subject: Minimalism Increases Your Chance Of Selling Your Home [print this page] Prepping your home for a sale is one of the more stressful things about the entire sale process.
Many homes are simply places where we keep the accumulated treasures of the years. Are you a clutter-bug, a pack-rat? It may not be flattering, but a lot of us are.
When preparing a home for sale, we need to be mindful of our "stuff." Go around your home first to get an idea of what you have in there. Take note of the things that have just been lying there for the past few months. Now, and here is the hard part. You have to decide which items to throw away. Yes, we know it doesn't sound pretty. Think about it this way ? you may not even use these things in the future. We want to show prospective buyers the house, not the items inside the house.
It is widely believed that you need to leave what's in there so buyers can get an idea of your personality. This is not true. In fact, buyers would much rather have their items in the house, and not your belongings. It is the buyers, first and foremost, who want to put their stamp on the new house to see if they are making the right decision. Give your buyers a chance to make a decision without your stuff influencing them. You need to be ruthless ? throw away everything useless! This includes the closets, shelves and cupboards. If furniture is getting in the way, remove some of it as well. You don't want to put these excess items in the garage either. The garage is part of your home, so buyers will check that out as well. If you are that attached to your old stuff, put them in a storage locker. More often than not, though, you need to take advantage of the opportunity to remove unnecessary things.
Preparing your old house to be sold is much easier with less clutter in there. That way, the new owners can associate your home with themselves once the sale is closed. You may also benefit from having less items to pack. You will then have all the time you need to make your new residence as perfect as possible, with less equipment, furniture and items to worry about.
