Clearing The Way To A Quicker Sale
April 7, 2016
When you are ready to sell your home, it is important that prospective buyers see your house has plenty of storage, not only in closets, cupboards, pantries and cabinets, but also in areas specifically designated for storing items like a garage, attic or shed. Last month, we shared tips on de-cluttering living areas; this month, we take on these other spaces.
Everyone has things they want to keep accessible, but out of everyday living areas. These can include holiday decorations, off-season clothing, garden and lawn care supplies, sporting equipment and sentimental keepsakes among other things. But over time, items in storage spaces have a way of multiplying…and turning into an unorganized mess. That chaos and clutter is a big turn-off to potential buyers, so here are some tips to help you sort through it all and make the most of the space (plus speed up your own packing and moving process!)
1. Pick the space and set a time. Tackle one space at a time, whether that’s the garage, attic or shed. You will likely need an entire weekend (or two-day span) to thoroughly de-clutter and organize each area, so pick a time when you can focus on just that task. With garages and sheds, try to choose a day when the weather will be pleasant since you will be working outdoors.
2. Completely empty the area. Pull everything off of shelves and out of boxes so you can inventory what you have and examine each object to see if it is worth saving.
3. Sort the contents. As you remove each item, sort into “piles” of similar things. For example, from the garage create areas of automotive items, lawn items, sporting goods etc. From a shed, sort tools by season—snow shovels and ice melt in one area, fertilizer and weed killer in another. For an attic, sort items by person (yourself, spouse and any children) or by holiday for decorations and season for clothing.
4. Make decisions. Once piles are organized by contents, go through each stack and decide what you will keep, sell, donate or throw away. For every single item ask yourself:
⋅ When was this last used? If it was more than a year ago, donate, sell, or trash it.
⋅ Do I have something else just like it? If yes, donate, sell, or trash duplicates.
⋅ Can someone else use it? If yes, donate or sell it. If no, trash it.
5. Remove the trash. Move all the items designated as trash into one area. This is where a junk hauler could be helpful, especially to remove larger items.
6. Organize what you’re keeping. If you are moving, instead of putting everything back, it might be a good investment to keep some things in an offsite storage unit. Whatever you must keep on hand, organize. Use wall hooks to hang things like bicycles, rakes and shovels and sort smaller items into bins, jars or other containers. Store what is used most frequently in the most easily-accessible area. In an attic, label boxes clearly.
7. Sell / Donate. Have a yard sale for any items in the sell pile. What does not sell, but is still in good condition, add to the donate pile. You can drive your donations to your local charity or some organizations offer pickup service.
Remember, BumbleJunk will not only haul away your junk, but also delivers reusable items to charities and gives you the tax receipt, plus takes recyclable items to the appropriate facility. Call us today at 1-888-286-2535 or schedule online line at BumbleJunk.com
Once you have de-cluttered your storage areas, you will find it is much easier to keep the areas neat and ready for visits from realtors and prospective buyers. It will also make packing for your own move go more quickly since you have already pre-sorted so much, and labeled any items in boxes. Good luck and happy moving day!