Declutter Before You Sell

An interview with local Richmond, VA home organizer expert Athena Conte of Happier Space RVA.

Clutter may be one of those dirty words to avoid in polite company, but when you’re selling a home, it can make or break the experience. With a myriad of new construction options and HGTV shows out there, buyer expectations that a home feels “like new” is greater than ever. No one’s home is Instagram-perfect all the time, but a clutter-free space can make an impact.

Buyers need to know what it’ll feel like to live in a potential new home, so it isn’t enough to hide clutter behind cabinet doors. Any space used to hide “real life” messes is a space they’ll want to see. And your readiness to respond to last-minute showing requests can make or break a match with the perfect buyer in a fast-moving market. If they’re in the neighborhood and are excited to see your home, maximizing on that opportunity can make your property stand out in a crowd.

How do you get your home ready for showings without your stress levels going through the roof?

I’ve asked Athena Conte of @HappierSpace_RVA to share some pointers about how to get ready, stay ready and take showings in stride. Here’s what she has to say.

Re-purpose while you purge

Before rushing off to the store to buy more baskets and containers to bring into the home, take a look at what you already have on hand to help organize. If you contain too much, it can get a little overwhelming. Having a nice balance is good. Do you have a picnic basket you never use taking up space in the pantry? It could be re-purposed to store loose photos, envelopes, cards, and small keepsakes lying around on counters or bookshelves. An old cutlery drawer divider or dish drying rack could be re-purposed to organize plastic containers or pot lids, baking pans or cutting boards. This can free up more space. And it’s less expensive!

A fresh start

Being ready for showings or an open house aren’t the sole advantages to decluttering when thinking towards your next home. Sure, homes sell quicker if buyers open a pantry or coat closet that isn’t messy or stuffed with winter hats, scarves or coats you never wear, but decluttering can also give you a fresh start in your new future space. It helps to ask yourself, “Am I going to use this coat in my new place?” or “Am I going to use these two broken vacuums or umbrellas?” Go ahead and donate or trash what you won’t use ahead of time, then you’re not paying to move it. This is helpful when downsizing. Why move something you’re not going to use anyway, right?

There’s no magic number

There's no least amount of books, knickknacks or sweaters to keep. Everyone’s level of comfort is different. I might be comfortable with 10 sweaters, while someone else might be comfortable with 20. You don’t want more than you need. Make a decision on whether you use and like an item. If it gives a good memory it’s okay to hang onto, but if, for instance, rummaging through rows of clothes to figure out your outfit for the day is stressing you out, then go ahead and pare it down. You’d be surprised how much lighter you’ll feel. Your potential buyers will sense it too.

What to do with all the kids’ artwork

Have you accumulated a collection of your children’s masterpieces from all those art classes, pottery projects, collages, portfolio pieces over the years and find that you're struggling with guilt about packing them away in boxes, or even--heaven forbid--letting them go? Try something like ArtKive. You can send them a lot of artwork in a box, and they’ll send you a beautiful book you can display on your coffee table that takes up an 8” X 10” space. They make great gifts, too. No more mountain of artwork. No more guilt.

There’s a science to it

An increasing amount of research shows that clutter elevates stress levels. Buyers coming in will be more relaxed if your counter is clean and there’s a nice, appealing fruit basket out instead of lots of appliances or piles of homework. The buyer may not drink coffee. Putting the coffee maker away will help them envision a tea station when they move in instead.

It doesn’t happen overnight

It’s like a home make over show, where they show the before and after of a house. It’s not over in an hour. Organizing and simplifying can be draining. There’s a lot of decision-making involved. When you pick up something, it often brings back feelings whether you like it or not. Be mindful that to get your space to a new state of calm and simple, it’s going to take patience.

How long does it take?

Part of it depends on how fast someone is willing to make decisions, and part of it depends on how long it’s been since they’ve purged items. Certain projects you can estimate time for. You might be able to do a pantry, depending on the size, in three hours. A smaller bathroom can take two hours. A shed, if there’s not a lot of hardware that needs to be installed, can be a half a day project.

Make it a habit

After decluttering, spend some time celebrating how you feel. To keep that feeling, you have to form a habit, like healthy eating or exercising. Make it part of a routine. At the end of the day you need to take a look at what came into your home, and if anything’s left on the counter make a conscious effort to put it back in place. Or fold your clothes to fit your drawers. KonMari’s file folding system is popular, but other methods may feel better to you.

Everything has its place

Who wants to spend 15 minutes looking for car keys? Use command hooks on the inside of a cabinet so you don’t waste time searching because your keys aren’t in their designated place. Same for purses, book bags, shoes. Choose a space and everyone pitches in to put personal items where they belong when they come in and out of the home. This is helpful with the boomerang phase that’s going on right now with adult children who have to come home after college for a time. It can be stressful with four adults, three purses, a briefcase, four computers, four sets of keys coming in and out of the house every day – that’s a lot! Find a basket everyone can drop items in. Jackets, sweaters, you name it. That way it’s not all over the counter, and you’re not herding cats instead of existing in a calm space.

The whole household needs to commit

Whichever way you choose to fold clothes, or how you want to create a place for keys, purses, mail or book bags to be handled once family members come home, everyone needs to commit to the system. Reset every day. The Instagrammer Alyssa from Reset My Space resets at midday when her son goes down to nap: a quick tidy-up of the kitchen and then again at the end of the night.

Be gentle with yourself

It’s a process. It doesn’t have to be magazine or Instagram perfect all the time, but you can make it easier on yourself and your whole family while selling your home.

For more information about Athena and how she can help make your space happier before selling, you can find her at www.happierspacerva.com or direct message her on Instagram @happierspace_rva. For virtual sessions or in-home consultations, contact her today.

Great systems make life better, on that we can all agree. We can’t be experts at everything in life, so having someone like Athena to help simplify your space is a good way to get your home ready for the market. Selling your home should be a positive experience. To learn more about positioning your home in the current Charlottesville and Richmond, Virginia markets, contact me today.