Unclutter and Organize

Unclutter and Organize…. Two words that instill panic in the minds of home sellers! Where to start and what to keep, pack, toss, sell or donate?! Yet these are the first two steps in dressing and positioning a home for a successful and quick sale.

Uncluttering is synonymous with Organizing. You cannot do one without doing the other, so this process is going to take time. My advice is to start in one room and try to stay focused on that room until it is done. Prior to putting your home on the market for sale, every closet, shelf, drawer and cupboard in every room should be gone through completely. Uncluttering does not mean to gather up excess items and toss them into a closet or other space just prior to an Open House. Buyers look in closets and cabinets and if there is a place for everything and everything is in its’ place, the buyer will feel the roominess and organization of your home.

I remember a particular home in which I was assisting the seller’s in uncluttering after 30 years of collecting and not letting go of possessions. My first task was to compile a list of absolute necessities, per room, in which the sellers needed to live. For example, in the kitchen we packed up the fine china and left dinner settings for 4 and limited the pots and pans, utensils and electrical cooking appliances. The sellers agreed that for a few months they could do without making bread, drying fruit, processing everything and roasting a duck and without the large appliances that went with those tasks. Boxes were packed, labeled and placed in the center of the garage. Buyers understand that sellers are moving, therefore, they do not mind seeing packed boxes in the garage. (If the garage is needed, consider renting a small storage unit to store excess items for a few months.) My sellers lived with the basics and ultimately the hard work paid off. The home sold quickly and the sellers were more prepared and less stressed when it came to moving out day.

Excess clutter comes in the form of small items and large items, such as furniture. Going through the small items is what takes the most time and thought. Let’s take a bedroom closet as our first task. Closets are very valuable storage space to a buyer. Buyers inspect closet spaces and imagine their possessions fitting into your closets.

1. Remove everything from the closet.
2. Clean or paint the interior either white or a very light neutral color. Closet walls get more abuse than other walls in your home.
3. Clean and vacuum the floor of the closet.
4. Remove old shelf paper and replace with new.
5. Sort through the clothes and keep what you really want. Chances are 40% + you don’t even wear anymore.
6. Add racks for shoes. These are inexpensive, easy to install and are perfect organizing tools.
7. Stack items like games or puzzles, with the largest box on the bottom.
8. Place containers with labels facing forward.
9. Hang a cedar bag or two in the closet.
10. Tri-fold linens so no edges show.
11. Purchase plastic containers with lids to store numerous small items.
12. Merchandise your clothes by hanging them in groups, use the same color hangers and face the clothes all one way. This may sound like an overkill, however, the same merchandising tricks that stores use to sell their merchandise will work to help sell your home.

The Kitchen is the room that many buyers feel is the most important in the house. This is also the room that is the most highly rated and scrutinized by the woman buyer. Uncluttering and organizing the kitchen can have a major impact on the potential sale of your home.
1. Remove everything off the counters that has a cord – especially for Open Houses.
2. Put away the containers of cooking utensils, rows of canisters, spice containers, note pads, stacks of mail – unless you have tons of counter space, anything utilitarian impacts the buyers thoughts in thinking the kitchen does not have enough cupboard space.
3. Clean off the refrigerator – no magnets, photos, and recipes.
4. Put away dishtowels, dishrags and dish racks.
5. Pack up excess dishes, pots and pans, bowls, etc. The buyer needs to see the cupboards have a lot of space for “their possessions”.
6. Put away the throw rugs scattered around the kitchen floor.
7. Thoroughly clean the fronts of the cabinets.
8. Install new hardware for a quick update.
9. Clean the stove, oven and any other appliance. Sparkling clean appliances tell the buyer your home is well taken care of and that they are in working order.
10. Unclutter open shelves to allow for more space between items.
11. Please, no plug-ins or vanilla scented candles. A clean smell in the kitchen is much better than an overpowering candle aroma that makes the buyer wonder what that smell must be masking.
12. If you want to stage the counter top, a pretty bowl of fresh lemons, oranges or limes will do, or an open cookbook on a stand or vase of fresh flowers.

Focus on the goal, which is to SELL your home. The more you do now, the les you will have to do at the close of escrow. So pack it up… sell it… throw it out… donate it or give it away. Uncluttering and organizing will uncover the charm and space in your home.