Decluttering and Depersonalizing: How to Prepare Your Home to Sell

Guest Writer Amy Collett

Photo by Unsplash

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You’ve made the decision to sell your house. You’ve deep-cleaned your bathrooms, repainted your living room walls, and replaced the kitchen cabinets. That doesn’t mean you’re ready to place the house on the market. There’s far more to staging a home for photos and open houses than just making sure it’s free of dirt and has showy upgrades. Read on for some tips on how to declutter your house and make sure that future buyers will see its potential for the future, not its history.

The Big PictureIf you want to facilitate a quick sale without dramatically dropping your asking price, you need to ensure that your home will make the best first impression on buyers. Most modern buyers do their research online.
 
If potential buyers are looking through real estate listings, pictures of a home cluttered with personal belongings, family photos, and years of accumulated junk won’t generate a lot of excitement. Try to see the house from a buyer’s perspective and consider the big picture: you want your home to look clean, inviting, and ready for move-in day.

The Importance of Removing ClutterEvery family accumulates a certain amount of clutter after years of living in the same home. Recently, scientific evidence shows how decluttering homes can improve mental and physical health, but that hasn’t stopped homeowners from accumulating more than their fair share of knick-knacks and keepsakes. You don’t have to toss all those family mementos in the trash but they have no place in real estate photos and videos.
 
Arguably the best way to deal with large amounts of family keepsakes is to rent a small storage unit. It’s an affordable option that gives homeowners an alternative to giving away or tossing sentimental items. Items that don’t have sentimental value can always be sold at a moving sale or donated to Goodwill.

Preparing an Online ListingIt’s best to discuss options for improving your home’s chances of a quick sale with a real estate agent who has experience selling other homes in your neighborhood prior to listing your home. You may feel as if you know your house best, but your real estate agent can be objective in ways that you can’t.
 
Depersonalizing your home is just as important as removing clutter. Potential buyers want to see themselves and their families living in their future homes, not their current occupants. Plus, not everyone shares the same taste when it comes to home decorating, furnishings, artwork, and decor.
 
Remove artwork and family photos from walls and take a look at the home’s furnishings. Period or date furnishings only appeal to other consumers who’re in love with the unique aesthetic created by antiques or retro furniture. No matter how much you love that 1960s-style couch, it has no place in real estate photos and you’ll need to remove it prior to the first property tour or open house.
 
If you’re going to keep your furniture in your home while staging it for buyers, make sure your pieces are modern, in good condition, and clean. If any furniture is stained, you can hire an upholstery cleaner to remove the stain. Avoid companies who use all-in-one cleaning solutions. Before hiring furniture cleaners, visit a site like Angi to compare customer testimonials and look for potential deals. 
 
Your realtor can help you determine how to make your home appeal to the widest audience, but homeowners will only be able to move forward with this process after they’ve removed their own personal touches. Saying goodbye to a beloved home can be hard, but don’t use that as an excuse to put off getting organized, decluttering the house, and preparing it for sale until the last minute. It could have a substantial impact on how much you get for your house and how quickly it sells.
 
Your real estate agent is your most valuable resource for information and help with selling your home but you have a lot of work to do, too. Get the process of preparing to stage the home started well in advance, then consult a real estate agent for advice about how to arrange furniture, improve lighting, and attract a wider range of buyers. With the right strategy, you’ll see a Sold sign in your front yard in no time.
 
Ready to sell your home? Expert Realtor Jason Gelios can ensure you earn the maximum for your sale. Call 586.419.2231!

Amy Collett is creator of Biz Well, a website that helps professionals and entrepreneurs build and strengthen their personal brand.