Do you have a New Year’s resolution? It’s not too late to start a New Year’s resolution (or even re-start in February if you didn’t make much headway on your resolution during January…) If you would like to share your resolution, please leave a comment. Whatever it is, we hope you achieve it – no one ever makes a resolution that’s not meant to improve their life somehow, so we wish you well.
If selling your house in 2011 is on the horizon, you may want to consider a resolution to declutter which will help make preparing your home for sale easier and make your home appear more spacious, too. Preparing a home for sale can be an especially taxing project if you have lived in your home a very long time. The neighbor across the street from me on his/her second dumpster can attest to that… It truly is amazing the amount of possessions we come to acquire.
Selling a home means moving, of course. And not always to a place with more space. To make the most out of your decluttering resolution, think about a few things as you clean: Do you ever use it/wear it? Do you care enough about it to want to move it?
The basement/attic project
Ahh, storage areas in homes are wonderful and necessary. But go through your basement and attic and you may be surprised about the amount of "stuff" you have stashed away that you never missed. Look through everything and decide if you ever use it and if you want to move it. Have a rummage sale to make some money on your unwanted items. Or donate the items to charities like Goodwill for a tax deduction, less clutter, and less to move! And if you find things in boxes from the LAST time you moved, you don’t need them, do you?
Closets
Closets are an important selling feature in homes so make sure yours are looking their best by cleaning them out. Potential buyers WILL look in the closets. A good rule I’ve heard before about keeping closet clutter under control (but never put into action myself) is when you buy a new item of clothing, take one item away and donate it. Have you ever been able to do that?
Think, as you go through the closets in your home, when was the last time you wore the item or used the item? Does the item still fit? Have you not worn it in over a year? Consider donating it. I know, it is really hard to do! But it will whittle down what needs to be kept in your closet and make keeping it neat easier.
A decluttered house is easier to sell
Selling a home is an involved process. You’ll need to meet with a Realtor/s to determine pricing, your needs, your time frame and then select a Realtor to list your Wisconsin property for sale. You’ll need to get your home in tip-top shape to wow potential buyers when they view your home. If you tackle both activities in this article, you will have a head start on preparing your home for sale. Your Realtor will likely give you some additional suggestions. Please take those to heart – they see a lot of properties and have an idea of what appeals to Wisconsin home buyers.
Good luck with the declutter resolution – should you choose to attempt it! If you are thinking of selling your home in the future, this is time well spent.
Thanks for reading the First Weber Wisconsin real estate & Wisconsin living blog about preparing your home for sale through decluttering. Let us know how you do or if you have other tips to share!