Declutter & Maximise the Value of your Home - Here’s How.
If you have ever asked, ‘does clutter affect the appraisal value of my home,’ the answer is, it could, so why take that chance?
There are so many factors that are outside of your control when it comes to selling your home, including the current market conditions, available buyers, location, etc - but what is completely in your control is how you present your home to the market.
The fact is, clean, neat, decluttered homes look good and they are often indicative of the overall quality of the property. Buyers also want to be able to imagine themselves in the homes they are viewing, this is achieved more easily in clutter-free zones.
So, where to start?
1. Deciding What is Clutter
It is easy to talk to clutter - but what is clutter in your home? Essentially it is anything that makes a space look untidy or messy. It can often be items of a personal nature that you have collected or gathered over the years and have helped to make your house a home. But now is the time to see your home as a property to sell, and to make the space look as perfect as possible for potential buyers.
2. Be Honest About your Clutter
A tip to help you ‘see the clutter’ is to take a photo of each room and look at it critically. Be honest with yourself about what needs to be removed. (Keep these photos for a ‘before and after’.) Or ask a friend or family member, or your agent – to help you identify some key clutter areas in the house, that you may simply not be seeing.
3. Categorise your Clutter
Once you have identified the items that need to be removed from a space, creating ‘clutter categories’ will help you sort everything more easily. Categories could include; sell, donate, store, mend, keep, throwaway, move to a different room etc. The fewer the categories the better, remembering that there is never a ‘maybe’ pile when you declutter!
4. Storage Solutions
If you are not selling to downsize then your ‘store’ pile may be the largest pile! If that is the case, then consider renting a short-term off-site storage space. This will mean you are not having to find space in your house to store the items, which will save you time. If you do decide to store everything in the house, then buy some neat storage boxes that can become part of the room décor.
5. One Room at a Time
Rather than see the house as one large space to declutter, which can be rather daunting, simply start with one room first. Choose a small space that doesn’t require too much effort, so that you can feel a sense of accomplishment on creating your first clutter free space. And there is no time like the present to get the clutter off to your local charity store, or tip (you don’t want to be tempted into sneaking it back into the room again!).