Why Spend Time Decluttering Your Home Before Listing It
If you are preparing your home for sale and have about 1 million things to take care of, is a review of your belongings and decluttering on that list?
It should be – because while you may love your “stuff”, prospective home buyers are trying to envision themselves in your home. Forty family photos on the mantle doesn’t help. De-cluttering is one of the first steps in preparing your home for market.
Even beautiful, organized homes will benefit from decluttering before selling. The primary benefit is that decluttering helps you sell a home faster and for top dollar in today’s competitive market. Here are a few benefits of decluttering a home before listing it.
It makes your home look larger
It’s simple – clutter makes a home look smaller than it is. Even a large, open floor plan can look cramped if there is too much furniture, décor, and other items in that space. Having less around will make your home appear larger and more open. Keep the necessary pieces of furniture and remove the excess or anything that impedes traffic flow. And remember, if you add anything – add décor to define each space and provide some character.
It increases the perceived value of the home
Homes with a lot of clutter tend to look like they haven’t been maintained well. While the house may actually be clean, the perception from buyers will be that it’s not. Clutter-free homes are far more appealing and appear to be better maintained and have more perceived value. The objective of all home sales is to sell fast and to sell at the asking price or better. Thoughtful decluttering can pay for itself many times over.
It’s less distracting
Admit it, when you enter a house, your eyes roam and focus on personal items that are interesting…Or not. Just like you, when prospective buyers are touring a home, they can be easily distracted by things like personal items and clutter. The more items there are around, the more there is for them to look at rather than paying attention to the home itself. To draw their attention to the home’s strongest selling features, remove all possible distractions.
Helps buyers imagine themselves in the space
Walking through someone else’s home can be uncomfortable for many people. Having constant reminders of this increases that awkwardness and can spill over into how buyers feel about the home itself. Clearing out all the clutter helps them see the home as a neutral space rather than one owned by someone else and gives them the opportunity to start imagining what life would be like if they lived there. Thinking you could use some help to declutter?
Contact us today for a free phone consultation.