Even if you’ve already spent time decluttering your home, there’s a good chance that there is still plenty of clutter that you don’t need. Having an excess of clutter can make your house appear occupied, which can make it difficult to sell quickly. Having an outside perspective can help you make sharper choices when it comes to decluttering. Here are a few suggestions to help you approach your clutter with an objective point of view!
Does Your House Look Vacant?
When potential buyers come to look at your house for sale, then it needs to look like it is vacant and ready to be lived in. If buyers get the feeling that it is already occupied (even if it already is), then they might feel like it isn’t truly available for sale. This doesn’t mean that you should completely empty your house, but it does mean that you should put a focus on removing any unnecessary clutter.
It might seem harsh to think about it, but your personal effects and some of the objects you desire most can be seen as clutter. This doesn’t mean that it is junk, but a potential buyer does not want to see it. They may feel as if they are intruding if your house is covered in personal effects. Furthermore, it can greatly detract from the actual aspects of your house.
Clutter Can Greatly Reduce Your Chances of Selling
Anything inside your house that can draw attention away from the non-essential features of your home will make it difficult to sell your house fast. Imagine that you are trying to buy a house – would you want to move into a place that looks like people are living in it? Would you even be able to appreciate the home, or would you be distracted by all of the clutter that you see?
Most buyers are going to have a similar mindset. Chances are, they already have plenty of their own furniture they’d like to move in. Having some basic furniture that can serve as an example of what the home would feel like is definitely helpful. However, anything beyond that serves as a distraction, especially if it isn’t going to be there when your buyers move in. This is why you need to remove all clutter from your home if you want it to sell fast.
Are You Overly Attached to Things You Don’t Need?
Deciding on what is actually accentuating for your house and what de-emphasizes it can be difficult. The first thing that you should consider is whether you have a personal attachment to a specific belonging or piece of furniture. Maybe you really love that painting hanging up in the hallway, but perhaps something more modest or nothing at all would make the hallway look bigger.
Just because you love something in your house doesn’t mean that your buyers will. Any furnishing you keep inside your house should be extremely neutral. They should easily fade into the background, letting your house speak for itself rather than being covered up. Anything that makes a bold statement or that catches your eye is a great candidate for decluttering.
Advice for Making the Decision to Keep or Remove
Here are some helpful tips for helping you decide what should stay in your house and what needs to go:
- Empty the Closets – Arguably the most important piece of advice here is that you should not store any clutter in your closets! You might be thinking that having it out of sight will put it out of mind, but don’t you think that your buyers are going to want to look inside your closets? Afterall, they want to see how much storage space they will have should they decide to buy your house.
- Worn Furniture Must Go – Another big one here is removing any furniture that is worn, scratched, scuffed, dirty, damaged, or in any other way not in good condition. Not only will it look tacky to a buyer, but it can also give the appearance that the rest of your house was not well cared for. A buyer’s perception can be their reality, even if it isn’t really what your house represents.
- No Extra Appliances – You might think that having small appliances is appealing to a potential buyer, but it’s actually just hogging up counter space. Just like furniture, someone looking to buy your house will probably have their own small appliances. Things like a toaster, blender, coffee maker, crockpot, rice cooker, and air fryer are all good candidates to go.
- Don’t Hold Something for the Future – If you haven’t used something in your house for years (or ever) because you were waiting for a better time in the future, then you likely don’t need it. Sporting equipment, an excess of books, and other seemingly harmless, yet entirely random objects should be removed.
- Lighting is a Plus – What you shouldn’t remove is anything that improves the lighting in your home. One of the easiest ways to improve the image of your house is by illuminating all the new space you’ve just cleared up! You may think that a vacant house is unappealing, but it gives buyers a picture of what it can be for them and some light can help emphasize that.
Sell House Fast Without Needing to Declutter!
Your priority before showing your house is to make it feel vacant, yet still inviting. There are likely several furnishings in your home that you are attached to or think look good, but potential buyers likely won’t feel the same way. Remove anything that takes attention away from your house and make sure anything that remains is fairly neutral. If you want to sell your house fast, make sure to empty your closets, remove worn furniture, small appliances, and unused equipment, and keep the house well lit.
Are you feeling overwhelmed by all the decisions involved in removing clutter from you house? You won’t need to get rid of a thing if you sell your house to Ben Buys Indy Homes! We buy any Indianapolis home fast by giving you a great cash offer. You can use this to save yourself time and money, putting quick cash in your pocket when you need it most! Call or email us today to see how much your home is worth!
