The time has come to sell your home and you not only wish to sell it quickly but also to sell for the highest possible price. You’ll also wish to make the transition to your new residence as simple as possible. The answer to achieving this is to, first and foremost, declutter.
There are many aspects of selling a home that are not in your control, including its location and the market conditions, but you are in control of how your home presents to interested potential buyers. The appearance and feel of your home is totally within your control, and a declutter can achieve amazing results for you.
The most basic question house sellers ask is, “how do I organize my house for sale?”
How do I Organize my House for Sale?
At the outset, decluttering can seem overwhelming, especially if you’re also going to be moving to a smaller home. But it can be extremely liberating once you commit to it.
- Plan ahead. Ideally, give yourself a few months to properly sort through and declutter your home.
- Organize your home in stages. A great place to begin, if you’ve given yourself time to do so, is your garage or your spare room. These tend to be general storage spaces and you’re less likely to feel the strongest emotional attachment to items kept there.
- Plan to conquer small tasks- a drawer, cupboard, or room at a time.
Clear out storage areas first, such as the linen closet, buffets, bookcases, and cupboards. Decluttering the areas behind closed doors, gives the buyer a sense of having large areas to store things, as a buyer is going to open cupboards and drawers to determine if there will be enough storage for their possessions.- Dispose of “extras”- old pillows, unused kitchen appliances, items that you have more than one of, spare hangers, old towels, etc.
- Consider each item- if you don’t use it or love it, say goodbye to it.
- Sell or donate unwanted items that are of good quality, including children’s toys, books, and crockery. Recycle old magazines and newspapers. Get rid of anything that is broken or no longer works.
How can I get my House Ready to Sell Fast?
Sometimes, you don’t have months to plan your move. In this case, you need to organize and get your house ready to sell fast. In this instance, you’ll need to work quickly on what potential buyers will see first. Tips include:
- Clean the home thoroughly. Put away anything that doesn’t “belong” in the space. Too much “stuff” will be distracting to the potential buyer.
- Declutter the basics. Start from the front door and work your way in. Clear hallways and the entryway.
- Clear Kitchen benches and put appliances and pantry items away. Take all personal photos and reminders that you have attached by magnets to the front of your fridge, giving you a nice clean surface.
- Put away “personal” items- including photos and nick-knacks. Pare down items like throw rugs and cushions. These can be stored away ready to move to your new house.
- Remember that “less is more”. Create an illusion of space wherever you can. Remove excess furniture such as the extra coffee table to give more space. You should also remove any damaged and old furniture you have in spaces, as this may give the buyer a feeling that everything in the house may be old and warn out.
Tidy your bathroom and put things like cosmetics, toothbrushes, shampoo bottles, hairdryers, and personal items etc out of sight. Throw away any out of date products or products that you don’t use anymore.- Make the beds! Pick up anything from the floor that doesn’t belong there and put away neatly in the wardrobes or drawers.
- Tidy storage areas like wardrobes and linen closets so they appear clean and as roomy as possible.
You need to create a home aesthetic in which the prospective buyers can see themselves living there. So, you need to depersonalize your home as much as possible. By decluttering and organizing your home, it makes it easier to keep it clean, and well presented for house inspections by prospective buyers.
Decluttering is among the biggest yet easiest things you can do in terms of staging your home to sell. It can dramatically impact how a home stands out and attracts the right buyers and at the right price. By following some basic guidelines, you’ll be amazed at how much better your house both looks and feels, and the positive impact this will have on your sale.
