As an experienced Real Estate Professional, serving home sellers and buyers for years, I have a strong understanding of what sells and what doesn’t. So, when it comes to home selling, my number one tip for potential home sellers is to first declutter their homes. That’s right; decluttering can make a huge difference to the home selling process in numerous ways. I highly recommend that every potential home seller starts their home selling journey by decluttering it. This is because even the best of homes don’t sell if they are messy and cluttered.
Based on my rich experience, here are some of the top reasons why it is important that you declutter your home before selling it. Take a look….
- Makes Your Home Look Spacious and Bigger, Instantly
The top benefit of decluttering is the fact that your home instantly looks spacious and bigger. Too much furniture in the home, decor and other miscellaneous items can make your place cramped, untidy and small (even though it might be big). And needless to say, all this further makes the home look unappealing and unattractive.
Therefore, my advice to you is to keep only the necessary furniture and get rid of anything that is taking too much space in your home and impedes the flow of traffic. Simply stated, keep decor that is enough to define your space and give it warmth while the other things must be removed right away. You can put them away in the store room, but remove them from sight so that when potential home buyers come to inspect your home, they find it appealing and spacious.
- It will Increase Your Home’s Perceived Value
Did you know that clutter-free homes have higher perceived value than cluttered homes? Wondering why? Well this is because cluttered homes look like they haven’t been maintained well. Even though the home may be clean, but too much clutter will make the buyers believe that it isn’t.
It won’t be wrong to say that clutter-free houses that have a streamlined decor are more appealing to potential home buyers as they give the buyers the confidence that it has been kept well-maintained and taken care of properly over the years. So, the more spacious your home looks, the more upscale it will appear to potential buyers.
- Ensures that Buyers Don’t Get Distracted
When potential home buyers are inspecting a home, the clutter inside it, such as furniture and personal items can distract them. And you know what this means? It can make them lose their focus. They may tend to pay more attention to the clutter and things inside your home instead of the house itself.
Thus, I’d say that if you want to make sure that they focus on the strongest selling points and features of your home, then make sure to remove all the possible distractions and ‘declutter’ it. Furniture should highlight the best features of your home without distracting the buyers or stealing the show.
- Helps Home Buyers View Themselves in Your Home
If you declutter your home, it will look cleaner, tidier and more spacious. This will make home buyers not only comfortable in exploring your home but at the same time, they’ll be able to visualize themselves living in your home. They will be able to imagine how their furniture will look in your home and how they’ll live in it (if they buy it).
Put simply, decluttering helps home buyers see the home as a clean and neutral space instead of someone else’s home. It gives them the power to imagine what their lives will be like if they lived there.
Therefore, based on my experience, I would recommend you to remove all personal items that reflect your personality such as art work, religious items and family photos.
- Get Rid of the Pests
Another reason why it is important to declutter before selling is to get rid of pests. That’s right; if you have clutter in your home then chances are that you might have pests like spiders, ants and rodents. Let me tell you, this is a serious problem and can be a deal breaker. No potential buyer will want to live in a home that has pests. But what you can do is that get rid of the excess clutter so that it is easy for you spot pests and exterminate them before you put your home for sale.
- Ensures Proper Air Circulation
A cluttered home has poor air circulation. This can further lead to mold growth and a dusty odour inside the home. The odour of your home is one of the first things that a buyer will notice as soon as they walk inside your home from the front door. So, declutter your space to ensure proper air circulation.
- Spares You From Potential Liability
If you put your home up for sale before clearing up the clutter, then you can put yourself at risk of potential liability. This is because clutter is a potential liability. If a potential home buyer trips on the clutter while touring your home, falls and gets injured, then you could be liable. Thus, to minimize this liability, decluttering is the best way to go about it. Make sure that nothing comes in the way of home buyers when they are touring your home. From entryways to hallway and other areas of your home, all the rooms should be clean, organized and clutter-free.
- Helps Identify Potential Problems
By decluttering your home, you can easily pinpoint and identify potential problems with your home, which can otherwise lower the visual appeal and value of your home. You can identify potential problems like paint job, mold growth, leaky pipelines, and other repair and replacement jobs.
Once you spot these problems, get them fixed and repaired. This will make a good impression on home buyers. Furthermore, it will help you ask a good selling price from buyers and sell your home at a good price raking in high returns.
Remember that, home buyers are willing to buy homes that are in good condition and well-maintained. The last thing they want is to buy a home at a high price and then find out that they have to spend more money on ongoing repairs and replacement jobs, which otherwise should have been completed by the home seller.
The Most Important Spots to Declutter
When decluttering your home, the most important spots that you need to clean are the storage room, entryway, the hallway and the living room. Once these are done, then focus on the kitchen, bedrooms, the laundry room and play area.
If you need more information on this topic or professional assistance with what you need to remove from your home to declutter it and make it look clean and tidy, then get in touch with me. I can provide you with all the information that you need to get started and declutter your home the right way.
