Storage Solutions When Preparing Your Home For Sale

Research shows that homeowners who stage their houses, sell those homes faster and usually for more money. Staging includes clearing out and organizing your home while keeping only the minimum amount of furniture in each room making the space appear larger and more enticing. But you can’t just shove those items into closets as your home’s available storage space is often at the top of the list for most buyers. So organizing and clearing your storage spaces should also be included in preparing your home for sale.

“We knew we'd have to clear out plenty of clutter. We didn't expect to have to take out almost everything,” said one homeowner. “Three bookshelves in my office, one apiece in three bedrooms, and one in the basement all had to go. We also had to remove sofas, chairs, dressers, cabinets, lamps, televisions, a desk, kitchenware, and one-third of the clothes in our closets.”

The difference in how a staged home looks after a clear out is often staggering. But many homeowners wanting to sell their home see the clear out as overwhelming. However it can be done quickly with the help of a few tricks and some help from your friends.  

Home Clearing Tricks

Create Piles With Purpose
Create six piles for all items you want to clear away to go into. Then pick up one item at a time and make a decision about it, before putting it down.

1. Keep in room
2. Put away (in another room)
3. Give away / donate
4. Sell
5. Trash
6. Recycle

Use a Systemic Approach

Set a timer for an hour and then clean one room at a time during that hour. Concentrate on the area you've decided to work on during the session. If you've chosen a larger area begin working on it systematically, from left to right, in a clockwise fashion throughout the room. (The order isn't actually that important, any systematic approach will work, as long as you stick with it.) 

Storing Possessions When Selling Your Home

The Garage 

If you have a large garage and putting your items in the garage will still leave space for a car to park in it, then you have a great storage option. Stack plastic storage bins and cardboard boxes as neatly as possible. Instead of buying bins you don’t need or cardboard boxes you’ll just throw away, STL Rent-A-Box is a good option. They have stackable plastic storage bins that can be dropped off to your home and kept for the duration of your project.

Rented Storage

Use your rented storage unit to store anything you do not need. After all, potential buyers will be looking through your closets, cabinetry, and basement. A self-storage facility allows you to store unnecessary appliances, out-of-season clothing, furniture, and anything else you will not need for a few months so that your home's best features can shine through.

Temporary Storage 
PODS revolutionized moving and storage by introducing the

concept of portable storage containers. With PODS, portable storage containers come to you, so you can pack at your leisure. When you're ready, your PODS container is moved to a secure storage center facility.

Moving Companies

Many moving companies do much more than move furnishings—they also offer storage solutions where possessions can be stored in climate-controlled environments for several days or months.  Costs are based on the amount of stuff you have. If you want to reduce cost, the best time to organize the home and discard possessions you no longer need or want is before the moving truck shows up.

When considering your storage options, decide whether you’ll need access to any of the items in storage. If you think you may need to get things out of storage on a temporary basis, it’s best to make sure those items are stored last, or consider self-storage for those items you’ll need regular access to during the interim period.  

The Boehmer Team Can Help
The Boehmer Team is experienced with helping homeowners with home staging that makes a home irresistible to buyers. If you are thinking of selling your home, contact the number one real estate team in St. Charles county, The Boehmer Team. They make the process of selling your home a smoother and more lucrative experience.

 

Tips for Preparing Your Home for Sale

The buying and selling season is definitely picking up steam here with The Boehmer Team at Prudential Select Properties.  The phones are ringing and homes are coming on the market at a rapid pace.  It is amazing what a difference it makes to walk into a home that is truly prepared to be on the market.  Believe me, little things do make a big difference! 

Much of what we are talking about doesn’t cost you much if anything.  It may take a little elbow grease and time, but the payoff is far greater than the effort and you have a well organized home.  The message sent by how the home is presented is far greater than most home sellers realize.  Let’s face it, buyers will snoop.  If they see organized, well maintained and clean areas they assume the home has been well maintained and taken care of.   Buyers don’t want to think that the home has just been surface cleaned for the sale, but has been meticulously maintained throughout the time you have owned the home.  A home with lesser features but impeccably presented stands a good chance of being in the game.

The most critical part of this puzzle is pricing and marketing the home appropriately.   

Here are a few thoughts on preparing your home for sale:

1. Curb appeal counts!  Pull up and take a good look yourself.  Sidewalks should be cleared of debris, the lawn should be mowed if the season allows, landscape should be trimmed with fresh mulch, flowers planted in season (yellow is inviting), the house numbers clearly readable from the street and any planters that are displayed should filled with fresh flowers or removed. 
2. The front door should be clean, dust free, door knob polished and nicely painted.  It is the first thing you see as you approach the home.
3. Make sure your doors (inside and out) are squeak free.  This is a simple fix that takes only minutes.
4. Declutter - Less is more.  If you are committed to moving, pack up items that you do not use on a regular basis and stack them neatly in a storage area either in your basement or in a storage unit.  Kitchen and bathroom counters, drawers, closets and rooms should be simply displayed.
5. Neutral colors- We both love color.  It makes a home show with so much personality, makes pictures show better and adds interest to rooms.  Although, when selling we have found that a neutral color works best for most buyers.  It should be rich enough to make white trim stand out and add warmth to the room but not to dark to make the rooms look small.  Many times we see sellers paint white to be neutral.  We personally do not find that to be the answer, as it appears very stark, cold and impersonal.  Make neutral choices to avoid being remembered as the “house with the purple bathroom”.  Consider adding color with accessories if necessary.
6. Replace burned out bulbs so the home shows bright and airy.
7. Knock down cobwebs, they tend to show up in corners and light fixtures.
8. Laundry Rooms are important.  They should be fresh and organized.  This will make the room look larger and more inviting.
9. Closets are equally important.  They should be orderly, shoes lined up instead of piled, and hanging clothes should be hanging the same direction.  Remove seasonal clothes.  An organized closet will appear larger than a cluttered closet. 
10. Wash your windows, window sills and door tracks.
11. Re-caulk any areas that the caulk has dried up or pulled away, especially in Kitchens and Baths.
12. Dust the ceiling fans, they tend to get overlooked.
13. Clean out the refrigerator and run your dishwasher, believe it or not people do look.
14. Beware of unpleasant odors.  This is a huge turn off whether it is pet odors, cooking odors or an overdose of air freshener.
15. Replace worn throw rugs with fresh, attractive replacements.  This allows you to add a splash of color as well as define an area.
16.  Polish chrome faucets, they will sparkle.
17. If you have a challenging room, stage it.  It is a problem when a buyer can not figure out how to arrange a room.  Solve the problem for them by staging.
18. Fix obvious problems.  If you know that everyone walking through the home will see a flaw in the home that will need to be repaired before selling, fix it before listing the home.
19. Create a focal point in every room.  This gives buyers something to focus on and fall in love with.
20. Concentrate on big impact rooms.  If they love these rooms, buyers will usually accept less than perfect conditions in other areas.
21. Hardwood is in!  It is warm, inviting, can make small rooms appear larger and is a top feature that buyers are looking for.
22. In areas that require a municipal inspection, you may want to consider having the inspection done in advance to address any items that may come up.
23. Consider getting an appraisal in advance if you are unsure of your position in the market.
24. Hire a quality agent.  Interview qualified candidates that have made a commitment to their profession, have embraced technology and are willing to go the extra mile to earn your business.
25. PRICE IT APPROPRIATELY!  The best agent and the best marketing in the world will not sell an overpriced listing.  It will certainly help you be positioned for a sale.  Have your professional Realtor review comparable sales with you to ensure you are positioned to sell in the shortest amount of time at the highest price. 

We hope these home selling tips are helpful to you.  If moving is on your mind or you are considering buying or selling Real Estate in the Metropolitan St. Louis and St. Charles County area, please visit us on the web at www.TheBoehmerTeam.com.