Declutter to maximise the price of your home

IF there is one thing that is going to hinder the sale of your home, it's clutter.

Clutter

IF there is one thing that is going to hinder the sale of your home, it's clutter. Our interior design expert Juliet Love offers her top tips on clearing your home of jumble to maximise its sale price.

Nine times out of 10 buyers will go for a house that is spacious and clean, rather than one that is full of jumble.

Clutter makes whatever positive features your property might have invisible to potential buyers, so by removing any extra furniture, plus all the bits and pieces gathered over time around your home, you will allow your property's good features to stand out.

Living in an age of consumerism, its all too easy to accumulate various objects that are no longer necessary, or useful.

If you're one of those people who hoard (don't worry, you're not alone) then you need to address this before opening your home to potential buyers.

So, where to start?

Take emotion of of it

To begin with, you need to remove emotion from the situation. We humans tend to attach emotions to inanimate objects unnecessarily. Keep only the things that you really need.

Remove personal items such as photos. You want your home to feel lived in and comfortable, but not covered in personal belongings.

This again will prevent potential buyers from being able to visualise their own items in the space. Some personal photos are ok, but not covered across every wall, or in every room of the house.

Secondly, having an organised system set up to remove the clutter will make the process of clearing much easier.

Invest in storage boxes for things that you want to keep, and get some cardboard boxes for the things that you need to get rid of. Label the boxes to expedite the process.

Donate any furniture or ornaments that you no longer have use for. This way you're helping others, and yourself. Plus its something you can feel good about.

Clutter

If you still don't believe how important it is to have a clean, clutter-free home when selling then consider this. The Chinese believe that clutter creates bad chi, or energy, and that this can affect you on many levels, including financially. It's considered inauspicious to have a cluttered household.

This emphasis on a clean, clear, balanced space has become an important aspect of modern interior decorating in the Western world too. If you're constantly surrounded by clutter, how can you, or your potential buyers think clearly and see through the mess?

Style your home for a sale

Present your home in its best light - mow the lawn, prune the bushes, and paint the front of the house if it needs it. Now is not the time to be lazy and hard work now will pay off in the long run.

Giving your walls a fresh lick of paint is one of the most affordable, yet effective, solutions to update your interior. It instantly makes everything look more modern and clean. Especially if you stick to a neutral colour such as cream, beige, or white.

House

Give furniture the once over if your furniture is looking a tad on the shabby side, re-invent it and give it a second life by re-upholstering it, and/or repainting it.

It is amazing what you can do if the item still has good bones. Attend to any jobs around the house that are unfinished. Anything that you started, but never quite finished, now is the time to do it.

Shoddy workmanship will stick out like a sore thumb to buyers. Do a budget makeover of bathrooms and kitchens. If your bathroom or kitchen are looking a little dated, but you don't have the budget for a full renovation, tile paint is amazing to re-invigorate old tiles.

You can also use special paint to re-invent old kitchen cabinets. Some new handles and a new bench will also make a big difference in the kitchen.Don't have any food on display unless it’s in stylish labeled jars.

Let there be light

Allow light in. I recently viewed a beautiful country property.

The home was lovely, the gardens were charming, but the one thing that let the owners down was the fact that they had every blind in the house down. Big mistake. It completely changed the ambience of the home, as there was very little natural light flowing through.

Open your shutters, and draw your blinds and curtains.Create a warm, inviting ambience. Small touches such as fresh flowers and a few lit scented candles around your home on inspection day work wonders for adding to the atmosphere of your home.

Remove emotion from the situation. You may have lived in your home for many years, but when it comes time to sell, its best to remove emotion and try to view your home from the point of someone who has never seen it before.

It makes sense. Good presentation, with a place for everything, and everything in its place, is the key to achieving the maximum price for your home.

And if you need a professional touch with your home makeover, there are many residential furniture hire service firms that can help. They will store the belongings which may hinder a sale and provide more suitable furniture for a property sale.

* Juliet Love is a stylist and interior designer and runs her own business called Love Style.

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