Greetings everyone!
Welcome to this week’s installment of Katie’s Corner. Selling your home? In our idea of a perfect world, you would be able to move out of your home while it is on the market, but we understand that is not feasible for most people. If you are living in your home, it is necessary to keep it “showing ready” for those potential buyers that will be walking through. If you find yourself struggling to keep your home clean and clutter-free while it is on the market, take note of our helpful tricks
1. First and foremost, we recommend renting a budget-friendly storage unit and utilizing it to store things you won’t need until you move to your new residence. This will help declutter your home and is a great place to protect your valuable belongings. This is also a great opportunity to store those personal family mementos – family portraits, the quilts your grandma made, and other family heirlooms. As an added bonus, removing these personal items will help your home sell faster on the market too!
2. Remember that potential buyers are going to look everywhere – including storage rooms, utility closets, and even your backyard shed! Organizing these spaces is vital and very easy – find baskets or bins around your home that can be easily stacked, or run to the store and grab some. We recommend plastic tote bins with lids! You can use these to easily store away clutter or household items. Tidying up your storage spaces will make these rooms look more spacious and desirable. Another helpful tip is to label each bin with its contents so unpacking at the new place will go smoother!
3. When it comes to your pantry, we recommend filling each shelf with taller items in the front and shorter items behind. Be sure to not completely fill all of your shelves either – this will give viewers’ eyes a place to rest and will aid in your shelves looking less cluttered. Your pantry is another great place to include baskets or clear bins for more organization! The key here is to think about how to make your shelves mimic shelves at the grocery store.
4. Another great place to add easy storage if you have the extra space is in your garage. Purchase an inexpensive storage cubby from Target or Walmart, and use this to store shoes, sports equipment, and winter weather items. Leaving these items outside will help declutter inside spaces like your mudroom and closets.
5. Be sure to make your entryway the most welcoming area of the home! This is where buyers will first experience your home – and you want to leave them with a good lasting impression. We recommend setting up a beautiful console or accent table, preferably with drawers for additional storage.
6. Declutter your living room by removing unneeded blankets and throw pillows. Remove stacks of outdated magazines, and slim down your decor accessories – especially ones that have personal correlations like photo frames, religious artifacts, etc. Use built-ins to store toys, DVD’s, decor accessories, and extra pillows and blankets.
7. Utilize your under-bed storage spaces! Store extra shoes, clothes, and other personal knick-knacks here! We also recommend having your children check their rooms frequently for clutter. While we don’t condone teaching your children to shove everything under their beds and call it clean, remind them this is a temporary fix if you have limited storage space.
8. In bathrooms and kitchens, we recommend keeping countertops clear of all items, with the exception of soap and a floral or small arrangement. Extra items should be packed away – and don’t forget to check expiration dates as you go through things! This is a great opportunity to declutter and minimize your items before you move.
To learn more EED Luxury Home Staging tips and tricks, check out previous Katie’s Corner blogs. New blogs are posted every two weeks! If you have a topic you would like us to talk about, shoot us a message on one of our social media platforms or email and let us know! You can also always reach us at 515-986-1895 or office@ElizabethErinDesigns.com if you need more info! Until next time!