| Author | Message | ||
| Michael Davidson (Cabrio_fan)
Junior Member Username: Cabrio_fan Post Number: 54 Registered: 3-2002 |
IMSA - That's the same thing I thought my realtor would say if I asked her. What do you think about the other comments made in regards to having a "memorable" house -- i.e. the "Ferrari" house? I know my wife and I start to glaze over after seeing a number of houses. You start to lose track. It's not the house at 12345 Somestreet -- (which one was that again???) -- the one with the huge deck. Oh yeah! We still like that one the best. VZ - We have done just that. We've gone to new housing developments to check out the decor on the model homes. It works great. Jordan - LOL! I got some raised eyebrows from my wife when I bought the Ferrari Barbie sisters. Once I got them into place next to Schumi, she agreed that they looked nice. I'll send you your own membership card to GWOFBDA - Guys Who Own Ferrari Barbie Dolls Association. It's a very exclusive club!! Great input. I may leave a few pieces out but put some of it away to tone it down a couple of notches. I'll let you know how it goes. | ||
| Jordan (Jhl1963)
New member Username: Jhl1963 Post Number: 24 Registered: 6-2002 |
Not sure I agree with VZ, I would think most people buying a new house are moving into a "nicer" area, so they would like to see more "upscale" tastes. The worst that can happen IMO is that they think you are odd. As did my wife when she saw my room with all the Ferrari/Vette stuff....but she still married me. I say leave it, it will leave a unique impression in potential buyer's minds, and possibly you find a Ferrari guy who suddenly has a connection with "your" house. A gun collection, maybe not....but a Ferrari Toy collection...sure. Good luck! Jordan PS- glad you posted the Ferrari Barbie comment...the wife thought I was the only male who owned one... | ||
| V.Z. (Ama328)
Junior Member Username: Ama328 Post Number: 126 Registered: 11-2002 |
My take on this is that if you have a fairly expensive house(define expensive, right?), then you're ok leaving the stuff in view, as potential buyers won't get hung up on the $$ connotations for Fcar. OTOH, if it's not an upscale house, you run the risk of alienating potential buyer(s) cuz of the jealousy factor. I don't see any upside here, plus most real estate info i've come across(i'm not real estate person, tho), indicate a well but generically furnished house has the broadest appeal. Go by a new housing development with a furnished model if you wanna see how to decorate a house to sell. | ||
| Terry Teadtke (Imsa)
New member Username: Imsa Post Number: 2 Registered: 5-2003 |
Pack your collection and while you�re at it any other things around the house you aren�t using. You want your house �uncluttered� but comfortable. You want potential purchasers to look closely at you home and not be distracted by your collection. As for Ferrari�s in the garage, from my experience purchasers are not as impressed with cars as they are with fine art and fine antiques. By the way, the Portland housing market is still strong but I�ve been told of some housing deflation in the Beaverton and Hillsboro areas due to layoffs in the tech industry. Many tech people unable to find new jobs have been living off their 401k�s and that moneys running out. IMSA (Long time Portland Realtor) | ||
| "The Dave" (Sparetireless)
Junior Member Username: Sparetireless Post Number: 88 Registered: 1-2003 |
Actually, you have hit on an idea, throw in your car, mandatory, owner demands Ferrari included with home sale. People will laugh, speculate on the value, but hold firm, the car goes with or no sale. The buyer can finance the whole mess over 30 years at 5%. You get a nice premium for the house and car and make the deal. The buyer tells the wife, I had no choice it came with. I am sure real buyers will pick one home to buy at random, the one with the car! | ||
| Michael Davidson (Cabrio_fan)
Junior Member Username: Cabrio_fan Post Number: 53 Registered: 3-2002 |
Thanks everyone. Great feedback. PeterS - The Portland market is fairly "warm". I don't know if it's as hot as California. In the last two months, I've had two realtors drop by and ask if I was interested in selling. They both told me that pre-built (i.e not new construction) properties in my area are very slim pickings and they have clients lined up. Dr. Ken - I have thought about theft. I have a homebuilt shelving unit for my 1:18 cars. I'm thinking of modifying it by adding plexiglass (or something similar) to the front to keep curious hands from the cars. Brian - I know what you mean about memorable aspects about houses. We used to live in Seattle, WA. Houses we looked at buying included: "the view house" "the asbestos house" hmmmm... didn't buy that one! "the seagull house" fake seagulls in the front yard "the garage house" killer garage etc... etc... James - I have heard the same thing about zero personal belongings in a house. I have yet to see one. All of the houses we've ever looked at have had tons of personal items. I'm leaning towards leaving my Ferrari merchandise on display. | ||
| James P. Smith (Tigermilk)
Junior Member Username: Tigermilk Post Number: 147 Registered: 7-2001 |
My wife read or heard (from a realtor perhaps) that if you want the best price on your house and want to sell it quickly, don't leave any personal effects out. People may be less likely to buy if they get the impression they are "booting" another family out. That means no personal family photos, collections, etc. | ||
| KCCK (Kenneth)
Member Username: Kenneth Post Number: 355 Registered: 10-2002 |
If you are not worried about theft, I would have thought that the ownership of a Ferrari should add respectability, and credibility, to your market worthiness as a vendor. | ||
| Brian Kennedy (Kennedy)
Member Username: Kennedy Post Number: 320 Registered: 3-2002 |
I would leave it out. When people are going through a bunch of houses, its hard for them to keep them all straight... they start to blur. The most memorable for us were the ones decorated some unique way. In later discussions, your house will be known to the couple and realtor as the "ferrari house". It will help them keep a distinct image of your house. I don't see car affecting offers... poorly maintained car might affect offers... knowing you need to move quick will affect offers... but whether or not you have a lot of money in your bank or your car isn't too useful at negotiation time. | ||
| PeterS (Peters)
Member Username: Peters Post Number: 564 Registered: 1-2003 |
MD..I see you are in Portland. I trust the housing market is as hot (or close to) there as it is now in California. Remember that you are the seller and you can always say 'NO' to lower bids from people that don't think you need the money! How about finding a decent 308 for $25K, park in it the garage, jack up the house price $40K and throw in the car! | ||
| Dr. Ken Lee (Kenster888)
Junior Member Username: Kenster888 Post Number: 67 Registered: 4-2003 |
Unless you can keep an eye on all potential buyers (which I doubt it), I'd say don't display them. They will not add any value to your home and theft is common. | ||
| David McGee (Damcgee)
New member Username: Damcgee Post Number: 41 Registered: 2-2003 |
I think leaving the merchandise is not a big deal either way. I say go for it. If you had a Ferrari sitting in the garage, however, I would say DEFINITELY leave it in there. People want to own something "rich", and if they see the previous owner had a Ferrari, that will make them feel better about their status. | ||
| wm hart (Whart)
Intermediate Member Username: Whart Post Number: 1171 Registered: 12-2001 |
We looked at a house a year ago in Tuxedo Park, NY, a fabulous location. The "neighborhood" consists almost entirely of mansions built in the 1880's-1920's by robber barons, within a walled village overlooking 3 lakes; the houses are perched on various levels alongside the mountains surrounding the lakes. The homes are amazing, and relatively underpriced, because once you leave the walls of the town (guarded by the real police, not rent a cops), you are truly in the middle of nowhere. Anyway, somebody with more money than taste built a new "villa" at the top of one of the mountains, all glass on the side facing the lake. Separate garage building, with covered passage from main house. Owner built the place, and never moved in, but left a couple cars gathering dust in the garage. Next to the ubiquitous Bentley coupe was an F-40. No problem. | ||
| DJ (Godfather)
Junior Member Username: Godfather Post Number: 103 Registered: 11-2002 |
Make it clear you have to be a Ferrari fan to purchase. I just sold my 2nd home where I keep my Ferrari in the garage. I mostly got "are the cars included" question. =) | ||
| Ron Thomas (Ronsupercar)
Member Username: Ronsupercar Post Number: 832 Registered: 5-2002 |
You know how excited I would be if I were to go into a home with Ferrari stuff or even a Ferrari in the garage. I would buy it on the spot.. Keep the stuff out.. I think I would make great discussion.. When selling a home, always keep a Ferrari in your garage.. When buying a home, never show up in a Ferrari.. Whip out the Pinto..  | ||
| adrian low (Audionut)
Junior Member Username: Audionut Post Number: 100 Registered: 4-2003 |
It shouldn't matter. In fact, with certain ethnic groups, it could be seen as positive. I am Chinese, and there is a belief that some houses/layouts/properties have good Karma/Feng Shui. The ones that do, the occupants are often healthy, prosperous and happy. These homes can fetch a high premium. One of my clients is a very successful landlord. When selling his second last home, a lady brought a priest to "sense" the house. The priest told her this is the house to buy. She paid him 40%!!! extra to close the deal earlier and also paid extra for a lot of the furnishings. Apparently she had been shopping for a home for a LONG time. And by the way, this WAS during the early 90s recession. Again, for what it's worth, my client has gone from relatively successful to ENORMOUSLY successful! Moral of the story, KEEP YOUR FERRARI STUFF, but leave the doll out. You might get offers from kinky Lambo owners! | ||
| Lou Papaleo (Papaleo1)
New member Username: Papaleo1 Post Number: 31 Registered: 6-2002 |
I listed my house for sale last fall with my Ferrari stuff on display and my 348 in the garage. My collection isn't as extensive as yours however. The only thing I can share with you is that the discussion about the house stopped the minute anyone walked into the garage and saw the 348. The guys got stuck there and in every case their ladies had to say something like "C'mon Hon, the car doesn't come with the house!" Offers were right where we expected them to be and the sale was not affected. Good luck! | ||
| michael Alpert (Taters)
New member Username: Taters Post Number: 25 Registered: 5-2003 |
I do not see why it would matter. If you told me that you had pictures of Adolf Hitler on the walls that would be a different story! | ||
| Michael Davidson (Cabrio_fan)
Junior Member Username: Cabrio_fan Post Number: 52 Registered: 3-2002 |
My wife and I are planning to list our house on the market in the next couple of months. I would like to get some opinions about whether or not I should leave my Ferrari stuff on display. Along the same lines as Rob's post regarding what co-workers would think about his 2 F-cars at the company car show, my question is about what would potential buyers of my house think. I have not asked our realtor this question. I think I know what she'll say. What opinions or experiences do you fellow F-chatters have with selling houses and displays of your Ferrari material? Things on display in my home office: * 14 cars in 1:18 scale (10 of them F-cars) * 2 shelves on a bookcase with Ferrari and other exotic car books * 2 Ferrari baseball caps on a shelf * several Ferrari pictures in frames * exotic car calendar * Matchbox/Hot Wheel display case with 30 F-cars in factory packaging (plastic bubble on a card) * red RC Ferrari 360 Spider on a file cabinet * Michael Shumacher action figure (okay... okay... 12" doll) * Ferrari Barbie in Nomex * Ferrari Barbie in leather jacket (And yes Barbies. They keep Schumi company.) * SF shield magnets on the filing cabinet That's about it. Oh yeah... and a Ferrari porcelain sign in the garage. 12" high. I believe that it's been done very tastefully. My wife likes for me to keep the Ferrari accessories limited to the home office. Should I put away the Ferrari merchandise until the house has sold? My main concern is that it might sway the offers coming in. Thoughts on this? |