Should You Put Your Cluttered New Berlin House On The Market?

The struggle to declutter a home prior to putting it on the market is one that many New Berlin homeowners can relate to.

“Rich, I’d like to sell, but my house is just too cluttered. I have no idea where to start.”

First, you're not alone.

When selling a home that has been lived in for 10, 20 or even 30 years, it’s typical for homeowners to accumulate lots of stuff.

Selling a home does not have to mean emptying out a homeowner’s living space or creating a model home.

We don’t want you to have to remove everything from your house. Just enough for buyers to be able to see the walls and floors of each room and to be able to imagine themselves living in the house.

As potential buyers walk through the interior of your home, they will attempt to visualize themselves living in your home and imagine all of their personal items and furniture.

Counters, rooms, and closets that are over-loaded with too many things make it difficult for others to envision themselves in your home.

My advice is simple:

Don’t attempt to declutter the entire house over the course of a single weekend.

Remember Take your home room by room when decluttering!

Clear off your kitchen countertops, empty your refrigerator, and put away those items you haven't used in years that are taking up space in your garage or storage areas. Pack away those unused or seasonally items in your appliances and put them in the storage areas of your home.

Then I would suggest moving on to the living room, bedrooms, and bathrooms.

Too much furniture can make a perfect New Berlin home look too small.

You don't have to get rid of everything.

Occasionally removing a chair, an extra table, or even a piece of furniture can have a dramatic effect and actually open up a room.

As a Local Realtor New Berlin WI for your property showing I can help you to see your home as the buyers do.

I’m looking at your New Berlin property through a buyer’s eyes.

Here's something sellers sometimes forget.

Buyers open closets.

Your packed closets from floor to ceiling may give buyers the wrong impression that this house has little storage.

You don’t have to create empty closets to make your storage work well. Open space is what Buyers are looking for.

Pack things you won’t need for the next few months, since you are moving anyway!

You're not creating extra work.

You're simply starting the move early.

A nicely organized Basement will garner the same ‘wows’ as an nicely organized upper-level. Without being asked, show how much space is allocated for storage in the Basement and how easily cars, lawn gear, etc. can be stowed in the attached Garage.

Buyers notice that too.

The same needs to be done for the areas in the home where buyer’s will most likely be, looking for space, in a New Berlin home. This includes the garage and basement areas.

Organization matters more than perfection.

You don't have to remove every family photograph from your New Berlin home.

Just be sure to pack up some of the personal items that are currently on every wall, table and shelf in your home.

We want buyers thinking:

“I could live here.”

Not:

“This is definitely somebody else's house.”

This is the most important part.

We have had many sellers in the New Berlin area of WI be embarrassed about the clutter in the home and wait until they have time to clean up before putting the home on the market.

Please don't be.

So no, I won't be judging your cleaning.

I'm there to help you make a plan.

If you are thinking of selling your New Berlin home, I can come to your home to offer you ideas on what to pack, what to move and what to leave alone as if I were moving.

I have found that, as a Home Selling Realtor New Berlin WI, I do not have to make a home a perfect home.

Our aim is to help the homeowner showcase their property without too much hassle.

No. We can work with this. Set up a time for me to come by and we can come up with a plan to tackle it.

See how I sell homes in New Berlin and how I help buyers in New Berlin. I'm Rich Barnes with Realty Experts, and I answer the phone: 414-899-8146.