fun. We actually had a dining table, but when we moved one of the legs somehow fell off and out of the truck never to be seen again.
When we were renting, much of our furniture was made out of empty milk crates stacked in creative ways to make entertainment center, tables, chairs, bookshelves, and plant stands. Slowly we acquired some furniture here and there. Nice furniture simply was never a big priority for us. When we got into historic houses, we began collecting antique furniture, but that takes a long time to find appropriate pieces. We like quartersawn oak and only certain styles so we pick up one piece here or there as it pops up for an affordable price.
For some people furniture just isn't a high priority. I think it's odd when people buy smaller less expensive houses and put in a bunch of high end furniture. Unless you get a really screaming deal on high end pieces, furniture loses value MUCH faster than a car. It's nice to be able to go out and buy a house full at one time but people have other priorities. For me, finding the right house was significantly more important than figuring out how to furnish it. It'll happen in time.
I've heard the same question come up in Seattle. People that don't live in the city often say "oh they spent all their money on the house and can't even afford to furnish it" as if it's somehow... wrong.
I've never had a problem filling a house with furniture -- I just seem to accumulate so much hand-me-down furniture, or pick up pieces second-hand. It seems the minute I move in, I need more space!
I DO think that it looks odd to have a furnished house but a completely empty dining room. I've never understood it. Yeah, I get that you are saving up for a really nice dining room set, but it's so easy to create a table with something like sawhorses, plywood and a nice table cloth! Get some folding chairs, and you're set for a while.
When I bought my current house, I got an "extra" room on the first floor, and knew that I wanted to put my current couch there and make a den. The owner sold me his old faded couch from the LR for $35. 5 years later, it's still there! I know I'm not going to keep it forever (it came complete with plywood support for the broken spring), but until I figure out what I'm doing with that room and find the perfect couch, I'm really glad to have that old one there. It just looks right, and it's useful.
There was an affluent golf course development built north of our city back in the late 80s early 90s. My girlfriend owned a housecleaning company. She said half the houses were furnished on the first floors but the second floors had no furniture with mattresses on the floors and clothes kept in boxes. Obviously, these people weren't living that way because furniture wasn't a priority for them since they had their first floors decked out for appearances.
Alternately, I know a CEO of a bank who lived in a mansion, a real mansion, not a mcmansion, that felt bare in some places. It has huge hallways that need furniture. It's not bare because they can't afford to furnish it. They spend about 50k on a piece of furniture. They shop forever to find the perfect piece for a spot. All of the actual rooms are completely furnished, it was just the huge entry hall (that's the size of a giant ballroom) and the enormous wide upstairs hallways that weren't quite finished. I'm not sure if they had a chance to finish it before they relocated to another city.
When we were younger we chose to buy our house first and furnish it second. We moved from an 800 sf apartment to a 2500 sf house. We didn't have enough furniture to furnish the entire house at one time. We did not want to go into a huge amount of debt for furniture so it took us some time (a few years) to furnish the entire house. What's the big deal?
Same with us and later when went small again, we had to get rid of stuff. What goes around often comes around.....LOL
I thnik your last sentence is seldom thoght about by mnay buyers. Its ike the reduction in value on a 500k home i mnay areas.It still has 500K maintence cost. Iv'e seen mnay buy large homes with evry complicate roofs for eaxmple then be shocked at the cost of new roof be3cause of complication of design and the pitch.Nver buy more than you can afford to maintain is still a rule on buying.
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