Steps to Take Before You Remove Clutter from Your House

by Jodie Franklin 12/01/2019

If you plan to sell your house in the foreseeable future, it often helps to declutter. That way, you can eliminate excess items from your house and make it easy for buyers to envision what life may be like if they purchase your residence.

Before you start to declutter, there are several steps that you should follow to achieve the best-possible results, and these are:

1. Consider Which Items That You Want to Keep

One homeowner's treasure is another's clutter, and vice-versa. Thus, you'll want to take a close look at your personal belongings and determine which items are keepers and which items are clutter.

If you find that you have lots of clutter, there is no need to worry. Remember, you can always sell excess items at a yard sale or online. You also may be able to donate various excess items to charity or give them to family members or friends.

2. Examine Clutter in Each Room of Your Home

Clutter rarely is confined to one room of a house. As such, you'll want to closely examine each room of your home and identify all clutter before you list your residence.

Oftentimes, it helps to make a home decluttering checklist that includes each area of your home. This checklist will enable you to take a room-by-room approach to remove clutter and may help you streamline the decluttering process.

3. Evaluate Your Storage Options

Although you likely will find plenty of clutter in your home, you may identify a wide range of items that you want to keep too. At the same time, you probably want to remove as many items from your house to show off the true size and beauty of your home to potential buyers.

Ultimately, it helps to evaluate storage options prior to decluttering. This will ensure that you have plans in place to store myriad items as you start to remove clutter from your house.

Many home sellers choose to rent storage units for their personal belongings. These units generally can be rented on a monthly basis and enable home sellers to keep their belongings safe until their houses are sold. Furthermore, it may be beneficial to pick up storage bins to temporarily store myriad belongings in your house's attic or basement.

If you need extra assistance as you prepare to declutter your house, it frequently helps to reach out to a real estate agent. This housing market professional can offer expert decluttering tips, as well as guide you along the home selling journey.

A real estate agent will set up home showings and open house events, negotiate with a buyer's agent on your behalf and much more. Therefore, with a real estate agent on your side, you can increase the likelihood of a quick, profitable home selling experience.

Ready to declutter and list your residence? Follow the aforementioned steps, and you can eliminate clutter and move closer to selling your house.

About the Author
Author

Jodie Franklin

I love helping people find their dream home or sell their house in order to achieve their next goals. I have been working hard for my clients for over 15 years throughout southeast Michigan. I have experienced every kind of transaction there is. 

Helping my community and being involved is extremely important to me. I am Past President and current board member of the Michigan Ability Partners board, which helps Veterans and people with disabilities reach independent, self-supported, and satisfying lives. I am also a member of the City of Milan Tax Review Board and Zoning Board, and involved in Milan Main Street. I have been a major sponsor of events for Michigan Ability Partners, Aid in Milan, Milan Main Street, and many more organizations that wok to make our communities better. 

I was 2018 President of the Ann Arbor Area Board of Realtors, Realtor of the year in 2016 for AAABOR and nominee for Michigan Realtor of the Year. I serve on many committees with the local board and was a member of the Housing Opportunity Committee for the National Association of Realtors (2018-19).