When you want to sell your home, first declutter it. In markets where there is a lot of competition among sellers who want to make their home stand out, the house that’s lean and mean and ready for sale has a major advantage. Decluttering includes several phases which reduce the volume of furniture and possessions in the house and hides or stages the rest. It means clean off the counters and minimize any display of personal items. There many good reasons for this, but let’s start with 10.
- You give the buyers a clear view of what they are looking at. Some buyers can see potential though clutter. Most can’t.
- You show off the assets of the room, including windows, molding, fireplaces, built ins, and other features. This encourages the potential buyer to start mentally arranging his furniture there.
- Free wall space allows the buyer to get up close and personal so he can measure an area to see if his couch fits between windows.
- Whether you have decorator taste or thrift store taste, minimizing the furniture and knickknacks allows the buyer to react to the house, not your taste.
- Your buyer wants to create his own memories there. Seeing endless displays of your family pictures and memorabilia is distracting.
- Especially in the kitchen, buyers want to see the amount of work space, counter space, and storage space the house offers. You need to have a minimal number of appliances and other things on the counter to let the space shine through.
- With fewer of your possessions on display, you reduce the chance of theft during open houses. Realtors® do their best to be good stewards of your home, but why invite problems?
Some of the decluttering suggestions benefit you.
- When you declutter, you downsize so you have less to move. This makes the process quicker and cheaper. If some of your stuff has been in boxes over the last few moves, it’s time to cut it loose.
- If you are downsizing your living space, oversized pieces or an excessive amount of furniture might not fit in the new space anyway.
- Bringing less to your new home will allow you to start fresh there.
More is less when it comes to presenting your home to prospective buyers. When it is time to sell your house, put Goodwill on speed dial, organize a yard sale, put some pieces in storage if necessary. Consider a professional stager to show off what’s left to good advantage. Your decluttering efforts may pay off in selling your house faster.
Do you think it is necessary to take down all your family pictures?
Are you ready to sell a home fast? Call us today at (877) 804-5252 or have your client contact us to get an offer in hours from Express Homebuyers.