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29
Storage Unit to the Rescue: How to Declutter to Help Sell Your Home
It's difficult if not impossible to sell a cluttered home. When looking for South Bend homes for sale, a disorganized home can turn off prospective buyers. Many are unable to see past the surface clutter to the infinite possibilities of the space.
That's why most South Bend real estate agents recommend that before homeowners list their properties, they first declutter their living spaces and consider renting a storage unit to hold some of their household goods.
Decluttering to Sell
Everyone has different levels of tolerance for the amount of clutter they can live with, so it's important that you defer to your agent's expertise in this assessment. He or she has a vested interest in moving your property quickly and for the highest selling price, so if the agent suggests decluttering and storing household items, heed their advice.
Homes without clutter appear larger. Most industry leaders suggest that when staging a home for sale, about 30 percent of the furnishings and contents should disappear. Because family photos and pet items are so owner-specific, it's better to (temporarily) part with these so potential buyers can more easily picture themselves and their belongings in the home.
Where Do You Begin?
First, clutter-proof the catch-all sections of your home, including:
- Extra bedrooms
- Basements
- Closets
- The garage
Homebuyers seek sufficient storage spaces, and it's hard to tout the roominess of jam-packed closets and overflowing spare bedrooms. You want them to glimpse possibilities and not problems.
Scale Back on Large items
Your husband might love his overstuffed recliner, but for now, it's a definite no-no. Ditto for the massive farmhouse table that dominates the kitchen.
Children may also have to temporarily part with their largest and most cumbersome toys and stuffed animals in order to showcase their rooms in the most favorable light.
Arrange for Portable or Other Storage
Many storage companies offer handy portable storage containers to hold your items until your move is completed. Movers can box and pack it all up and move the container to a climate-controlled indoor facility.
Make sure that the storage unit you select is large enough to hold everything that you want to store. For reference, units that are 5'x10' typically are about the size of an average walk-in closet and can store big items like couches and queen-size mattresses and box springs.
If you need something larger, 10'x10' units can hold furnishings from about two rooms.
Channel Your Inner Marie Kondo
Take a good, hard look around your home. Be ruthless in your assessment of each item. Do you really want to schlep some of the clutter to your new home? Be ready to part with old, outdated, and no longer necessary furnishings and household goods.
If you don't have the energy or inclination to have a yard sale, call Goodwill or another charitable second-hand business to come and pick-up your cast-offs. Plenty of people will be happy to put them to good use.
Get the Best Price for Your South Bend Home
At Cressy & Everett Real Estate, our real estate agents will take the time to help you target potential clutter that can be relocated to your storage facility. We will walk through each room and storage area and point out our recommendations. We want all of our clients to get the best price possible for their homes and we will facilitate that in all our interactions with you and your prospective buyers.
When you are deciding on whether to list your South Bend home for sale, contact us to arrange a consultation with one of our licensed agents.
Note: a subscription to the Do Not Call list does not apply when requesting information from our company.
