subject: Home Staging Lesson 1: Decluttering [print this page] Home Staging Lesson 1: Decluttering Home Staging Lesson 1: Decluttering
You say what? Yeah, uh huh, you got it. Decluttering is home staging's worst enemy. Have you ever walked into someone's house, and found it full of staff? Boxes on top of each other, stacked up all the way to the ceiling. Bags, books, clotheshere and there, that you had to jump your way around them to get to where you needed to?You ran your fingertip over the TV,only to find it full of dust that had been sitting there for years, well at least that is what it seemed like anyway.And, please let's not talk about the bathroom's sink that looked like it had never been cleaned. It was no longer white, and the handles had a nasty black-green around them that made you wonder if in fact washing your hands there would really clean them or add more germs?
Does this sound familiar? Decluttering is not just about getting rid off everything that is no longer needed, or making up additional space you never knew existed. Decluttering is about cleaning up the place to. You can't stage a place that is not clean. Have you ever asked yourself:
HowdoIdeclutter?
How do I know what places to declutter?
If you are serious about decluttering your place or have a client that needs decluttering, and you don't know where or how to begin, you can do the following.
Lookinto the linen closets, see if everything fits right. If you find them overstuffed, then you need to remove the excess. Organize the linens by color.
Look into the hall closets, see if you have more stuff hanging or on the floor than you should. Again, remove the "misplaced" items.
Examine the bedrooms, living room, bathroom(s), office. Are the rooms overcrowded with furniture, boxes, wall art?
The Kitchen this is the busiest room of the house. Check if there is enough free counterspace.
Clear up the front and backyard, and the garage.
The more square footage you make available, the better chances you have at getting a very interested potential buyer.
