It’s no secret that selling your home can be a major ordeal, especially since most home sellers are working double duty as home buyers at the same time. And if you are still living in your home while it is on the market, as is often the case, striking a balance between your everyday life and your buyer’s dream life can be difficult. The good news is there are a few simple tips that you can follow to make your home more appealing, allowing you to fetch the highest price in record time.
Get in the Mind of the Buyer
This shouldn’t be too difficult of a mental exercise since, after all, you likely are a home buyer yourself. But it is surprising how few home sellers take this one simple rule into consideration: put your place in the buyer’s shoes. When home shopping, the first thing all people do is imagine filling each room with their own furniture, appliances, and knick-knacks, imagining themselves spending the coming years in this new environment. It is never an easy process of translation, but it is made much easer with a bit of decluttering. Simply put, keeping your home as clean and uncluttered as possible is the best way to help others imagine themselves living there.
Count the benefits
But beyond this, there are a number of compelling reasons why decluttering your home is an attractive choice for both you and prospective buyers.
- For your sake, it helps you get in the mindset of moving. We all know what an ordeal packing boxes and shipping them across the city, state, or country can be, and so getting a head start is never a bad idea. More than anything, it will get you in the moving mindset.
- It makes your home seem more spacious. Despite what real estate agents have to say about “location, location, location” there are few features more important to home buyers than square footage. While you might not be able to actually increase the size of your home, you can definitely make it seem bigger by decluttering the spaces.
- It lets buyers notice the important things. What are the main selling points of your home? If you have gorgeous bay windows, tons of counter space, high ceilings, or great light, a new visitor to your home is going to have an easier time noticing these things when your house is as clean and decluttered as possible.
A simple how-to
The best thing of all is that decluttering your home is completely free, and not all that difficult. All it takes is a bit of time and attention to detail. A good way to think outside of the box and see your home in a new light is to take a photo of each room of your home and see what bits and bobbins stand out from the crowd. More likely than not, it won’t take you long at all to find ways to make more room, and have your space looking more appealing than ever before.
Jodi Bakst, Broker-Owner of Real Estate Experts based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is known for her strong negotiation skills. She is a fierce representative of her buyer and seller clients and she has trained the agents working with her to do the same
