We’re in the process of getting our house ready for sale.
It’s a tedious process. We have so much stuff. Everywhere.
Storage and space is one of the reasons we’re going to build a bigger house. But in the meantime, it’s time to de-clutter.
And clean. Lot’s of heavy duty cleaning.
I receive a lot of sample products from different brands to review – well, in the next few weeks, they’re ALL going to get a workout.
The kids have been helping out too… of their own free will! Give them a spray bottle and some paper towel and they’re happy.
Today, it’s all about the painting. Hubby has just rushed down to the hardware store to pick up some roller trays… and I’m not meant to be on the computer, but should be doing this.
Getting a house ready for sale
What tips or advice can you share with us?
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Neutral colours, as much light in every room as possible.
ReplyDeleteminimize, minimize, minimize. Open houses at new developments are frequently stocked with 3/4 size furniture as a sleight of hand to show "how much room there is!". Take a page from that book and minimize the amount of furniture in a room.
ReplyDeleteDe-personalize. You're going to be moving anyway, so pack away *all* of the personal mementos, pictures, souvenirs, stuff on the fridge door. You want the buyers to envision *themselves* in your house. They can't do that effectively if they see your pictures and decorations.
You know they're going to be opening up all the cabinets to see how much storage there is, so make everything *in* the cabinets & closets "look pretty". And don't put too much in there either .. see point #1. :-) Again, you're going to be moving anyway, so get all the stuff that's *in* the cabinets & closets packed away.
AND *de-clutter*. Always. All the time. This is going to be the most difficult to maintain simply because you-as-a-family are still living there. But, keep the kids' toys & stuff put away in decorative boxes, cubbies or totes. Make tidying up the clutter the last thing you do before you go to bed because you definitely do NOT want to be in the position of having your realtor call up in the morning and say he/she is coming by in 30 minutes with a potential buyer ... and all you see on the floor is the entire world's inventory of Lego's along with your most recent load of laundry.
And realize that it's only for a short time. Once you've moved into the new place, you can return to your "relaxed" standards. :-)
Good luck!
Make sure there is nothing that is really special so that if you get someone dishonest through the house you don't lose anything truly precious!! This happened to a friend of ours - they lost their laptop!!!!
ReplyDeleteAlso buy a bag of coffee beans and put a couple on an oven tray and then turn your oven on low - apparently freshly baked bread and fresh coffee are the two smells that encourage people to buy houses.
Otherwise I have to agree with Pirate. Declutter, depersonalise but not too much - make sure that people will walk in and want to live there. If you can, get your friends to do a mock walkthrough so that they can tell you what to move, remove or add.
Good luck!!
I like the previous suggestions. I have one to add. Rent a storage locker and put any "clutter" you want to keep or are wishy washy about throwing out, there. After you move, you can unload the locker and decide if the items still have meaning for you or not. Making those decisions while moving can be a heartache later, if you decide you really DID want something that was thrown out. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteHaving just been through this, de-cluttering is the way to go, but not too much as you want to make it look like someone lives there and enjoys living there. After living in my house for 13 years I had a lot of crap to move! It took me months. I still had extra stuff that I hadn't put away but I put it in nice boxes and put them in rooms where they weren't too obtrusive. I also had a couple of bags and boxes of stuff that I would fill and throw in the back of the car during inspections. Stuff like the ironing basket, or anything that I use all the time but didn't have anywhere to put it. My girlfriend used to put her makeup etc from the bathroom in a tray and hide it under the bed for an inspection. I'm still de-cluttering now as I'm looking at everything and deciding whether I really want to pack it, move it and unpack it at the new house. It's amazing how motivating that is!
ReplyDeleteI used oil burners with calm and peaceful oils to make my house smell nice, also a lavender candle in the bedroom. I'd burn them for a couple of hours before an inspection but blow them out half an hour or so before anyone arrived. That way it smelled nice but wasn't overpowering.