Getting Your House Ready To Sell

First Step….”Clear the Clutter”!!! We have been looking for a house for over a year and a half and in this time I cant tell you how many homes I have looked at on the internet and in person that have so much “stuff” that you can barley tell if they have wood floors or carpet. I can look past the “stuff” but most people can not see past the clutter and turn around and leave. You want people to look at your house as though they could see themselves living in your home. Speaking of which, it is no longer your home…it is a piece of property you are selling. Now is the time to stop thinking of it as a home and stop treating it like home…you are trying to sell it in a timely manner. The sooner you realize this, the sooner you will sell it!

On our search to find a home in any school district with a pool at a reasonable price (hint, hint if you are getting ready to sell one, email me!). We love our house, love everything about it but to put a pool in our fairly big backyard would be too expensive because we have a slight hill so that is why we are on our home search. Whether you are looking to down size, up grade or just change your back yard, selling your home can be over whelming.

I have been in homes with a litter box in the pantry, trash cans filled with so much garbage it was falling out, dirty clothes on the floor, one of my favorite is a plug in air freshener in every room and closet…just wondering what smell were trying to cover up!?!?!?! I am so glad that we don’t have to move by a certain time and I can look at my own leisure or I would be in a huge amount of trouble! Most people only have a few weeks so you have to make a huge impression on them as they enter your house.

If you want to make the most out of selling your house, here are some simple steps I would suggest before you put it on the market. If you have time or energy for a garage sale before you put it on the market now would be a great time to gather all your things for the sale. Take one room at a time and go through every drawer, shelf and with in the perimeter of the room to remove garbage, put things you would sell or donate in a large trash bag or box, move from room to room. Ask yourself, “do I want this in my new house, do I even want to pack it!?!?!” Don’t make the garage sale a big deal, just sell it to get rid of it!! Don’t price the little stuff just make tables of “everything on this table $1 or 6 for $5” and so on…only price big ticket items. The purpose is to get rid of the stuff not to make a million dollars.

After you have cleared out all your rooms of wanted stuff, now take a good look at each room and ask yourself, do I have too much furniture in here, too many family pictures, are my cabinets stuffed? If you have an attic, or family member who has an attic or if you can afford a storage unit for a short time, store some of your extra furniture somewhere else while you are selling your house.

Take a quick look at closets, cabinets, pantry and your laundry room. Take a moment to spruce up your cabinets, straighten them up, label a few things. If you have a small pantry try to eat your pantry down so that it doesn’t look like it is over stuffed and too small. In your laundry room, make sure you counters are cleared, dirty laundry is in the washer or dryer for hiding purposes. One more thing, check is to make sure your lights are all working and are bright, nothing worse than opening the master closet to a small dingy closet, but if it is small and organized with a bright light…well you get the picture. They say don’t judge a book by its cover but in this case people are judging your house and remembering it…do you want them to say to their husband or wife “remember the stinky house, the litter box house, or the house that was so clean and bright”?!?!?!?

By the way after you have gone through your house from top to bottom (of course I am assuming you have already fixed obvious mechanical things) now give it a good thorough cleaning and I mean a good cleaning. Wash doors, door jams, dust (should be a lot easier with less stuff!), vacuum, clean windows (or hire someone to clean them, like me).

I don’t know if your house will sell quickly but I can guarantee you it will sell faster than if you had just thrown a sign up in the front yard! Next week I will help you pack up your house so that when you move in…it will be a breeze!!!

By Michelle Lehman with Organizing Solutions “Clear the Clutter”