

Get those notes that you took when you went around your house or use the checklist I provided at the end of the Introduction. (They plan to leave all those in the house that they just sold.) Neatness counts because insecure buyers think that if the house is clean the owner's surely kept up on all the maintenance. Buyers want a house in move in condition and they do not want to inherit someone else's problems.

This article has suggestions on the basics for your entire house, general cleaning, painting, decluttering, and organizing. Therefore, now is not the time to wallpaper, remodel the kitchen, or put in expensive wall-to-wall carpet. I cannot tell you how many houses we were going to sell and I bought new curtains to freshen up the rooms and saw them out on the curb for trash pickup along with the moving boxes. Yes, you might have to replace broken bathroom fixtures but do not start knocking out cupboards thinking that will add value. Yes, you will have to replace the appliances that do not work (or get them fixed). Your agent knows what buyers in the area are looking for, so lean on them for advice as you get ready to hit the market.If you noticed, I have not suggested doing major remodeling to sell your house. Talk to your agent about additional preparations that will put your home in the best position to sell. A home that’s sparkling clean is more welcoming to buyers. Scrub, wash, and dust the house top to bottom, even the commonly missed cleaning spots. These little tricks of the trade can help to give the impression that even the spatially limited areas of your home feel bigger. Planning a yard sale can help to give yourself a specific deadline by which you need to have finished giving the house a clean sweep.Įmphasize tidiness in small and narrow areas such as hallways, closets, and storage rooms and consider hanging mirrors to make these areas feel less cramped.

Between your discussions with your agent and your preparations for your next home, moving day can go from a seemingly distant point in the future to tomorrow in a hurry. To properly declutter before selling, consider your moving timeline. Separating items by their destinations will help you reduce piles of clutter in no time. The tried-and-true home organization method of keeping boxes labeled “donate,” “keep,” and “throw away” applies here. Tackle your home room by room, taking stock of items as you go. Take a deep breath your decluttering doesn’t have to get done all in one sitting. Image Source: Getty Images – Image Credit: miodrag ignjatovic As such, it’s crucial that buyers see decluttered, spacious areas when they walk into your home or browse through listing photos online. Plus, by getting an early jump on organizing your home, it will make moving day a whole lot easier.įor buyers, space equals opportunity, so a tidy, uncluttered home allows them to fill it with their imagination. By going through your home room by room, sorting through your possessions and paring them down, you’re simultaneously beginning to process the life changes in your near future. Homeowners are attached to their homes, and the selling process can bring a lot of those emotions to the surface. All these preparatory measures work together to make your home as appealing as possible to a wide pool of buyers.ĭecluttering also helps to kickstart the transition of moving out.
#DECLUTTER HOME FOR SHOWING PROFESSIONAL#
Decluttering will also get you prepared for home staging, whether you’re hiring a professional or staging your home DIY. You’ll be opening your doors to crowds of interested buyers, and it’s essential that your home feels like a place they want to live. Getting your home cleaned up and organized is a precursor to capturing appealing listing photos and having successful open houses. Preparing to Sell Your Home: A Complete Checklist.

Here are some helpful tips to get started. You’ll work with your agent to identify high-ROI remodeling projects and various ways to improve the property, but all that is a moot point if you don’t declutter before selling your home. To sell your home for the best price, it needs to be in pristine condition.
