Having Difficulty Selling Your Home? The Devil Could Be In Your Collectibles
You take pride in all the items you've gathered over the years. You might have collections that you've traveled the world over to find, or you might have a nice spoon collection that's been handed down to you from your grandmother. While you might love the history behind these items, having them laying around can hinder the sale of your home. If you're wondering why your home isn't selling, the answer could be right in front of you. This guide explains what items you should display and what to stow away.
Items to Display
The last things you want when you're trying to sell your home are empty walls and tables. You want potential buyers to see the home in its lived-in state. However, too much stuff lying around can leave potential buyers feeling claustrophobic, and they might count down the minutes until they can leave. Balance out your decorations by displaying the following to provide that homey, but not cluttered feel:
- lamps
- books on the bookshelf
- photos on the mantel
- paintings on the wall
- antiques
When you're staging your home to sell, don't have a lot of items surrounding the above decorations. The less clutter the better. That doesn't mean that you have to store expensive antiques. It means that you should pick the best ones and showcase those.
Items to Stow Away
Grab a few boxes and carefully store away items that mean a lot to you, but might look like clutter to others. Remember, potential buyers want to imagine what the home will look like with their items in it. It is harder for them to do that if there is too must stuff in the way. Store the following items safely away to make room in the buyers' minds and imagination:
- doily collections
- spoon collections
- doll collections
- glass collections
- knick knacks
As you're putting these things away, be sure to wrap them in newspaper or other packing material well so that they don't break. Additionally, remove the boxes or containers from the property or store them neatly in the garage so you aren't replacing one type of clutter with another.
Do what you can to keep your home free of clutter and clean at all times while you're selling your home. This might take some doing, especially if you have kids but it is necessary if you want to get out of the non-selling rut and get your house sold as soon as possible. Ask your real estate agent, such as Lori Reinalda Team - RE/MAX Results, for more tips on what to display and what to stow away if you're trying to sell your home.