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This is the hardest thing for most people to do because they are emotionally attached to everything in the house - Folks Love Their "Stuff".
After years of living in the same home, clutter collects in such a way that may not be evident to the homeowner. They become acustom to seeing their stuff everywhere. However, it does affect the way buyers see the home, even if you do not realize it. Clutter collects on shelves, counter tops, refrigerators, drawers, closets, garages, attics, and basements.
Take a step back and pretend you are a buyer. Ask a friend to help you point out areas of clutter. Do not get defensive - Allowing another person to help you look at your stuff from a potential buyers point of view will pay dividends in many ways.
Kitchen Clutter
The kitchen is a good place to start removing clutter, because it is an easy place to start. First, get everything off the counters. Everything. Even the toaster. Put the toaster in a cabinet and take it out when you use it. Find a place where you can store everything in cabinets and drawers. Of course, you may notice that you do not have cabinet space to put everything. Clean them out. The dishes, pots and pans that rarely get used? Put them in a box and put that box in storage, too.
You see, homebuyers will open all your cabinets and drawers, especially in the kitchen. They want to be sure there is enough room for their "stuff." If your kitchen cabinets, pantries, and drawers look jammed full, it sends a negative message to the buyer and does not promote an image of plentiful storage space. The best way to do that is to have as much "empty space" as possible.
For that reason, if you have a "junk drawer," get rid of the junk. If you have a rarely used crock pot, put it in storage. Do this with every cabinet and drawer and wipe them down while you are at it. Create open, clean spaces.
If you have a large amount of foodstuffs crammed into the shelves or pantry, begin using them – Check the expiration dates and toss them out. Canned goods are heavy and you don’t want to be lugging them to a new house, anyway – or paying a mover to do so. Let what you have on the shelves determine your menus and use up as much as you can before moving day.
Under the sink is very critical, too. Make sure the area beneath the sink is as empty as possible, removing all extra cleaning supplies. You should scrub the area down as well, and determine if there are any tell-tale signs of water leaks that may cause a homebuyer to hesitate or question buying your home.
Closet Clutter
Closets are great for accumulating clutter, though you may not think of it as clutter. We are talking about extra clothes, shoes, purses, and boxes – things you rarely wear but cannot bear to be without. Do without these items for a couple of months by putting them in a box, because these items can make your closets look "crammed full." Sometimes there are shoeboxes full of "stuff" or other accumulated personal items, too. Pack up any "off season" clothing and shoes and lable the box. Hanging wardrobe boxes may be purchased from moving companies.
Furniture Clutter
Many people have too much furniture in certain rooms – not too much for your own personal living needs – but too much to give the illusion of space that a homebuyer would like to see. You may want to tour some builders’ models to see how they place furniture in the model homes. Observe how they place furniture in the models so you get some ideas on what to remove and what to leave in your house. Remember, more space is good!
Storage Area Clutter
Basements, garages, attics, and sheds accumulate not only clutter, but junk. These areas should be as empty as possible so that buyers can imagine what they would do with the space. Remove anything that is not absolutely essential and take it to the storage area, have a garage sale, donate it, or throw it away.
(This is a great time to have a garage sale or donate items to charity and take the write off!)
Making your home into a market-ready home will take time and effort - Scheduling and organizing the tasks required, room by room, will help you stay on track and make an easy transition to market time!
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