Managing Your Belongings-Part I

Failing to manage your belongings before you list your house costs you time and money.  Smart sellers get help as needed and transform their house from a personal space into a product, before it goes on the market.

For a multitude of reasons, many sellers can’t face organizing and editing their belongings before they put their house on the market. Instead of transforming the house into a product that will appeal to buyers, it remains a personal space with collections, family photos, papers and much more. Many items should have been stored, discarded or donated long ago. These sellers continue living in their house as usual, instead of actively selling it. This is a big mistake!

Some sellers feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of the job and don’t know where or how to begin. If they can’t do the work themselves, they worry about finding the time, money and manpower to accomplish it. Whatever your concerns might be, there are good reasons why you should do your best to overcome them. We’ll discuss solutions in future columns.

Failing to manage your belongings before you list your house costs you time and money. 
•    You haven’t made a total commitment to selling. This will be clear to buyers who won’t give the house serious consideration.
•    Because it’s not at its best, the house can’t be listed at the top of its price range. You forfeit some of your hard-earned equity at the outset.
•    A cluttered house won’t photograph well and will have fewer showings.
•    The house can’t be cleaned properly and buyers will notice. They’ll wonder what else hasn’t been done.
•    You waste selling opportunities, especially during the crucial first thirty days.
•    Your house won’t represent the best value for the money, and that helps sell competing properties.
•    If you do the work later, some buyers will have moved on.
•    Accumulated belongings could hide damage or maintenance issues. If discovered by a buyer’s home inspector, they could delay or endanger a sale.

The expression, “Clutter eats equity.” is true. Failing to organize and edit your belongings before listing your house, means that you probably won’t sell quickly, or you might not be able to sell at all. Even if you do manage to sell, it likely will be at a lower price than you anticipated, and you’ll have to deal with your things anyway in order to move.

Smart Selling Tip:
Smart sellers organize and edit their belongings before they list. They get help as needed and transform their house from a personal space into a product that will resonate with buyers.