How to Declutter a House for Sale

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Putting your house on the market is an exciting experience, especially since St. Louis is a seller’s market. This means your home is a hot commodity. Buyers look for spacious, organized, and clean homes. You’ll want all areas of your home, big and small, clean and organized. Focus on clearing out and refining each area so you can sell to the highest bidder.

Make the best first impression on your potential buyers, one room at a time. Whether you’re selling a home for the first time or you’ve been around the block, it’s important to know how to declutter and where to begin. Your agent may suggest professional staging, but don’t be afraid to do it yourself if you prefer that. 

1. Get rid of excess appliances and household items that are taking up too much space. People like to see empty space. Even if it’s not realistic for everyday life, you need to show buyers the ideal. 
2. Ensure your drawers and cabinets are tidy and easy to open and close. People will look everywhere, so be sure to keep even closed spaced neat and photo worthy. 
3. Start with rooms that matter to buyers the most. Areas like the kitchen and master bathroom are at the top of every home buyer’s list. Kitchens often sell homes, so start there before moving on to other important areas of your house. 

Clear space in your kitchen by eliminating any appliances you don’t need. Take away extra whisks, lemon juicers, and ladles from your kitchen drawers—anything that doesn’t see a lot of use. Your drawers should open with ease and the utensils inside should look well arranged. Practice the same amount of detail and care when clearing out your cabinets.  

Kitchen cabinets hold a lot of essentials. Sometimes too much tableware can end up behind closed cabinet doors. First, clear the clutter by emptying your cabinets completely. Then assess what to put back inside. Match the number of plates, bowls, and glasses to make it aesthetically pleasing and roomy. Now that your cabinets and drawers are in order, it’s a good time to take a look at your countertops. 

When your countertops are cluttered, they’ll look smaller than they truly are. Clear space by packing away your toaster, knife block, and salt and pepper grinders. Keep your espresso machine out for a cozy and inviting kitchen feel. Once you’ve tidied up your kitchen as much as you like, you can move on to the next critical area—the master bathroom. 

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Your master bathroom is one of the most important rooms home buyers closely investigate. Be sure to create space so it looks clean, organized, and move-in ready. There are a few simple ways to get your master bathroom ready to show and sell. 

Remove any additional organizers you can go without. A laundry hamper takes up a lot of room and can be easily moved to another spot in the house. Ideally, your vanity should be able to store everything neatly. If the space in your drawers and underneath the sink is full, take out the items you don’t use every day. 

Keep toiletries you use day-to-day neatly arranged. Relocate things you use often but not always, like a blow dryer or waxing kit. Installing shelves is also a good way to store your bathroom essentials without taking up a lot of space. Shelves offer just enough space to keep things well organized and off the vanity counter, but don’t provide enough surface area for clutter.

Major spaces like living rooms and bedrooms are important to show off but don’t forget how  essential closets and entryways are as well.

Sometimes closets serve as a sort of storage room. You’ll want to get rid of anything that doesn’t truly belong in a closet. Remember, you want to show the ideal way a closet would look, like in a Better Homes and Gardens ad. Other passive spaces that are important to buyers deserve attention too, like entryways.

Entryways may seem secondary, but they offer a portal into the next room. If you want the room people are about to see to impress them, make sure the path to get there feels just as beautiful.

Creating more space for your potential home buyer is important. Donating, selling, and storing your items are a few easy ways of getting your house organized and ready to be put on the market. You’re moving anyway, why not get a head start by decluttering? 

• Donate your old furniture. Habitat for Humanity St. Louis is a great place to drop off usable household items you don’t want to see go to waste. Donating larger things like furniture helps you clear a lot of space in your house. Your donation will improve another person’s home and is the most environmentally friendly way to get rid of big items. Plus, donating your furniture may be tax deductible.
• Give items you don’t use to a friend. Every time your favorite couple comes over for drinks, they always tell you how much they love your liquor cart. You don’t use it, so give it to them! They’ve basically claimed it (in their minds) already and you could use that space to impress your buyers. 
• Sell things you don’t need. Make money for your future furniture fund. People are always looking to buy gently used furniture online. If you’re not using it, someone else will. 
• Keep your stuff in storage. Rent a storage unit while you’re between selling your house and moving to your new place. Or take up space at a friend or family member’s house. Any area outside of the home you’re selling is a great option. You can safely keep your household items elsewhere while creating more floor space for the buyer’s eye. 
• Throw things away. You have a lamp that has broken in a few spots and you’ve never bothered moving it because it wasn’t quite sturdy enough. If you were afraid to relocate it from one room to another, it probably won’t make the trip in a moving van without crumbling. Unfortunately, decluttering involves throwing things away, but it’s worth it to make a good impression. 

Organizing your house before buyers are able to walk through is one of the easiest ways to get your home ready to show. You want to make a great impression in every space of your home. Put equal time and energy into clearing out your bathroom drawers as you do your kitchen counters.  

Decluttering your home, inside and out, will give you the greatest chance of selling your home to the highest bidder. Your house will be easier to keep clean during the selling process, significant moving duties will be finished, and potential buyers will be ready to make you an offer right away.