Why don't these owners clean up their mess?

Wish more buyers would think this way. I think that it's gone to the extreme for most buyers - they want a home that looks like a furniture show room or on the cover of a magazine.

I listed a home yesterday that I initially interviewed at 4 months ago.  I told them, declutter or you will never will get the price you want.

Have to say, they did a good job of listening.  The place looked so much newer with everything packed up.

The responsibility lies with the listing agent to inform these sellers on the protocols for selling a home. Joy

I heard something very early in my career. Clutter eats equity. I have used that when people don't want to pick up before they sell. I ask them if they would rather lose 5-10% of their money or pack up a few things for a few months. It has to be packed anyway....and then I offer to help them pack. 

Mike you are right on with this one. I always tell my sellers they need to follow the 3 D's. De-clutter, de-personalize and de-odorize.

Mike, I love this positive look at cluttered homes! Buyers often look for terms such as "motivated seller" on listings.  Perhaps they should be looking at clutter in the posted photos!

I don't pass judgement. Sellers have a lot going on. Sometimes decluttering is too hard while they're living there.

I love your positive look at the other side of the coin. Too much clutter probably also means the buyers will need to do a thorough cleaning before they move in - but elbow grease or cleaning help for a couple of days is nothing compared to thousands off the selling price.

Mike, you are right, clutter deters most buyers from previewing a home. With only 10% of the population having the ability to visualize and see the potential, sellers are limiting their pool of buyers by not investing some elbow grease in preparing their property for sale.

Mike, Interesting perspective. You're correct about cluttered homes being an advantage for buyers because most others buyers would walk in and out in seconds.

We clean out our house each winter because we spend the winters in Mexico. its amazing how well the house shows when we get all our personal stuff out. Minimalist is best for selling homes. Get rid of the junk and stuff and show your home in a different light.

Very interesting take on the issue of clutter, Mike!  You're right, cluttered houses are always devalued by buyers.  I love the comment above "Clutter eats equity!"

In this day of short sales I suspect I lot of them do not care.

Hi Mike, I agree.  When sellers ask me what they should do to stage, my most common suggestion is to de-clutter.

Some people, when you tell them, do a great job. Other's will not, and I drop them. Don't have the time to mess with people who are so much trouble in the EARLY stages of a sale!

Mike,

It is hard to look past cluttered homes and what sellers need to consider is that it will all need to go when it closes escrow so why not start packing it up before it goes on the market.