Tips for organizing your home to sell.

Planning on selling your house in the near, or not so near, future? Getting organized now can make a huge difference when listing and selling. Not only will your home show better but it will save you time and money when packing to move. Plus, when you unpack at your new home, you’ll only have those items you love and want.

Think beyond typical home staging and organize your home to sell!

While you may have the basic staging advice of decluttering your countertops and arranging your furniture for good flow, you may not think about the prospective buyer opening your kitchen cabinets, walking into your master closet and investigating the storage space in the bonus room. Be sure that every view is a great one with neat and tidy closets, cabinets and storage spaces.

Get your spaces organized and sell your home…use these tips to make your realtor love you and your buyers drool!

Organized homes sell.

• Donate or toss anything you don’t need or want…or can’t see in your new space or new life.
• Discard broken or damaged items.
• Give serious thought to keeping hobby or crafting supplies, especially if they aren’t current in your life.
• Corral items in bins or baskets…bins can hide clutter and make spaces look neat and tidy.
• Evaluate your electronics and media. How many actually are used and how many are clutter?

Organized closets sell.

• Clear the floors so the closet feels bigger.
• Use matching hangers – I love the slim line flocked hangers because they take less space and gives a streamlined feel to the hanging clothing.
• Use decorative baskets to corral accessories.
• Channel a retail store when arranging items on the upper shelves and in cubbies.
• Pack up out of season clothes and specialty items.

Organized kitchens sell.

• After purging your drawers, use matching drawer organizers or dividers to give them a clean look.

• Get rid of all those stadium cups and display the nice glassware in neat rows.
• Create zones such as prep areas, snack or coffee stations.
• Match up your plastic or glass storage with the lids, and store in bins.
• Donate all of those specialized appliances and utensils that never get used (like the avocado pitter?).
• Check expiration dates in the pantry and discard old food, as well as donate edible items that you don’t need to a food pantry.
• Group food items in your pantry by use, and use matching bins to create more space.
• Clear off the surfaces except for a few attractive essentials or decorative items.

Organized spaces sell.

• Do a serious edit of the kids toys and group what’s left in labeled bins.
• How’s the garage? Group like with like and do a serious purge in here as garages tend to be dumping grounds. Zone out the space to create areas for sporting gear, tools, etc.
• Go through your books and magazines…which ones will actually get read?
• Don’t forget your coat closet – use matching wood hangers and baskets after you get rid of the coats & gear you don’t love or use, as well as all of the other items that ended up in there when you did a ‘stash and dash’.
• Check the guest rooms, attic, basement, and any other infrequently used spaces to be sure there are clear pathways and items aren’t strewn about.

*A final tip: Buyers generally won’t look in freestanding pieces of furniture so these should be the last areas to tackle. Prioritize the key areas first such as closets and kitchen cabinets!

The best part about doing this work now is that when you move, you won’t have to pay to move as much stuff, there won’t be as much to deal with, and there is less to pack. And when you get to your new place…everything you unpack will be something you are excited to see, not elicit a groan of despair over why you packed it in the first place!

Get organized before you sell…make the process easier and more profitable!