The main task you should prioritize as a potential home seller is decluttering. It’s actually free, and you can do it way ahead of time. It’s best to do it in advance even if you’re not much of a hoarder, as you must have accumulated too much stuff after living in your house for years.
So if your house already feels smaller than it really is, it’s time to get serious about decluttering and organizing. Keep only the necessary furniture and decor that will define your space and highlight your home’s best features without being distracting. If you have too much furniture, you can put it in storage for the time being. Think of the phrase “less is more,” especially if you’re thinking of hiring a staging company to show your home. It makes a difference in your buyers’ perception of how big your house feels.
Likewise, it is easier to clean a decluttered home. Air circulation is also improved, so it smells cleaner. And because the smell is one of the first things potential buyers will notice when entering your home, it’s a huge deal breaker.
And storage is a top concern for serious buyers. They will want to open up closets, cabinets, and drawers to see how much storage the home has. You might have hidden your items from plain sight, but when buyers see cabinets full of stuff like miscellaneous food containers, it will give them the impression that there’s not a lot of storage in your home. Show off your storage space by emptying them or leaving them two-thirds empty. You may throw away, donate, or sell things you don’t want to take with you when you move. You can also rent a storage unit and put everything in there temporarily as you’re sorting through your belongings.
Moreover, you can deal with issues like cracks in the wall, mold growth, bad paint jobs, leaky pipelines, and other minor repairs when you start to lessen your stuff. By removing bulky furniture, you can locate where many of these problems could be potentially hiding. Decluttering before listing your home for sale will give you plenty of time to address these issues, so you can improve your home’s value and ask for a competitive selling price from buyers.
Aiming to make your home a neutral space by removing most of your personalized items will make it easier for potential buyers to imagine themselves and their things in the home. Since there are fewer distractions, buyers can easily visualize themselves living there without being reminded that it’s someone else’s home.
And when you start to see your home changing after packing and throwing away items, it becomes less and less your home and more of a place where you’re getting ready for your next adventure. After all, the memories will always stay with you, and you can cherish them forever. And you’ll be thankful you put in the work beforehand because aside from becoming emotionally prepared for the complicated moving process, your home will also be more attractive to buyers.
