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Newsletter Archives
June 2010
Expert Organizing Tips
May 2010
Tips from my Clients
April 2010
Tips for Setting Up a Garage Sale
March 2010
Unusual Ways to Organize
February 2010
Staging your Home for Sale
January 2010
Favorite Places to Buy Organizing Products
December 2009
Wrapping It Up
November 2009
Prepare the Pantry
October 2009
Costumes & Decorations
September 2009
Enough
August 2009
Help for the Home Office
July 2009
Getting Crafty
June 2009
A Better Bedroom
May 2009
Eco Organizing
April 2009
Getting Ready to Garden
March 2009
The Path To Clutter
February 2009
Easing Into Downsizing
January 2009
Organizing For Renovation
December 2008
Organizing For Next Year
November 2008
More Of My Favorite Organizing Tools
October 2008
Making Life Easier
September 2008
Clearing The Closet
August 2008
How To Let Go Of Stuff
July 2008
Managing Medical Records
June 2008
Road Trip Organizing
May 2008
Collections Instead of Clutter
April 2008
Getting Ready for Tax Time
March 2008
Where to Begin
February 2008
When You Want to Help
January 2008
Top Ten Causes of Disorganization
December 2007
Organize for Air Travel
November 2007
Organize for Small Spaces
October 2007
When Life Happens, Reorganize
September 2007
Bathroom Organizing
August 2007
Paper Organizing
July 2007
Uncluttered Kids' Rooms
June 2007
Top Ten Organizing Tools
May 2007
Grapple The Garage
April 2007
Managing Your Time
March 2007
Spring Organizing
February 2007
Help for Caregivers of Aging Parents
January 2007
National Get Organized Month
December 2006
Year End Organizing
November 2006
Give Thanks for Being Organized
October 2006
Holiday Kitchen Organization
September 2006
In Case of a Weather Emergency - Organize!
August 2006
Back to School Organizing
July 2006
Declare your Independence from Summer Clutter
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ORGANIZING TIPS OF THE MONTH: FEBRUARY 2010
Staging your Home for Sale
Getting ready to sell your home involves a lot of hard work and emotion, not the least of which revolves around your stuff.
What you think is homey and cute may seem like clutter to a potential buyer. An organized home is a more sales-attractive home.
A professional organizer or real estate agent can really help.
- Start from the curb: Drive down the street in front of your home and check your house for curb appeal. Are there overgrown shrubs? Are there toys and clutter in the driveway? Are the flower beds full of weeds?
Is the mailbox rusted or dull? All contribute to first impressions of your home.
- The sniff test: Open the front door. Do you smell pets or strong cooking odors? Clean or replace soiled carpets—they hold odors. Be super diligent about cleaning litter boxes. Hold off on cooking fish, cabbage, or other strong smelling foods in the house when your are trying to sell.
Smells trigger strong emotions in buyers. Even deodorizers may be objectional to buyers.
- Look with fresh eyes: Pretend you are a visitor seeing your home for the first time.
Go through each room and make notes of things which do not look inviting. Peek into closets too.
- Visit model homes: Enhance your home staging skills by taking a look at model homes. Note current colors,
countertops, light fixtures, and faucets. Buyers will look for similar things in your home. To get the best price, your home must look updated.
- Purge: Go through everything from the attic to the basement, including kids’ memorabilia and holiday decorations.
Unless you are really good about letting go, have a buddy help you who is not emotionally attached to your stuff.
You will be surprised how freeing it is to see bags go out the door to charity, recycling or, frankly, trash. The extra space gained will be attractive to buyers.
- Put away the personal stuff and clutter: Buyers want to see themselves in your home, not you.
Stash anything that is personal such as toiletries, bedside reading, stacks of mail, toys on the floor.
Pack up the collections of figurines, masses of mismatched photo frames, and kitchen counter clutter. The goal is to give the impression of a model home.
- Less looks like more: Once you have purged what you do not need in your new home
and put away personal stuff, it is time to go back through the home and clear the clutter.
A home with cleared counters and neat closets, looks larger and more inviting.
Clear off the front of the refrigerator. Stash out of season clothes in containers under your bed or in the attic. Put small appliances in cabinets or the pantry.
- Invite a neighbor or your agent to view your home: Ask for their opinions on
things which may affect the sale of your home. Put sentiment and defensiveness aside.
Welcome the suggestions to make your home attractive to the widest audience of buyers.
©Cheryl Harrell, 2010 All Rights Reserved
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