At Switch Real Estate, we want to maximise your property’s equity as much as possible, so we do everything in our power to achieve this goal. A very simple, but often unpopular strategy is to declutter, because this can have a profound impact on a buyer’s perception of your home.
As time goes on, it’s easy to acquire more and more possessions, not realising that you are compromising your living spaces. You may have a number of personal collections from your overseas travels, as well as artworks, sculptures and paintings, all of which you love, but in the eyes of the buyer, can compromise your living spaces.
The problem is that potential buyers want to imagine themselves living in your beautiful home, which can be difficult when it’s overwhelmed with your belongings. Too much clutter not only gives potential buyers a poor impression of your glorious home, but it also fools the eye into believing that your property isn’t very spacious; not many buyers can see past the clutter to the beauty of your home.
So decluttering is one of the major strategies that needs to be undertaken before viewings are scheduled for your property. If you are still undecided that decluttering is a good idea however, here are seven reasons that might help to change your mind.
1. Help buyers imagine living in your home
You need to create a home that suits a potential buyer’s lifestyle, giving them the opportunity to imagine living in your home. Whilst you can’t redecorate your home to suit a buyer’s tastes, removing clutter and personal belongings makes it a lot easier for buyers to see themselves in your home. An overcrowded space doesn’t let buyers visualize their own furniture and artworks in the space, whilst minimal furniture and strategic artwork gives them this opportunity. A space that is styled correctly without personal belongings will go a long way towards selling your property at a high price point.
2. Maximise the space in your home
At Switch Real Estate, we know that an empty home isn’t the look you need, because with no comparisons, buyers have difficulty envisioning their own furniture in these empty spaces. So the goal is to remove excess furniture, artworks, books, equipment and even clothes in your walk-in wardrobe and food in the pantry, to maximise the amount of space for buyers. A property filled to capacity doesn’t give buyers the confidence they need to visualise living in your home, so be strategic and maximise the space in your home.
3. Give buyers confidence in the quality of your home
A cluttered home doesn’t instil confidence in potential buyers. It not only leaves them with a feeling that your home is too small for their family, but they can also feel uncomfortable walking through a home filled with your belongings. This is another reason why decluttering and staging your home for sale is important, but there’s also another reason, which is that buyers often associate a cluttered home with hidden problems. So don’t give buyers any reasons to walk away feeling that your home isn’t right for them!
4. Don’t distract buyers during a viewing
Another reason why it’s important to remove personal belongings and artwork from your home is that they can distract your buyers! You don’t want buyers to leave your home thinking about your awesome art collection or expensive gym equipment, you want them enraptured with your home! So style each room for a specific use, but not to the point where the styling becomes the focus, rather than your home.
5. Let buyers see themselves in your kitchen
When you have a high-end kitchen, you want buyers to appreciate its space, functionality and quality, not the SMEG toaster and kettle you use every day. This means that all the benchtops need to be completely clear of appliances and equipment, allowing buyers to imagine cooking a meal for their family in your fabulous kitchen. If your drawers and cupboards are overflowing, cull them and put these items in storage with everything else, as decluttering your kitchen is just as important as the rest of your home.
6. Show your home’s potential
In today’s market, it’s all about styling for potential buyers, and it’s so easy to miss the mark when your style doesn’t match your buyer’s taste. For example, a huge 14-seat dining table that overfills a space, but suits your needs, needs to be replaced with a more suitably sized table, so that the room doesn’t look overly small. Judicial styling allows buyers to see your home’s potential, rather than your choice in furnishings and artwork. When you want to maximise the selling price of your property, you need to put your personal needs in your back pocket and style your home for the buyer.
7. Create awesome promotional photos
A well-styled home that’s decluttered and maximises the internal spaces will look stunning when photographed professionally. These photos are the first step in attracting the right type of buyer for your property, enticing them to book a viewing, hoping that they have found their dream home at last.
