You have decided to sell your home, have contacted a Real Estate Professional and now what?  Your well-trained professional will come to your home to list your property and at that time may make a friendly recommendation for you to “de-clutter” your home. It’s very important to not take this personally; the agent isn’t making a comment about your housekeeping abilities or your collection of memorabilia but he does know that buyers are looking for space for their own personal belongings.  You’ll want clean lines that capture the buyer’s attention and cause him to begin to visualize how his own furniture would look in your home.  This is the difference in living in a home and living in a home that you are trying to sell. 

Your real estate professional can assist you with what to remove and can make recommendations that they know will work in moving your property.  This is their business and they know what buyers are seeking, what you have, and how to combine the two for a profitable sale for you.  Trust their judgment, listen carefully to what they suggest, and then get to work removing the items that you can live without until you find your next home.

Start in the bedrooms where your children may have a plethora of trophies, doll collections, or toys strewn around the room.  This is a must for you to address as the process of selling your home begins. Also take a look in your kitchen area where items placed on the counter tops take up space and hide the lovely granite that is hidden beneath “stuff.”  Remove all magnets and papers from the refrigerator, take down all of the baskets that you have hanging to hold fruit, and put all appliances that are sitting on your countertop in cabinets or pack them away.  If you find that you have more things than you thought, renting a storage building until you sell your property is an excellent way of making your home look neat and the clean lines of design apparent.

Pack up knick-knacks, family photos, flower arrangements, blankets, and throw rugs that make an area look busy and cluttered.  If you have a myriad of books in your bookshelves, consider removing some of the copies and packing them away as well.

In the bath area, you’ll want to place all hairdryers, make-up, brushes, perfumes, toothbrushes, and toothpaste in the cabinet space that you have.  You want to let each room breathe and show the special features that buyers are attracted to as they search for more personal space for their own things.  Remember that when you’re trying to sell your house, less is more.  A good Realtor can walk through each room and tell you what to store temporarily.  To move your home more quickly, remove the clutter and let your home breathe.