Hello again. Desiree Renshaw here, a realtor in Spokane, WA, and we are on tip number two in my series of tips for sellers.
This blog isn’t going to focus as much on updates to make to your property but instead on Decluttering, cleaning, and rearranging your spaces to maximize your profit! And listen, even in a seller’s market, these suggestions make a huge difference! Isn’t it always the goal to get top-dollar? For example, Homelight states that if you spend $167 on a deep clean alone, you will recoup on average $1728, an ROI of 935%! Drop $486 on decluttering, and you can add $2,584 to your bottom line, a 432% ROI.
Decluttering, Cleaning, and Organizing
As simple and obvious as this sounds, decluttering, cleaning, and organizing all of your spaces makes a HUGE impact on buyers. You can make all of the trendy updates you want, and if your area is messy, you are doing yourself a disservice—rooms, closets, drawers, etc. Minimize, minimize, minimize. Especially if your home is small or lacks storage options, you don’t want to emphasize any potential “flaws.” you want every area to feel as spacious, clean, and bright as possible. Try to showcase the home and use the items in your home to improve the appeal, not distract from it.
For bedrooms, remove extra clothing and shoes from closets. If you are storing things under the bed, clear that out. Organize every drawer, clear off nightstands and dressers, and if there is excess furniture in the room, move it to storage.. Buyers are always looking through bedrooms to see if their furniture will fit. Give the appearance of space.
Bathrooms. All drawers and under the sink decluttered and cleaned. Bathrooms are a huge way to lose a buyer’s interest. It is a place they want to get clean themselves, and if it feels grimy, that is a hard sell—Recaulk in showers and around the sink. Recaulking alone improves the overall appearance of a bathroom, and it isn’t expensive! Bathrooms are another area that, if lacking storage, you want to draw attention away from that.
Kitchens are similar to bathrooms. Empty cabinets and drawers, take everything off the counters except some intentional fluff for staging purposes, and clear extra items off the fridge. Clean the refrigerator, stove, microwave, and dishwasher. Believe it or not, Buyers will open the dishwasher! Grime and yucky smells are real deal killers. If your kitchen is small and you utilize a strange space for your pantry needs (like a hallway closet), I suggest changing that and moving everything out. You don’t want to draw attention to the fact that the kitchen lacks a pantry!
Furniture
Furniture quantity and size, and showcasing a single-use for each room and space. Sometimes furniture is just too big for a space and instantly makes an impression that a home is smaller than it actually is. In this case, it is sometimes a better option to remove that furniture altogether. Additionally, having a single purpose for each room is essential. A bedroom is a bedroom; an office is only an office; a gym is only a gym. You get the point.
Laundry Room
Funny enough, but a laundry room also makes a statement. Please keep it clean and maybe hang a trendy sign. I know I love an inviting laundry room! I spend a lot of time in that space!
Remove Kid stuff, baby gates, put toys in bins, etc. And for your fur babies, I suggest putting all of their gear away, too—especially their beds.
Labeled Bins
Finally, place all of the stuff you are removing from each room into labeled bins. If you do not have a large storage area to accommodate your containers and extra furniture, use your garage or basement but keep the stored items tidy. The goal is to leave the home feeling cared for and for the buyer to see your HOME, not your stuff.
For more fun selling tips check out my next video on one of my favorite topics!
Lighting Magic!