Has anyone here readied their house to be sold?

[chris1gill]

If so, I'll take your advice How on earth did you de-clutter?? I know they say less is more when showing a house, but we have a LOT of stuff!!! Too many books & Disney video's, along with too many toys & of course other stuff too!! We're planning to put half of our stuff in storage while we're trying to sell... We're really short on space...

So, how exactly did you prepare your house to look it's best? The house has been recently painted, so we've got that on our side...

Any comments or advice?

 

[Steve H.]

We're in the process of doing that same thing. We rented storage space (10x10 foot) about 1/2 way between our current house and the new house (we're building) and have been periodically making trips over there with boxes of stuff we don't need right now (old toys, off-season clothes, holiday decorations, etc.) in order to "de-clutter" our house.

 

[alabamaalan]

Our house has been on the market for a little over two weeks now (No lookers yet)

We de-cluttered by renting a storage space and moving everything not in use. I moved all bookcases and contents, video shelves, some furniture, toys, exercise equipment, etc. - all but the bare necessities.

Now the fun is keeping it uncluttered on a daily basis. We vaccuum and clean bathrooms each morning first thing and wash towels daily so nothing is hung on the shower curtain.

Good luck!

 

[mtemm]

we're just getting ready to do this again. Make sure you leave lights on around your house when it will be shown...helps it to show better. Good luck!

 

[Toby'sFriend]

I have the same answer.

We moved all books, extra furniture, wall hangings, alot of dishes and linens from the cupboards etc etc etc.

Our realtor also recommended that we paint our walls an off white and fill in all the nail holes etc. We also caulked the bathtubs etc etc etc. Right before it went on the market we hired a cleaning service to come in and deep clean everything. It was well worth the price.

 

[CamColt]

I dont know if this really helps much, but when we were selling I remember hearing over and over to take everything(magnets & stuff) off the refrigerator. Somehow thats supposed to make the whole kitchen look bigger or something.
I had the advantage of my parents living 1/2 mile from the house we were buying. I packed up a lot of stuff and stored it over there until moving day.

Best of luck to you! I know how stressful selling can be. We sold our house in 9 days but it seemed like 9 months!

 

[chris1gill]

Thanks guys, I'd really hoped to hear "Don't worry about it, nobody cares LOL".... Hah!!!

Oddly enough, I also heard that regrigerator comment!!! How funny....

It looks like some of you guys have gone to even greater lengths than even I was planning... I really didn't know what to plan... I was just kind of winging it!!!

Luckily we had the walls painted two years ago & I never hung anything back up on them! They still look great! Unlike that carpet we've walked on for ages && I'm hiring someone to do some landscaping to give the place some curb appeal.... We already have the place professionally cleaned, at least that's something I've already covered!! Yikes, this is a lot of work, I feel like I am SURROUNDED by boxes, oh, that's because I am!!

 

[mamajoan]

Hey there Chris!

We have moved many times.. and have sold two homes in the process.

De-clutter is very important... if it is NOT necessary to living.. box it up and put it in storage.

Bathrooms and kitchens are high on a homebuyers priority list. So.. clean them and keep them spotless. Remove all applicances from the countertops... except for maybe the coffeemaker.
again the magnets and bulletin board messages must be removed.
Hang new towels in the bathroom.. newer mats on the floor if possible.. when showing the home remove toiletries from view.. keep them in a plastic box under the sink if necessary.
Living room/family room..... make sure the book cases and tables are neat and tidy.. no more than one or two decorative pieces on them.. and the books, movies etc.. neatly organized if they are in view.
I was told to remove family pictures if possible so that people can imagine themselves in the home.
Bedrooms and Closets... IMPORTANT.... if you are not currently using the items.. BOX IT UP AND PUT IT IN STORAGE... You want your homebuyers to see all the STORAGE SPACE you have possible. So don't just box up the clutter and stick it in a closet.. bad idea.. you want to show all the empty space that you can for storage possiblities.

We put fresh plants.. small ones in the bathrooms and on dressers... fresh flowers on the dining room table, and
lite clean scent .. the same one thru out the house

If you have animals.. and you know that the agents are going to show the home.. it is best to remove pet bedding from inside the house and if possible take your pets with you while the agent shows your home. The kids will have to do a continuous "Poop patrol" or "litter box brigade" while the home is for sale... nothing worse than a "buyer" stepping or smelling poop.......

Oh.. and if possible wash your windows.... it makes the home presentation easier.. some people like to show the home with all the curtains/blinds open.

Our family did a quick home pickup every morning before we left for work and school. It was easier for us that way.
Fortunately we sold both homes quickly...in fact the first one was only on the market for less than a week.. now getting the buyers to close in a timely matter.. than was another matter...

Best wishes for a quick sale and a healthy profit!

 

[PammyK]

Being a major clutterbug, I can't help you there, but I do have a tip I once read. Before potential buyers come to the house, put a dab of vanilla extract (or vanilla essential oil if you have it) on the top of a few lightbulbs (be sure the lamps are OFF before doing this). When the lights are turned on, the heat will release the vanilla scent in the house. Such a scent tends to trigger positive memories in the potential buyers and helps to give them a positive feel for the house.

Good luck to you!

 

[disykat]

Wow - maybe I keep a pretty clutter free house because we didn't do anything other than an extra thorough "tidy" - and we sold in less than a week. (That house we had done lots of painting and renovating on)

Now we're getting this house ready. I've painted the entire interior and exterior, plan on cleaning the carpets and deep cleaning the floors. I've been de-junking rooms as I paint and taking stuff to goodwill. I don't plan on storing away any of the stuff I'm keeping. We're not moving due to lack of space so it's not like we're bursting at the seems.

We're using the same realtor so I doubt she'll make me take down my pictures etc. I guess if it doesn't sell right away, I'll do that...

That said, I have toured homes when I was a buyer that turned me off because of the numerous collectables about. The one that comes to mind had a "tiki" collection in the basement. She must have had thousands of figurines.

 

[FINFAN]

2 of our neighbors homes sold while they were on vacation at WDW! They purposley scheduled their trips to be the first week the house went on the market and didn't have to worry about keeping it clean as they were not home to mess it up, and the realtor had anytime availability for showings. If I ever have the opportunity to sell, I'm planning on doing the same thing!

 

[Scratch42]

Just before someone shows up for a viewing, heat up a pan and put some cinnamon in to scent it! For some reason it makes the buyer think of home!LOL

Good Luck Selling.

When we sold my Mom's house, it was up for less than 24 hours, so I really did not have to do much! But then again her house was spotless, always!LOL Maybe that's why I like clutter now!

Scratch

 

[dianeschlicht]

Great tips! The only other one I can think of is to buy a St. Joseph and bury him upside down in your front yard!

 

[iluvdisney]

Lots of good ideas! These are some great tips to know - I'm hoping to sell mine in the next year or so - anyone here sell their own home?

 

[CamColt]

Originally posted by dianeschlicht
Great tips! The only other one I can think of is to buy a St. Joseph and bury him upside down in your front yard!

Im not a religious person but when we were selling someone gave me the statue and it came with a prayer. I said it every day and like I said previously, we sold in 9 days.

 

[RUDisney]

My sister sold her house last night, after 2 weeks of it being on the market. A person who was in real estate told her to leave copies of their utility bills and tax bills on the dining room table so people could get a sense of what to expect with the bills. She got what she wanted for the house and didn't have to pay any realtor fees.

She sold the house to a couple who had gotten married the same day that she did, same year.

Since they just blasted for her new house, she and her DH will be moving in with my parents at the end of July, early August, until their new house is finished.

 

[clutter]

From my name, you can tell this was an issue for me... lol.


Anyway, rather than renting a storage space, I had the space come to me!!! Storage companies will now drop off a box at your house, you load it up, they come back the next day (or two) and store it for you. When you move, they come back and drop the box off for you to unpack! I put in as much as I figured we didn't need for a couple months, including some furniture (extra tables, etc) which made the rooms look larger after being shipped off. Shop around, as I found a big variation between companies in price. Some also charge for a month if you only use a couple days, some pro-rate by the day.

Worked so well, my neighbors did the same thing when they moved a month later.

 

[chris1gill]

Okay, you guys are totally SCARING me... I don't know how on earth I'm going to empty the entire house out of stuff we don't use... our biggest problem is toys... our little girl has LOTS of dolls & doll clothes & doll houses!!! Did I mention she has lots of dolls? She actually plays with ALL of it... I feel horribly guilty making her give up all her books & toys just so we can show the house... How can I deal with this particular issue?

I will go to great lengths to de-clutter the entire place, but will pay special attention to the kitchen & baths... I've already started dealing with the closets & book shelves... I can't believe I have about 20 boxes FILLED & honestly you really wouldn't know I'd packed anything!! It's almost depressing

Thanks MamaJoan for the tips & PammyK, I'm about to go try the vanilla on the lightbulb, it sounds great!!! Oh Disykat, the reason we're building a new house, is because we're busting at the SEAMS in this one, I mean there is STUFF everywhere & five people to boot!!! It's tough!!!

Iluvdisney, we're actually going to sell the place ourselves... I'll keep the 6% & put it towards my new pool/spa!!! No reason to pay somebody to do something we can do ourselves... but that's a huge reason why I'm going to great extremes to prepare this place... I figure it'll take a month to ready this house....

Clutter (love the name), I actually called a place that is dropping a container off Thursday, but I didn't realize they would take the full container back anywhere? I was just going to keep the container on the land parcel where we'll be building.. my MIL will be able to see it since that parcel is behind her house... I'll certainly ask if they pick the containers up though!

Thanks for the hints & please keep them coming, especially how to deal with the children & their toys & special things...

 

[RUDisney]

One thing my Mom was told when selling my DGM's house was that if your rooms are small, let the prospective buyers go into the room and you linger in the doorway. It will make the room seem bigger if there aren't so many people in it.

Every time we went into the house we bought, the former owner had coffee brewing. Yum! I love the smell of coffee.

 

[Gone Disney]

We put our house up for sale at the first of April and within 6 weeks we had a buyer. Closing date is June 30. I DID NOT store anything. It was a time thing for me and now real soon I'm sure I'll regret not packing sooner. We have 2 girls who share a room now and their room is overflowing with stuff. All I did was make sure the house was VERY clean and picked up, Meaning no clothes laying around, no dirty dishes and things like that. We kept the window shades open and the doors unlocked so they didn't have to fumble with anything. Always make it easy for the potential buyer to look at things. We set ours up to be by appt. only so I was always able to have a few hours to do things that needed to be done. We stayed off to ourselves until the realtor was done showing and 75% of the time the realtor let the potential buyers ask questions.

We had probably 20 people look at our house in that 6 weeks. We had 3 showings in one day, which wasn't the norm but it did happen. Some very interesting things happened as well. I was going to keep a log of our selling/building adventure but I'm not finding the time for it. I guess I could be making notes on the house journal now instead of being at the Dis site, nnnnaaaaahhh I don't think so.

Anyways, good luck on selling your house.

Gone Disney
Patti