Most people love the space they have created in their homes. From the furniture choices, paint colours, and decorative accents, we work to create a place we enjoy and can thrive. However, you’ll need to look at decluttering your house before selling.
Many individuals selling their homes must remember that everyone’s tastes are different. While the colourful Moroccan poufs or coffee table covered with travel-inspired photo albums make you happy, they might seem excessive to someone else. According to the experts, having too much in your space can make your home look messy to potential buyers and, perhaps worse — make it look smaller.
For this reason, decluttering your house before you show and attempt to sell is key. This way, potential buyers can see the house for the space and not just what’s inside. With that in mind, here are ten expert tips on decluttering your home to sell it faster.
#1. De-Personalize Your Home
Chances are your home is full of photographs of memories of you and your family. These could be wedding or graduation photos of your children hanging on the walls. However, as much as you love to see these in your home, it indicates that the home is yours. Your goal with selling is to allow a potential buyer to picture the home as theirs. By removing personal pieces, you are allowing them a better chance to imagine their own life and how they would put their personal touches on the space.
#2. Get Rid of Pet-Related Items
We love our pets, but not everyone has or wants them. So, any pet paraphernalia should be removed when you are decluttering your house to sell. Not only can things like leashes, toys, and food dishes add to the clutter, but some things can also have a distinctive pet smell which can be off-putting to would-be buyers. Make sure to de-odorize as well!
#3. Get Rid of Excess Furniture
Lots of furniture might make your space feel cozy and homey, but remember you are trying to make the area look as big as possible. To emphasize this, you want your rooms to be simple and streamlined. This means you’ll want to take a second look at any ottomans, coffee tables, additional chairs etc. Chances are the space doesn’t need these things, so find somewhere to store them while you have the house on the market.
#4. Clear the Front of Your Fridge
Many of us use our fridge as a storage space. We keep notes, calendars, children’s artwork, event tickets, and even bills we need to remember to pay secured to the surface by a magnet. Can this be handy? Yes. But does it look messy to a potential homebuyer? Also yes. Take it all off before showing your home.
#5. Organize Drawers, Closets, and Cupboards
When buying a new home, storage is something we all consider. So you can bet that whoever comes into your home will be opening up the kitchen cupboards, bathroom drawers, and bedroom closets to see how much space they hold. If these spaces are packed tight with your things, they will look small and cluttered. So empty them and be strategic about what you leave behind. For example, the front entry closet can have a couple of coats and shoes but shouldn’t be overflowing. The kitchen drawers should have some utensils but maybe not the ball of elastics and seven wine stoppers. You want to show off the potential of these spaces without going overboard.
#6. Declutter Your Kitchen Counters
The kitchen is one of the main focal points when buying a new home. Many individuals love to cook and are looking for a spacious kitchen space where they can spread out and store their kitchen gadgets and appliances. So, the same rule applies here. The area will seem smaller if the counters are covered with your devices, no matter how nice they are. Keep the essentials out (microwave and coffee machine are acceptable). But any extras like a stand mixer, blender, or juicer should all be tucked away elsewhere while people look at your home.
#7. Get Rid of Any Paperwork
Most of us have a pile somewhere in our home with bills to be paid. This pile tends to stress us out. So, if we find it stressful, then chances are that anyone walking into the home and seeing it will also recognize it for what it is and find it stressful. Decluttering your house of all unsightly paperwork before you sell is smart. After all, you don’t want them already worrying about the bills before they even make an offer. So, don’t allow it to become an issue and clear it away. Out of sight, out of mind.
#8. Clear out the Garage
Our garages tend to become storage spaces for all kinds of junk so consider this an excellent time to throw a garage sale or donate to charity. You don’t need those children’s toys from ten to 20 years ago. Any items you keep, take the time to organize them in a way that makes sense and is easy to navigate. Remember our rule of thumb where — you want your space to appear as large as possible.
#9. Don’t Forget About the Lawn and Garden
The exterior of your home is just as important as the interior. After all, this is the first thing any potential buyer will see when you arrive. So, you want to ensure that the outside of your home is just as presentable as the inside. This means cleaning up your yard, mowing the lawn, raking up the leaves, throw away any dead branches. You will also want to put away any garbage or recycle bins, so they aren’t overly obvious.
#10. Invest in Good Storage Systems
As you declutter your home to get ready to put it up for sale, you will need to find ways to store things, even if they are things you plan to toss. Rather than buying clear boxes and shoving things away, pick attractive storage solutions and add to the look of the space. For example, this can mean hanging tools on pegboards in the garage. For paperwork, please put it in a file folder before tucking it in a drawer or cupboard. For children’s rooms, pile the toys in a lovely basket etc.
Decluttering your home may take some time, but the result will be worth it. By keeping things simple and minimal, you are allowing a potential homebuyer to imagine the space as theirs, which can help you sell your home faster.
