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9 Tips to Declutter and Organize Before Selling Your House

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First impressions last, which is why you must declutter and organize your home before selling it.

By decluttering, you’re removing any items that aren’t needed to create more space. You need to remove anything that would say that you owned the house, giving way to new buyers.

Sometimes, this job can be overwhelming. That’s why we’re sharing nine great tips you can follow to organize your home.

Have the Right Tools

Decluttering and organizing your house before selling it is like a project. And to make any task more manageable, you need the right tools.

The first on your list should be storage bins for organizing your items. Anything that you would no longer currently need while you’re preparing to move out should be kept here.

Stack these bins in your storage area and observe the huge difference for your buyer. At the same time, you give them an idea of how much stuff they can store in the place.

Label markers and sharpies are essential for labeling the storage bins, so by the time you move to your new home, you already know what’s inside of each.

At Maid Sailors Cleaning Services NYC, we encourage our clients to use this time to throw away what you don’t need. So, trash bags are essential.

Try to choose to types or colors, where one bag is for donation and the other for throwing away.

Clear Up the Pathway

Your pathway or entrance is the first thing buyers see when they visit your home. It’s also their impression of it that usually lasts. This is why it must be clear of clutter.

Start by making sure that there are no shoes scattered by the doorway. It’s best if you have a shoe organizer on the side to remind everyone to place shoes that aren’t in use there. Then, lay a new doormat in front to create a more welcoming ambiance.

You can place pots of plants if you need to but not too much. There shouldn’t be a lot going on in the pathway to give your buyers the space they need.

Remove All Personal Items

The next thing you should do is removing any personal items. Remove collections, out of the ordinary designs, family photos, anything that would scream that it’s your home.

Remember, you’re selling your house, and buyers would want to imagine how they would look if they place their items in the areas.

With your items still all over the place, this creates a distraction for your buyers to imagine the place would look if they’re the ones living there. It’s like getting the feel of the area.

Beautify the Bedrooms

Bedrooms are where you rest after a long day, so it’s only right that you give your buyers the impression that they are comfortable.

As much as possible, the bedroom should look free.

Remove any extra furniture that occupies lots of space. Linens should be clean and fresh, closets are empty and clean, nothing under the bed, and store anything else that seems to be out of place.

Keep the colors as neutral as possible. One that makes the room brighter so they’ll be able to appreciate it better.

Keep the Cupboards and Drawers Organized

When you’re selling a house, keeping things you don’t want anybody to see is a bad idea. This is because buyers would usually check the cupboards and drawers.

This is probably the time you make use of the storage bins and remove any item from your drawers that you don’t want to be there.

Store or throw these things away and keep only what is needed or what should be put there. This will give your buyer an idea of using the cupboards and drawers for their stuff.

Spruce the Living Room

The living room should be another highlight of the house as this is usually the first one the guests see as they enter. It’s essential to keep it organized, clean, and with very minimal accessories.

Store away the magazines and place interesting books in the bookshelves. Keep throw pillows to a minimum, and so is the table decor. If you need to remove extra furniture, do so.

This way, you’re creating a much bigger space that your buyers will surely appreciate.

Showcase Your Kitchen

If you’re selling your house to another family, chances are the mother would love to see how the kitchen looks. It doesn’t matter if you think your kitchen is small or old-fashioned because most of the time, making the place clutter-free does the trick.

Clear the countertops of any extra appliances like the blender or food processor. Wipe them off clean and make sure it’s free from dust or grease. Your refrigerator should be free of magnets and notes, and your pantry tidy.

Don’t also forget to clean up anything in the kitchen. This includes the drawers, the sink, inside the refrigerator, the stove, the freezer, and whatever that needs cleaning.

Make the Bathroom Shine

We all want a clean and organized bathroom where you’re comfortable to do your stuff. That’s why it’s vital to declutter and organize everything.

Keep the countertops free from your shampoo, soap, make-up, and other personal items. Linen closets should be empty, and the medicine cabinet should only contain the basics to give your buyer an idea.

If there are any excess items in the shower or under the sink, remove them. The tiles should be clean, and drains are free from hair. Finally, replace your rug and shower curtain to keep things fresh.

Clean the Laundry Room

Lastly, keep your laundry room clean (even if this is not a usual spot for family members). Put your cleaning products away or organize them neatly.

Clean up any appliances inside the area and remove anything that shouldn’t be there. If there are pieces of clothes hanged, remove them.

The laundry room is only small, so it’s essential that it’s free from clutter to give that illusion that it somehow has ample space.

Moving to a new home is exciting, but making sure that your house would feel livable to a new buyer can be overwhelming. There are lots of rooms to organize and things to be stored away. The tips listed above can help you manage your thoughts on which areas to focus on to make things somehow easy.

Contingencies and House Offers: What You Need to Know

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Just like everyone talks about the excitement of college but not the uncomfortable dorm beds, just like people say they had a “great time” at Thanksgiving but skip the part where Aunt Tonya said the government was spying on her, contingencies are an often unmentioned—but highly important—part of the home buying process.

Except unlike those aforementioned scenarios, contingencies are a good thing. They protect you in the process of buying a home, which is likely the biggest financial investment you’ll make in your lifetime. Take a look at how contingent offers on a house work!

Types of Contingencies

Getting your offer accepted feels amazing, but before you officially seal the deal,, you want to make sure you’ve covered your bases. There are three main types of contingencies that people include in their written offer:

Financing

Pre-approval on a loan does not guarantee approval for on your actual loan application. The bank might not agree with the house you chose, or their appointed appraiser might find the home’s value at less than what you’re asking to borrow. If you include this contingency into your offer, you’ll be able to back out of the contract.

Home Inspection

Home inspections examine the condition of a property and inform you of any issues. They happen after your offer is accepted, which is why you want to make the sale contingent on the inspection results. Minor bathroom fixes may only be $100 or so; cracks in the foundation are another story.

If you don’t include inspection contingencies in your offer, you’re agreeing to accept the home as-is. This adds risk to your investment—you could end up spending thousands on previously unnoticed repairs. However, people who invest in real estate and flip houses purposely accept a home as-is so that they can close faster and start renovating. 

Needless to say, you have options with home inspections when making a contingent offer on a house. The best thing you can do is to make this contingency decision with intention and in alliance with your needs.

Home Sale

First-time property owners won’t have to worry about this one, but it’s good to know all the same. If you currently own a house and are worried about it selling in time for closing, make a contingency that buying a new house depends on the sale of your existing home. But be wary of this contingency—today’s market is highly competitive. Your offer could be rejected if a home sale contingency is in place.

Writing Contingencies

There’s a delicate balance to writing contingencies in your offer. On the one hand, you want to protect yourself as you move forward with this massive investment. On the other, your contingencies (depending on what they are) could leave your letter of offer repeatedly rejected.

Sellers may get several offers; they may even get dozens. You’ll want your offer to stand out, but you won’t want to compromise your finances in the process.

Banner with white man standing in front of house with text "Buy. Sell. RealtyHive."

That’s the great thing about working with RealtyHive. Sellers don’t have to worry about contingencies when selling at a time-limited event, and can even end up with more offers. Look for your next home or sell your current one with RealtyHive. We’ll help you navigate!

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Event Marketing: A New Tool for the Trade

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Read this next sentence and tell me if it sounds familiar. Lately, when you get a listing for a modestly-sized, fairly priced home and before you know it you get SO much interest, you can barely add it to your MLS before you start receiving offers– some even above list price. But when it comes to your commercial listings, vacation homes, or even some residential properties, for whatever reason, some properties just sit. And sit. And sit. Your sellers start to get restless, your listing expiration is coming up, and you’ve already considered a price reduction. What are you to do? Sure, almost everything will sell if you wait long enough, but that’s not the strategy that will make your sellers happy, after all, they’re ready to sell, not wait for some time in the eventual future. This is where event marketing can help.

What is event marketing?

Event marketing is an online auction marketing strategy that helps properties rise above the noise and clutter of traditionally marketed listings and grab the attention of potential buyers. Once an interested buyer becomes aware of the property, a genuine sense of urgency develops due to the auction format. Since there is a specific time and date assigned to obtain this “deal”, buyers have to act. This sense of urgency typically creates a very competitive bidding environment. Whether it’s at the online event or at any time prior to the event. In many cases, properties can sell prior to the event if the potential buyer’s offered “pre-auction” bid entices the seller to remove the property prior to the scheduled online event.

Advantages of Event Marketing for Real Estate

Increased exposure on a global level

It used to be that home buyers usually lived near the area they were buying. With the advent of telecommuting and increased globalization, buyers can come from anywhere in the world these days. In fact, according to the National Association of Realtors, foreign buyers closed on $135 billion worth of residential US real estate between April 2016 and March 2017. This is why online marketing is so important. Sure, a potential buyer could find your listing from your local MLS’s website, but why leave it to that? Using an event marketing platform exposes your property to a global audience, at no cost to you, the agent. Additionally, you can use it to generate more interest (and more offers) on your listing from all over the world.

Alternative to Price Reduction

One of the hardest subjects to tackle with your sellers has got to be the price reduction talk. Your sellers are emotionally and financially invested in their home. For this reason, it can be hard to convince them that it is not worth the price they’d like to ask for it–especially if they’re looking to sell quickly. While having hard facts can help with this discussion, for example talking them through what similar homes in their area have recently sold for, it doesn’t always go well.

Using an event marketing platform allows homes to have a lower suggested opening bid than current list price to attract more buyers. Yet, it allows the sellers to remain in control of the actual sale price. For example, a home can be listed at $390,000 with an opening bid of $290,000. If the seller receives a high bid of $350,000 they have the choice to accept the bid and move forward with the sale (after all, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush), or reject the bid and start the process again.

The advantage of taking a property to auction in this method is twofold. On one hand a lower opening bid attracts more attention, more attention creates competition, and competition ultimately raises the price. On the other hand, this method can help determine the true value of a property. If a seller is receiving offers that are tens of thousands of dollars less than asking price, they may see the property is overpriced for the current market conditions.

Tool for Listing Extension

One of the most difficult parts of being a real estate agent is having your clients see the value of the service you provide. Sites such as Zillow assist sellers with by owner sales and a hot housing market. This leaves many clients wondering what you are doing that they couldn’t themselves (hint: a lot, but that’s a subject for another day). One of the advantages of event marketing is that it is another tool in your arsenal to extend your listing. You can go to your clients with this new and innovative process to help gain exposure and increase activity for their home. Interested in getting started with event marketing? Whether its commercial buildings or vacant land. Luxury homes or the Caribbean islands. RealtyHive has the experience and tools you need to move your listings through its event marketing platform. Click here to learn more or get started today!