Decluttering Tips For Home Sellers

When the time comes to sell your home, there will be a lot of items on your to-do list. However, few will be as important, or as impactful to your final results, as decluttering.

Decluttering your home before you sell it isn’t just about getting rid of the stuff you don’t want to bring to your new place (although that is part of it). In today’s housing market, achieving the best sale possible requires doing everything you can to present your property at its best – and decluttering is a big part of that.

That said, decluttering is also a fairly big undertaking, especially if you’ve got a large home or simply a lot of stuff. As real estate agents, we often work with sellers who have been hesitating on the process simply because of how intimidating it can be.

If you’re in a similar position, we’re here to help. In this blog, we’ll go over some of our best decluttering tips for home sellers.

Give Yourself Time

If you want to get the best results from decluttering your home, you can’t take shortcuts. As a seller, the ROI from a clean, clutter-free house can add up to tens of thousands of dollars. So, if you’re going to invest the time and energy into clearing out your home, you’ll want to do it the right way.

So, our first piece of advice is to give yourself time. Decluttering isn’t always a one-day process, and you may need help from family, friends, or even professionals. By creating a timeline several weeks (or maybe even months) in advance, you can sort through every last square foot of your home without getting overwhelmed.

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Pick Priority Areas

It’s important to ensure your entire home is clutter-free from front to back. However, when it comes to impressing buyers, certain rooms will be more important than others.

For instance, as they tour your house, buyers will pay special attention to high-use places like the kitchen, living room, master bedroom, and primary bathrooms. So, it makes sense to start your decluttering process by tackling these priority areas first.

Taking this idea one step further, it helps to sit down and list out each room in your house, and what order you will declutter them in. If you aren’t sure which parts of your house to prioritize, you can always ask your real estate agent.

Stay Organized

Now comes the bread and butter of the decluttering process: organization. Instead of haphazardly wandering through your home and throwing things away, it’s best to have a set system for how you do things.

As you go through your list of rooms, assign every single item to one of three categories.

Things to keep
Things to donate
Things to throw away

When you do this, try to be as objective as possible. While it’s natural to feel hesitant about getting rid of certain belongings, especially those that have sentimental value, remember that you’ll only get the best value from your decluttering process when it’s done properly.

Have Off-Site Storage Available

What if you have certain belongings that you don’t want to get rid of entirely, but want to remove from your home while it’s on the market? While it may be tempting to move everything into the garage or a back yard shed, remember that buyers will also be seeing these areas. If they’re too crowded, it could impact the buyer’s opinion of your home.

In these instances, investing in off-site storage (like a storage locker) can be a great solution. Or, if you have a family member or friend who’s willing to offer you storage space in their home, that works too.

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Remember That Decluttering is Only Step One

Finally, keep in mind that decluttering your home is just one step of the selling process. If you’re hoping to sell your home quickly and for top dollar, there will be a number of other key details that play a role in your success; ranging from which real estate agent you hire to your initial asking price, and everything in between.

So, as you work through decluttering your home, it’s important to think ahead and anticipate what the next steps in your selling journey will be. This will keep you motivated, on track, and aware of the most influential elements of your final result.

Looking to sell your home? Get in touch to find out how our expert agents can help. Send us an email at info@bosleyrealestate.com or call 416-322-8000.