Should I Stage or De-Clutter My Home Before I Sell?

Sellers ask this question most often and wonder how much is involved and what the costs associated with this type of endeavour will be. What kind of value will I add to my property? Are the cost and time worthwhile?

Most often you have lived in your home for some time, and things seem acceptable and normal to you. Now you are planning to put your home on the market and are wondering if it is necessary to stage your home and to de-clutter it.

The answer depends on several items. One of the key considerations should be how a potential buyer will view my home? Will they view it as tired or dated, messy, cluttered and full of objects that seem overwhelming?

If the answer is yes, then it may be worthwhile to consider staging and de-cluttering. Even if you opt out of staging, you should not opt out of de-cluttering.

De-cluttering serves two purposes. Firstly it forces you to get rid of things before the move. Moving is costly, so why pay a mover to move clutter from one place to another. Secondly, by de-cluttering and organizing, you will gain valuable space that will make your home appear larger and more desirable to a potential buyer.  It can also be cathartic. We sometimes forget how stressful messy or cluttered spaces can make us feel.

People love their collectables their pictures and the many memories they have shared in their home, but that might be the problem. They are your memories, your collectables, and not the potential buyers. Your objective should be to make your home suitable for all prospective buyers.

The goal should be to have buyers to walk into your home and imagine themselves and their families living there.

By cleaning up and de-cluttering your home, you will make it appear more spacious. This is attractive to Buyers. You might have too much furniture, and it may be worthwhile to rent a storage unit or get a POD to store items.

 If you have accumulated a lot of possessions, you have several options:

• You can  hold a garage or content sale
• You can donate items to your local charity
• You can take items to a place that takes items on consignment.
• You can donate to family members
• You can purge

Consider hiring a professional organizer or a stager If this all seems to be overwhelming!

If your home is really dated and your furniture just does not fit, it might make sense to spend some money and give it a fresh coat of paint, in neutral but attractive colours and to rent furniture that is appropriate. My experience shows that this can make a huge difference and can add much to the bottom line.

Buyers often listen to what their agent has to say. They trust their recommendation. Therefore it is just as important to make a great impression on an agent showing your home.

For best results, keep it neutral, tasteful, and contemporary with only a few personal items. Minimalism is what is current today.  Less is more!

Lastly, don’t forget to give it a thorough cleaning, including the windows and carpets.

If you need further information, please contact Joyce. I am both a professional Interior Designer and a Real Estate Broker