HOW DO YOU HANDLE CLUTTER?

HOW DO YOU HANDLE CLUTTER? ~ Countdown to Instant Equity

Mies van der Rohe, the famous architect, adopted the phrase, Less is more.  His architecture was based on clean lines and simplicity.  We can translate that same philosophy into “Less clutter is more money” when it comes to selling a home.

We typically think of as clutter: piles of old newspapers and magazines, clothes strewn on the bedroom floor, items out of place.  But do we recognize some of the other clutter culprits?  Use this clutter countdown to remove the items on this list and you’ve created instant equity.  In fact, if a seller does the clutter countdown, including cleaning, according to the 2007 Home Gains Survey, the ROI for Cleaning and De-cluttering combined is a whopping 578%.                                     

Clutter Countdown

10. Refrigerator magnets, photos and messages

Way too personal anyway!

9.  Bookshelves crammed with books

A few strategically placed books mixed in with “tchatchkes” is good: a library of 1000+ books, paperbacks and magazines crammed onto every shelf is bad.

8.  CDs and DVDs, hundreds of them lined up on a shelf.

Choose a few favorites for viewing; house them in a drawer, box the rest and take them off site, not in the garage.

7.  Collections of big and little things

Teacups, lighthouses from every trip to a coastal town, 20 versions of Mickey Mouse figurines.  To have a generic and appealing collection use 3 of a similar item using texture, color, theme.  Use  large, larger and largest.  Small items make clutter. 

6.  Countertop appliances and utilitarian items.

Coffee pots can stay if they look new and clean.  AND, please, for the safety of an agent , remove those butcher blocks of knives!!!
I promise, the plunger or toilet brush does not add value to the property.

5.  Garage

Remove all but the bare essentials, clean those oil stains, paint the floor and, for heaven’s sake, don’t store everything that's been packed from the house in the garage.  It tells the buyer there isn't enough storage space.  Keep store the items from the house off the property in a storage unit.

4.  Shampoos, conditioners, body soaps

If bottles must be kept out, limit them to 3 and put them in an attractive, waterproof container and hide them in a remote corner of the shower or tub area.

3.  Closets and Pantry

Remove half the items, whether it’s clothes, linens or food.  Buyers think the closets are small if they’re full.  Store dirty laundry out of sight in a closed hamper ~ that's a little too much personal information.

2.  Personal Photos

Remove family photos of each child, birth to wedding and arrival of the children arranged in chronological order.  Buyers will NEVER be able to mentally move into “YOUR” home.

1.  Furniture

Furniture stuffed into every nook and cranny of every room.  Corners filled just to be filled~ not every corner needs to have something filling it.  One piece comes in, but nothing ever comes out.  Is seating for 10 around the TV really necessary when there are only have 4 people living in the home?

A final piece of advice for de-cluttering:

WHEN IN DOUBT, TAKE IT OUT!

Bottom Line ~ Yes, showing and selling a home is very inconvenient, but the more de-cluttering , the faster the property will sell, and the less time an owner will be inconvenienced.