I ran into a neighbor the other day and our conversation went along the lines of this:
Neighbor: Hey, I have a real estate question for you. Now, I’m not looking to sell my home, but I’ve heard that having a lot of books is bad. Is that true?
[Side note: many of my neighbors and friends preface their real estate questions with “I’m not looking to sell my home” whenever they ask me a question. Really folks, I am not some idiotic, blood sucking agent. I don’t mind giving advice or my opinion without forcing you to sign your home away. See this blog? I just like talking about real estate, no strings attached. Back to the story…]
Amy: A lot of books are bad? You’ll have to expand a little more. Reading is generally a good thing.
Neighbor: Well, I have this friend and an agent told them that having a lot of books is generally frowned upon.
Amy: Uh, are the books of an unacceptable nature or something along those lines? Is their house entirely cluttered with books?
Neighbor: I’m not sure. It’s just that my wife and I are thinking about turning one of our bedrooms into a library. You know how these [West End] houses are, they have 5 bedrooms. We’d like to fill one of them with bookshelves and books. But then my wife heard that having a lot of books is not good.
Amy: Ah, okay. Now I understand. Here’s the deal, if you’re selling your house, it’s best to declutter as much as possible. You want buyers to focus on your house, not your stuff. The agent was probably telling your friend that a lot of books are bad because they may become a distraction to a buyer or they’ve lost the purpose of a room that they should be displaying in another way.
Neighbor: So making a library room in our house would be okay?
Amy: Yes, you’re perfectly fine making one of your bedrooms into a library. It’s your house. You live there. Enjoy it and use it however you want. If you decide you eventually want to sell your house, you may need to pack up your books and return the room to its original purpose. But for now, live in your house however you like and use the space in a way that fits your lifestyle. Make sense?
Neighbor: Great, thanks for the advice.
Amy: You’re welcome. Enjoy the day.
I am a fan of staging, but if you’re living in your house with no intention of selling, live in your house. Heck, I have an extra bedroom in my house that’s used as my closet because our master bedroom has inadequate closet space. Would I leave it that way if I were selling my house? Heck no! But I live in my house and that’s its highest and best use right now. 🙂
Don’t become paralyzed by HGTV perfection. Enjoy your home and live in it in a way that suits your lifestyle!