How to Declutter Your Home and Increase Its Value
One of the most important things you can do to get your house ready for sale is to declutter.
Not only does it make your home look more spacious and appealing to potential buyers but it also helps you get rid of things that you no longer need or use. Decluttering can be a very overwhelming and time-consuming process so I am going to give you all the tricks that I have, so you can get your house into show-ready condition without wanting to give up. Stay to the end to hear my tips for specific areas of the house.
Most sellers don’t realize what a huge difference seeing a cleaned and organized house can make to a buyer. I hear a lot, “Why does it matter it’s my stuff and it doesn’t come with the house.” This is true, but here is the thing; it's a massive subconscious thing for the buyer. When they see piles of clothes and stuff cramped in closets or papers everywhere, all they think is this house is too small, it doesn’t have adequate storage space or this house is missing a specific room that they want, such as an office or playroom. Buyers are also thinking this person is a mess and that means they don’t take care of the house. So not only can this make or break if someone makes an offer on your house, but it could also affect the price they offer. Here’s the thing; decluttering is free! 100% free! So you could change the number of offers you receive or how much over the list price they are for some minimal grunt work. And the best part? You are one step closer to boxing fewer things and not having to do this when you move to your next house.
The biggest hurdle people have de-cluttering their house is just starting! So take this as your sign and let’s get to it. And if that doesn’t work think about all the money you will lose if you don’t! I’m going to start with the steps you need to take to declutter and then give you tips for each area of your house specifically.
Step 1
Start with a plan. Decide which areas of your home are going to need attention and set aside time to tackle each area. Make a list of the tasks you need to complete and then make a shopping list of anything you are going to need to buy to contain your stuff. Remember you don’t have to go crazy buying containers because your goal is to move and do this for as little to no money as possible but if you are organizing something that needs containment by all means make it happen. I would say this would also be beneficial if you have a lot of stuff to fit in a small space. Containers make it easier to stack if need be. If you do need to buy some things I would suggest measuring your space before going and bringing the measurements with you or going online and deciding which containers will fit the best. My personal favorite, if you want some suggestions, is The Home Edit line at Walmart but Target, Amazon, and Walmart all have cheaper options as well. Once you have everything you need and everything planned out, pick the area you want to start with first.
Step 2
Take everything out. Whatever room or area you have started with, clean it completely out into another part of the house. As you are doing this start putting it in piles. You need a trash pile, a donate pile, a keep pile, and a moving pile. The moving pile is stuff you want to keep but won’t need anymore in the house you are at. This way you can get it out of the space and either move it to a storage unit or contain it neatly into a tote and stack it in a storage area of your house. Look at that, one step closer to moving! Remember, if you haven’t used it in 3-6 months get rid of it. Although, I am a firm believer in the Marie Kondo method. If it’s something that “sparks joy” you can keep it, even if you haven’t used it. Just don’t go overboard with this. It’s not an excuse to keep everything but sometimes we all have that one thing we just want to keep no matter what.
Step 3
Organize the piles. Obviously, the trash and donate piles you will know what to do with. However, the keep pile is what you are going to focus on. Sometimes just looking at what you have in one area can help you organize everything into categories. If not that’s exactly what you are going to do. Try to start pairing things together that make sense. So if you are doing your linen closet you will put all your towels together, then all your sheets together, or if you have extra things in there put that into categories as well. Once you have everything separated look at it again to see if you need to make subcategories. For example, if you have a ton of medicine then maybe you split it into; pain relieving, cough, allergies, and cold and flu. This is an important step so don’t take it lightly and just try to shove everything in together.
Step 4
Move It Back. Now you are going to start getting rid of the trash, bag your donations and put your moving pile into totes. Once that is completed you can start putting everything back in an organized fashion. Think about how you use things so that you put them in a convenient location. If you have young kids maybe you put your towels on the lower shelves so they are easily reachable and sheets on the higher shelves since they probably are not making beds yet. Things you use all the time, you are going to want front and center, and easily reachable. Stuff you don’t use as much, is put higher. Also, keep in mind the heights of things. If you have something that is super tall and only one tall shelf that’s where it will have to go, so make sure everything in that category goes with it. Sometimes it’s like a puzzle and you just have to play with it for a while to get it to fit. The good thing is since hopefully, you did get rid of things there should be enough room to get all back in.
Step 5
Contain and Label. Once everything is back in, this might be where you realize you need some containers. If you do get them. After that you can label. A label maker is a great investment if you don’t already have one because you can easily take this to the new house and use it. I’m telling you when buyers see a neatly organized and labeled closet? Checkbooks are coming out! Actually, I don’t even know if anyone uses them anymore. Whatever you know what I mean. They really really like it.
Now that you know how to organize I am going to give you some tips for each area of your home.
Linen Closets
Get rid of any damaged or stained bedding or towels or if you haven’t used them in 6 months, toss them. Keep in mind a lot of animal shelters are in desperate need of these so that might be where you want to donate them.
Kitchens
If you have the black hole junk drawer or the catch-all countertop go through everything and chuck anything you haven’t used. These places especially are red flags for buyers that your house doesn’t have enough space or no office area. Also, get the small appliances off the counter! Go through your cabinets and get rid of old or damaged things you don’t use. You don’t need 50 cutting boards so lose them! It’s easy to collect too many of one thing in a kitchen so be cognitive of it and only keep a couple depending on what it is. Then you shouldn’t have any small appliances on the counter because they all should be able to fit in your newly found space.
Pantries/Fridges/Freezers
Get rid of all expired foods or foods you haven’t eaten in the last 3 months. Make sure you organize your food into categories as well. This is especially important because it allows you to see how much of what you have before you go and buy more. One thing in pantries that is a lifesaver is the tiered riser so you can lift cans to the point that you can see all of them and what they are. Also, turntables save you a lot of room as well.
Clothing
This is a big one for usage. If you haven’t worn it in 3 months get rid of it. Keep in mind, I mean seasonally. If it's too big or too small get rid of it. If you live in a seasonal area and it’s summer, then pack all your winter things if you plan on moving before then. That makes your closet look bigger and then you are one step closer to having that moved.
Toys
Number 1 rule here. Do it when the kids aren’t there! I cannot stress this enough. Also, once you have a donate or trash pile of toys get them out of the house immediately. Kids will find them and pull them back out. Out of sight out of mind. If you are super worried that they might really want something take it to a friend's house for a week to see if your kids bring it up. If not donate it. Get rid of duplicates, or anything broken, and if they have 50 stuffed animals pair it down to 10.
Garages/Basements
These are usually huge spots to get rid of items. These places are not as used so a lot of stuff can accumulate here. When you are done it looks best if you put everything into totes of all the same colors and shapes. It gives it a neat, uniform look and the cool thing is when you go to move you don’t have to box it. Just don’t forget to label it.
Now that you know how to organize your space you should be able to knock it out quickly and watch the buyers fall in love. If you want to keep finding ways to make your house look amazing when you are ready to sell, you should watch my next video, “Selling Your Home? Tips and Tricks to Stage Your Own House for A Successful Sale.”
How you have the furniture in your house can make or break how a buyer sees your home. Fear not because I will give you ideas on how to stage your own furniture so that your house looks the best it can with just a little bit of creativity and effort.