You are going to move soon anyway, so now is the perfect time to start packing away all the clutter. Use an objective sense of proportion to eliminate furniture and accessories which are not vital to the sense of functionality in the room. About 80% of the items in any given room are not regularly used. Go through each room and see what extras you have that can be thrown away, stored or donated. If you you are not able to "let go" of your collectibles, you may want to consider renting a storage unit for the time your house is up for sell. It does cost but it would be worth the investment. A house that is clean, decluttered and presents well, sells quicker and for an optimal price. Collections, family pictures, and any other items that could distract a buyers needs to be cleared out. What's left just needs to be organized. This way, the buyer is looking at your home and not your stuff.
You can sort through your things by keeping five categories in mind:
- KEEP - "Do you wear it? Do you use it? Does it fit?"
- DONATE - "I don't need or want this but someone else could."
- MOVE - "This doesn't belong in my bedroom."
- STORAGE - "Is it seasonal? Can I do without it until I move?"
- TRASH - "Is it broken, torn, or worn out?"
First stop is the storage areas. If you are like most people you have a basement, attic or garage (or some combination of the three) that is full of junk you haven't used in years. Now is the time to start getting rid of unused items. You are going to have to tackle it at one point when you move, so it may as well be now. By being brutal in these areas, you will create some extra space to store the stuff you want to keep. You don't want all your storage areas to look like they are jam packed and overflowing. When a buyer sees that your house barely has room to contain all your stuff, they will come to the logical conclusion that there won't be enough room for my stuff either. We want the buyer to see that your home has an abundance of storage. How do you achieve that? By clearing out your stuff and showing them that there is room that hasn't even been utilized yet.
 |
| BEFORE |
 |
| AFTER |
Basements, garages and closets jam-packed with several years worth of old stuff are a big turn-off to buyers. Clean them out and rent storage space if necessary. Remember, buyers expect access to the house and all the spaces within.
After the storage areas have been dealt with, we're going to move onto the main areas of the house. Knick knacks, chochkas, trinkets, souvenirs, you name it, we all have them. We are going to pack them up. Hopefully, you have done such a good job clearing out the storage areas that you will have room to place these boxes there. (check out all the grey plastic containers on the shelves from the after photo in the garage)
 |
| BEFORE |
 |
| AFTER |
Too much furniture makes a room look smaller. Take a visual survey in each room. Almost every home shows better with less furniture. Remove pieces of furniture that block or hamper paths and walkways. If you have extra pieces of furniture that you can do without for a few weeks make arrangements to store it. Remove the extra leaves from your dining room table to make the room appear larger. Then, rearrange what is left to open up the room. Remember, your house is a product that you want someone to buy. Buyers like to see space and they need to be able to visualize there own furniture in each room. Leave just enough furniture in each room to showcase the room's purpose and plenty of room to move around. Again, if a room looks like it isn't big enough to hold your furniture, the buyer is going to think the room isn't big enough for their furniture either.
 |
| BEFORE |
 |
| AFTER |
The kitchen is a very important room to most buyers. Try to store as many small appliances in your cabinets as possible, even the appliances you use often. Keep your counters clear so the buyer see how much work area is available. Remove all the pictures and magnets from your refrigerator and try to declutter and organize your cabinets and pantry. Yes, buyers will open up drawers, cupboards and doors. Think of the message it sends if items fall out! Now imagine what a buyer believes about the house where everything is organized.
Let's move onto window coverings, built in appliances or fixtures that you want to take with you. This is the time to remove them and replace them. If the chandelier in the dining room once belonged to your great grandmother, take it down. If a buyer never sees it, she won't want it. Once you tell a buyer she can't have an item, she will covet it, and it could blow your deal.
Last but not least, time to tackle the closets. Think edit..edit..edit! Pack away anything that is out of season. Again, this stuff has to be packed at one point. Hang clothes so all the hangers face the same way and there should be some space in between the hanging clothes. A buyer should see that there is space available for more.
 | |||
| BEFORE |
 |
| AFTER |
Everything in your house should have a home. There are some common things that everybody owns, like the vacuum cleaner, the lawn mower and the recycling bin. If a buyer sees that there is a place for your things then they will conclude that there is a place for their things.
If in doubt, take it out.
I'm here for YOU.
I'm here for YOU.
~Ciao
No comments:
Post a Comment