St. Louis Real Estate Seller Tips

Getting Ready for the St. Louis Real Estate Spring Market?

7 Ways to De-Clutter Your Home by Heather Lanoue

Thinking about putting your home on the market this spring? It’s never too early to start planning the sale of your St. Louis home. And there is a lot to think about. Perhaps one of the most crucial pieces to finding that perfect buyer is staging your home properly. And that means…..de-cluttering. Having a lot of clutter lying around the house tends to tell prospective buyers that “this house is your place, not theirs”…..never a good message to send. Removing clutter will not only make your home appear clean, well maintained, and move-in ready, but will also give you the added benefit of helping you relax after a stressful day of work. Here are seven tips on how to de-clutter your home.

Prepare for a de-cluttering marathon. This is a big, sometimes emotionally draining task and is best tackled in small bites. You’ll want to gather some de-cluttering tools before you begin. Garbage bags, boxes, and dusting cloths can be most helpful. If you find yourself having trouble staying organized throughout the process you may want to start three piles labeled “throw out”, “put away”, and “charity.” This approach will keep you from throwing out things you want to save, and saving things you want to throw out.
Throw out old, unused stuff that tends to find itself on counter tops and shelving such as junk mail, bills, receipts, etc…. Outdated paperwork can also find its way into drawers and closets. Potential buyers want to see your home, not your mail or last Sunday’s paper. So don’t let the junk mail keep you from receiving an offer.
Sort through closets to find extra storage space. If your closets are overflowing with “stuff”, it may be time to do some closet purging. Potential buyers love to see storage space when they open closets. If the buyer’s eye goes directly to the boxes, cloths and clutter, they won’t notice all the great storage space you have. Overflowing closets also have the habit of telling buyers that your home doesn’t have enough storage. But not to worry, there is an easy fix to the full closet….. If you haven’t used something in a year, throw it out.
Clean off book shelves to give your room an open, lighter feeling. Again, buyers are looking for storage space and if your shelving is packed with stuff, buyers will assume your home doesn’t have enough storage. Maintaining well organized, half-full book shelves also gives the appearance of space and can make a room feel larger than it actually is. And don’t forget to pack up the majority of your personal pictures when staging a home for sale in today’s St. Louis real estate market. You want potential buyers to see themselves in your home, not see you in your home.
Maintaining clear kitchen counter tops has the potential to visually double the size of your kitchen. Always a good thing. The golden rule for counter tops is to have no more than two appliances sitting on the counter. Homes for sale that feature vast expanses of counter top space will have a competitive advantage in today’s St Louis buyer’s market. And it would be a shame to miss out on an offer because kitchen clutter overshadowed your fabulous counter top space.
Clean out bathrooms with the goal of making them appear “hotel clean.” Nothing turns off potential buyers faster than a dirty or cluttered bathroom. Make sure counter tops are clear, towels are hung neatly, and the shower and tub are clear of excess bottles and shower supplies.

And last, but not least, celebrate! If you’ve managed to de-clutter your entire home, then you deserve a pat on the back. You’ve just completed the most inexpensive remodel of your home possible. Potential buyers will see the value in your work and you will, quite possibly, be rewarded with a higher offer than you would have received otherwise. And remember, you’re not alone in this task. If you have any questions about the home staging process, don’t forget to contact Doug Aegerter 314-640-1778 or Art Wagner 314-503-0335 your St. Louis Realtor’s for extra tips and advice. This is one step in the selling process that you won’t want to leave out.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 15th, 2010 at 11:26 am and is filed under For Sellers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.