|
This is the hardest
thing for most people to do because they are emotionally attached to everything
in the house. After years of living in the same home, clutter collects in
such a way that may not be evident to the homeowner. However, it does affect
the way buyers see the home, even if you do not realize it. Clutter collects
on shelves, counter tops, drawers, closets, garages, attics, and basements.
Take a step back and
pretend you are a buyer. Let a friend help point out areas of clutter, as
long as you can accept their views without getting defensive. Let your agent
help you, too.
Kitchen Clutter
The kitchen is a good
place to start removing clutter, because it is an easy place to start. First,
get everything off the counters. Everything. Even the toaster. Put the toaster
in a cabinet and take it out when you use it. Find a place where you can
store everything in cabinets and drawers. Of course, you may notice that
you do not have cabinet space to put everything. Clean them out. The dishes,
pots and pans that rarely get used? Put them in a box and put that box in
storage, too.
You see, homebuyers
will open all your cabinets and drawers, especially in the kitchen. They
want to be sure there is enough room for their "stuff." If your kitchen
cabinets, pantries, and drawers look jammed full, it sends a negative message
to the buyer and does not promote an image of plentiful storage space. The
best way to do that is to have as much "empty space" as possible.
For that reason, if
you have a "junk drawer," get rid of the junk. If you have a rarely used
crock pot, put it in storage. Do this with every cabinet and drawer. Create
open space.
If you have a large
amount of foodstuffs crammed into the shelves or pantry, begin using them
– especially canned goods. Canned goods are heavy and you don’t want to
be lugging them to a new house, anyway – or paying a mover to do so. Let
what you have on the shelves determine your menus
and use up as much as you can.
Beneath the sink is
very critical, too. Make sure the area beneath the sink is as empty as possible,
removing all extra cleaning supplies. You should scrub the area down as
well, and determine if there are any tell-tale signs of water leaks that
may cause a homebuyer to hesitate in buying your home.
Closet Clutter
Closets are great for
accumulating clutter, though you may not think of it as clutter. We are
talking about extra clothes and shoes – things you rarely wear but cannot
bear to be without. Do without these items for a couple of months by putting
them in a box, because these items can make your closets look "crammed full."
Sometimes there are shoeboxes full of "stuff" or other accumulated personal
items, too.
Furniture Clutter
Many people have too
much furniture in certain rooms – not too much for your own personal living
needs – but too much to give the illusion of space that a homebuyer would
like to see. You may want to tour some builders’ models to see how they
place furniture in the model homes. Observe how they place furniture in
the models so you get some ideas on what to remove and what to leave in
your house.
Storage Area Clutter
Basements, garages,
attics, and sheds accumulate not only clutter, but junk. These areas should
be as empty as possible so that buyers can imagine what they would do with
the space. Remove anything that is not essential and take it to the storage
area.
Or have a garage sale.
|
