Selling your home is a big decision. One that should not be taken lightly or made rashly. You should research the market and sales trends, in addition to whether you will sell it professionally staged, with your belongings or empty.
It is no secret that preparing to sell your home requires a lot of effort. Should you declutter or just tidy? Does it really make a difference? Here are some pros and cons to putting the KonMari method from the Netflix hit show, Marie Kondo into action.
Decluttering to sell or relocate
For some, just the thought of decluttering can cause stress. Does anyone really have the time to go through every single nook and cranny of their home before putting it on the market? Is the result worth the time, effort and stress? Home staging professionals like Stagency – The Styling Agency think so!
Pros of decluttering
Removing clutter for the purpose of relocating or selling your home has many benefits, including some physical and mental ones. As mentioned in an article from ABC, cluttered home environments negatively influence the perception of our homes, and ultimately our satisfaction of life. This will show for potential buyers and could result in losing a serious buyer. Other benefits include:
- You will not have to relocate the clutter AGAIN: These items may have already unnecessarily made several trips each time you have moved in the past. Think of all the money you could have saved by getting rid of the clutter BEFORE moving.
- Presentation and property styling: Removing clutter from around your home can make rooms much more presentable. Decluttering also makes room for property stylists to create a home potential buyers can see themselves making a life in.
- Good energy: A decluttered and organised home gives the property a light and welcoming energy. The energy of your property plays a bigger part in the sale than you may realise.
- Sign of larger issues: Interested buyers might see the disorder and chaos as a sign of larger issues. One being that other parts of the property may be in need of repairs.
- Sale: Removing all the clutter from your home and organising the spaces well, can greatly improve the prospects of successfully selling your home.
Cons of decluttering
- Time consuming: Decluttering a whole property can be incredibly time consuming. You will need to account for more than an afternoon or weekend to complete the work. Larger families in a four bedroom home may not find the Marie Kondo decluttering method to be as practical or effective as smaller families in an apartment.
- It takes planning: Which room will you start in? What will you do with all the belongings you don’t want to keep?
How to declutter your home before selling it
According to Marie Kondo, it is a process and it should be performed in stages.
- Clothing, shoes and accessories
- Books
- Paper and documents
- Komono (what the Japanese call miscellany)
- Personal mementos
If you are opting to partially organise instead of decluttering like Marie Kondo in preparation to sell your home, start with the following:
- Storage areas: Keep all linen cupboards, built-ins, pantries, etc. tidy and organised.
- Clean out items you don’t need: Remove bulky items like blankets, spare pillows, out of season clothing (ie. winter coats when the house will be for sale in summer), old appliances, wall art, etc.
- Sell / donate / dispose: Give yourself time to decide how you will get rid of the clutter to prepare for the sale of your home. Utilise online platforms like Buy Swap and Sell groups, Marketplace, Gumtree, etc. when selling.
Does the thought of selling your home quickly and for asking price spark joy? Then join the Marie Kondo ‘konverts’ and start decluttering today.
Get in touch with Stagency – The Styling agency to see how a professional property stylist can stage and help sell your home!
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