The real estate market is hot, really hot! Houses seem to be moving faster and faster each and every day. But then there are those homes that seem to sit and sit even though they’re priced right. What do most of these properties have in common? They are all super cluttered.
If you are looking to sell your home in the near future, one of the best things you can do to increase your chances for a quick sale is to declutter your rooms now. In fact, it is one of the top tips realtors share to homeowners who want to market their homes to sell fast.
Here are some ways decluttering can help your home sell faster:
• Clear spaces allows for imagined possibilities. I don’t know about you but when I visit a potential property, I want to imagine my life in the home. When the walls are filled with family photos, the closets stuffed with clothes and there is little room to move, I find it hard to see the possibilities that surround me. Make the vision of a potential buyer’s future home come to life more easily by removing as much as possible before the first open house.
• Too much clutter scares home buyers away. An excessive amount of stuff sends the wrong message to home buyers and can easily scare them off. It makes them think of how much stuff you have to move out before they can move in. Clutter often makes people feel anxious and overwhelmed distracting them from the beauty of your home. And a home filled to the brim can send the impression that you didn’t take good care of its upkeep.
• Don’t just store items in another room. Ever go to an open house and find that one part of the home looks great while another looks overstuffed? If so, those sellers probably made the big mistake of moving all their junk to one area for storage. Rather than simply moving and rearranging what you have, take time to consider if you even need or want the items in the first place. If they must be kept (and I mean must) ask if you can store it at a family member’s or friend’s house. But be careful – set a firm timeline on when you will remove it from their space or your junk can quickly become their burden.
• An uncluttered home is easier to show. Open houses and showings can leave you in a panic if your home is cluttered and messy. Reduce your stress by keeping the home in an orderly fashion all the time. That way when an unexpected showing pops up, you and your home are ready at a moment’s notice.
• Who wants to move all their junk anyways? Whether you are moving across country or across town, moving “stuff” in general is time-consuming, tiring and just plain annoying. The less things you have to drag along the easier the moving process is (and the more likely you can get others to help). When decluttering your home to put it on the market ask yourself this simple question: “If I were moving today, would I want to take the energy to pack up and bring this item with me?” If there is any hesitation on shouting “yes” than you are probably better to part with the item rather than move it with you to yet another place.
For a quick sell at a higher asking price, declutter your spaces before putting your home on the market. For more tips on how to start the process, read my post for the best tips on decluttering any room in the home.