It took me awhile to realize this, but people HATE to de-clutter. Besides implying that their house is cluttered and messy, there's no goal except to remove stuff from a room...THEN what do you with it?
Trying to think of what sellers are looking forward to, I realized it's PACKING. When you're packing, you're going somewhere! You've got an exciting adventure coming up! Yee Haw, let's go!
What better way to de-clutter than to START PACKING! I now recommend that my clients "PRE-PACK." They are asked to:
- Pack up everything you aren't using now (winter clothes, holiday decorations, etc.);
- Pack up everything you aren't going to need before you move (good china, crystal, etc.);
- Pack up everything that's not vital to your existence in the home (cookbooks, family pictures, candles, excess videos/DVDs/CD's, etc.)
- Pack up everything else that's smaller than a basketball.
I've found that having seller's do this serves more than one purpose:
- Most importantly, it DE-CLUTTERS the house making it easier to sell, more quickly.
- It get's the sellers excited about moving. The less they have to pack later, the less stress they'll be under when it comes time for the big move. If they do it right, all they have to do is pack a few boxes, their suitcases and call the movers to get the big stuff and haul off the "already packed" boxes.
- By being ready to go, they can "move quickly" for those buyer's that need a house RIGHT NOW.
It's all in how we choose to look at a situation. Instead of decluttering, explain this fabulous new concept of "pre-packing."
Comments (51)Subscribe to CommentsComment