Stage (and Sell) My Cluttered House!

Owning  a home is a lot of work and selling a home is even more work!  without even noticing we start  to accumulate more stuff than we even realize. Some stuff in closets, in the spare bedrooms and in the  garage or shed, before you know it you have quickly filled your home to the  brim and now it's bursting with all kinds of things! Unfortunately, all of this stuff can really get in the way when you decide to sell your house. 

Buyers want and need to see the full potential of your house to picture themselves in it, but that can be difficult to do when it is covered up in your things – no matter how important they may be to you.
This is a situation home stagers see all the time . You do not have to suffer from a hoarding condition to have a cluttered home. A surprising number of people need help tackling the clutter so they can sell their property.

Selling a cluttered home is hard due to the fact that many people do not have the necessary vision to see beyond it. Appearance is critical in real estate sales. Luckily, there are solutions, things you can do now to make your home look its best and sell more reliably.

 

15 Quick De-cluttering and presentation tips

1. Minimize the amount of furniture in each room to make your home appear larger.
2. Make sure all high traffic areas are kept clear.
3. Move things like exercise equipments that don’t belong in a family or living room.
4. All closets should be thinned out.
5. Everything but the bare bone essentials should be removed from kitchen and bath counters.
6. Get rid of old unsightly plants.
7. Put away excess nick knacks, family and pet photos.
8. Get rid of old magazines and newspapers that are just lying around.
9. Clean up bookcases of clutter and arrange books neatly.
10. Organize wires coming from televisions and computers around the home so they don’t look unsightly.
11. Clear out excess shoes that may be lying around in your foyer or mudroom.
12. Always put away dirty laundry and make the beds.
13. If you have a deck clear it of any non essentials
14. Don’t forget your garage! Remove anything that is no longer necessary to have.
15. Remember to De-clutter your yard as well. Remove any junk you have accumulated.

This is a great start to properly presenting your home and although this can seem very overwhelming. Start small, you will feel great and it will motivate you to move on down the list.  While these are some things to consider when sprucing up a cluttered home, lets talk about the big stuff!

Have a lot of stuff? Rent A Storage Space!

One of the best tips to sell a cluttered home is to rent a storage space. This may be the most straightforward solution out there.  If your home is cluttered, consider a storage unit rental as a very small investment that could yield a considerable increase in your sale price.

Rent a unit that is plenty big enough to store all of your non-essentials. You can keep the couch and the television, but your collection of comic books or elephant figurines may be better off in storage until your house is sold. The idea is to create space for buyers to envision themselves living in your home, so anything you can remove to allow for that is probably a good idea.

Storage units are usually inexpensive, charge month-to-month and typically offer climate-controlled options. Go for a storage provider that emphasizes security, because your things are worth protecting. Any good storage space will make security part of its operating procedures, so it should be easy to find a provider that is serious about it.

Can't afford a storage unit ? Try asking friends, family or neighbours if they could store some of your items....

 

Get Rid of Your Clutter

  While storing things you want to keep is an important part of how to sell a cluttered home, you also want to get rid of things you don’t intend to keep. Preparing a home for sale is the perfect opportunity to discard unwanted items. There are many of us who have a problem disposing of  things that we don’t use on a weekly or even a monthly basis.
Often times many of the items we end of holding onto have some kind of sentimental value. Psychologically it makes it harder for us to get rid of these things. The first step of course is to overcome that fear of saying good bye to something you have held onto. There are also some folks that hoard even what would be considered by most people to be “junk”.

If you have items in your home that will not be coming with you and you need to get rid of them one of the best solutions is a company like Junk Squad or 1-800- Got Junk. These companies will come out to your home and haul away any of your unwanted clutter. Big or small it doesn’t matter. These companies will take just about anything. Pricing will be dependent on what you are getting rid of. The cost will be impacted by the size and weight of what you are getting removed.

Another great way of getting rid of things you no longer need or want is to give them away to charity. Old clothes, coats and shoes are the perfect thing to give to a charity. Not only will you be putting a smile on the face of someone who really needs it, your home will look better in the process. Some folks also like to have a yard sale as well to get rid of excess clutter. As the saying goes one mans junk is another mans treasure.

Get A Professional Cleaning

  Depending on your personality, this may be a difficult move to make – even if it is a small thing. Some people take pride in keeping a clean house, and many have spent years working to ensure that their homes are spotless. However, unless you happen to run your own cleaning service, you will probably benefit from the skills of a professional. While a professional cleaning really doesn’t necessarily get rid of clutter it can dramatically change a homes final appearance after you have tackled the heavy lifting and removed the bigger items from your home.

Some cleaning companies specialize in prepping houses for sale, and can do an amazingly in-depth cleaning job in a short amount of time. Once you have removed as much of the clutter as you can, bringing in a cleaner is the next best step to get your home ready for sale. From carpet cleaning to dusting the mini blinds, they can whip your home into shape – making it stand out to buyers through pictures and in person.

 

Presentation

Now that the house is clean and de-cluttered, it's time to work on the presentation.  You want the home to look it's best in photos and for showings.  Even if you don't have tons of updates that buyers are looking for doesn't mean that you can't feature other aspects of the home like floor plan. lighting, fireplace and more...

Create vignettes that highlight areas of the house that buyers might be attracted too like a mudroom, fireplace, wide entry

Think about adjusting the furniture arrangement so that the rooms have better flow and show off the space and functionality. Ask a friend or neighbour for their honest opinion or hire a home stager

Add some accent pieces with colour like pillows, flowers, towels, shower curtain, art, etc...to spruce up the space!  This makes a space look better in photos and in person.  If you can't afford new items ask a friend or family member if they have anything you could borrow!

During showings (and your photos) have all the curtains drawn back -letting the light in and have all of the lights on!

For extra oumph!  Bake some cookies or light some candles for a welcoming and warm feeling !




If you've got a tight budget to prep your home for sale, don't fret - make it look the absolute best that it can! And be realistic when working with your realtor when it comes to pricing and comparisons.