CLUTTER. Most homes have it, many people feel stressed out by it, but how does it affect you as you list your home for sale? As a sought-after Home Stager and Professional Organizer in Orlando and the surrounding Central Florida area I encounter it on a daily basis. This is one of the biggest dollar stealer's out there! Read why it gobbles your home's equity and learn how you can tame the beast that is your clutter so you can make the sale you desire.

Cleaning is important and it is absolutely necessary to sell your home but clutter, that seven-letter word, is what will truly keep buyers from seeing your warm, inviting, and sparkling home. Clean and clutter-free are not the same thing. Clutter makes buyers feel as though pride has not been taken in the home. It is associated with messiness and laziness even if you just happen to have a lifestyle that involves kids that endlessly dump their toy box just as soon as you’ve tidied it up. The items in you possess all need a deliberate home and a minimalist approach. Let’s look at the kitchen for example.

Kitchens are busy places with lots of appliances, dishes, and can soon look like a really small space if not handled properly. This means there must not be any magnets and kids work plastering the refrigerator doors and the counters need to be free of the many appliances. Simply keep out one such as the microwave if that is where it lives or a coffee maker provided it looks clean and is not dated. Then only a few other items such as a basket with fruit and perhaps some other décor pieces may exist. Why? Buyers see the clutter as a sure sign that their stuff won’t fit. The same holds true for those kitchen cupboards and drawers. While you are selling it is best to box up all the items you seldom to never use and leave those spaces half empty presenting them as having more than enough room!

The same holds true for any room in your house also. A room full of oversized furniture, too many knickknacks or too many pieces of furniture is a dead giveaway to your potential purchaser that your home is far too small for their needs and for their stuff! If you have to invest in a storage locker or placing furniture in a neighbors garage-do it!! A word on garages, please don’t ever stuff your garage with the items that you just cleaned out of your house because that will show buyers that your garage won’t hold “x” amount of cars nor any of their storage stuff. It will also appear that the home didn’t have enough room for the contents so that is why they have migrated to the garage.

In any event, the old adage is true. Less is more! More space that is! Anytime the buyer feels they are getting the most space for their money, they are willing to pay top dollar. This will speed the sale of your home and likely present you with multiple offers so you can choose and get the most amount of money.

Remember to keep loose items at bay also. Messy bookshelves and toys need to have a home. Keep items in storage containers that have lids or are not see-through. In other wards use wicker baskets, totes, or ottomans and other furniture with storage to stow these items. Your home will look so great you’ll want to stay.

Call Florida Home Staging today and let us know how we can help you de-clutter and stage your home. De-cluttering is actually part of our home staging service. We’re here to help YOU!