Mike Adams-Internet Real Estate Marketing Pro

De-cluttering your home before you sell
by Liz Voss, Guest Author

If you’re like a lot of people, your closets are probably in total disarray and you cringe every time someone opens your doors. If your closets are packed beyond their limits, this article is for you. When you’re looking to sell your home it is important to give potential buyers a good impression on your home, and not all the things you have stuffed into it!

Take a few minutes, or hours, to make your closets look a little nicer when prospective buyers look in them during a showing. Follow the 5 easy steps I’ve outlined below in this article, and be sure not to overlook the impact that useable closet space can have on a sale!

1. Determine what the space is actually for.

The kitchen pantry should be for storing food, the linen closet is for linens, and the closet by the front door should be the home of your coats, jackets, umbrellas, and shoes, etc. Determine what the practical use for your closet is. A closet that stores potatoes, sewing supplies, linens, and your Christmas decorations is automatically an eyesore. Think of where all your stuff should really go. Power tools should probably be in either a storage shed or the garage. Cleaning products should be kept under the sink in kitchens and bathrooms. Small appliances should also have their own space; they shouldn’t be sprawled all over your countertops or the pantry. Holiday decorations should be hidden out of sight in a storage room or crawlspace. Seasonal clothing should also be packed up when not in use in order to cut down on clutter and to make your closet look bigger.

2. Take everything out.

You might find things you thought you lost. Take out everything and sort it into related piles to make it easier to organize later. This would be a good time to sort your possessions to help you prepare for your move, as well. If you know you won’t need it any time soon, pack it up! Packing up a little at a time will not only save you time when it comes time to moving, but it will also make the task a lot less daunting. Get in contact with your local charities and recycling centers for ways to take care of the stuff you don’t want anymore. Or you could organize a garage sale. Someone somewhere has a use for it! Now is the time to find the projects you wanted to take on, or started and never finished, and will never finish, and toss them. If you’re pulling out boxes and bags filled with items such as pinecones and toilet paper rolls, you may want to ask yourself why.

3. Install more efficient storage units.

Now that you have a blank canvas in your closet, take a look at the shapes of the items you want to put back into it. Sometimes a single rack and a single shelf just can’t handle the amount of stuff you have. Your local hardware store has all the supplies you’ll need to make your closet more useful. You may also want to look into storage units designed specifically for the function the closet is to perform that are available at big box stores. Find ones with a few shelves at varying heights to accommodate your large and smaller items. You can rarely go wrong with adjustable shelving. Also, be sure to look into nice looking, well-made storage boxes and baskets. You won’t have to tear your entire closet apart if you have several small pieces that you can remove and replace easily!

4. Restock your closet with the items it was intended to hold.

Don’t go back to your old habits so soon! You just took such a big step! Sort your belongings back into your closet wisely according to function and necessity. Put things that you need often towards the front, and others toward the back. Make your nice stuff more visible than your ugly stuff. Make sure that once you’ve put your things away you can still see divisible sections and not the solid block you started out with. Take a step back and honestly ask yourself if it looks organized. If you can’t lie to yourself, repeat steps 1 through 4.

5. Keep it organized.

Don’t be lazy. Remember the hard time you put in getting everything looking good? Make sure everything goes back into its spot when you take it out or move it. Take pride in your well-organized closets.

About the Guest Author:
Liz Voss has 9 years experience in real estate. She is a member of the San Antonio Board of REALTORS® Liz is a graduate from the University of Incarnate Word completing her BBA in Business Management.