Here is an article I wrote recently for the Calgary Real Estate News about the importance of cleaning, de-cluttering and styling your closets and storage areas when selling your home. As bizarre as that may seem, storage areas are an important part of the home, and potential buyers want to feel like there will be more than enough of it for their needs.
Read on, and please let me know what you think!
Closet Cleaning Removes Junk, and Skeletons
Storage space—or the lack of it—is a big issue for people. It seems like no matter how much room you start out with, you always to expand to fill (or overfill) it. Lack of sufficient storage is often one of the reasons people look for new homes. Yet closets and storage areas are typically the most under-prepared areas in a home for sale.
Sellers usually focus on beautifying the main living areas, bedrooms, bathrooms and landscaping. But the storage areas and closets require their share of attention as well. They represent important space in the home you are trying to sell. Buyers must believe a home will be able to accommodate their needs now and into the future. This means enough space to store all their current possessions as well as the inevitable accumulation of stuff that occurs over time.
As a seller, you can use this knowledge to significantly increase the “Wow” factor, and the perceived value, of your home. First, recognize that you are selling the whole package. You cannot simply hide everything in the closets when you are showing your home. People are actually going to look in there. This goes for all attached cabinetry and any major appliances included in the sale as well. If it is part of the package, it is fair game for potential buyers to look inside.
Show storage areas as accommodating the items for which they were intended. For example, food should be in the pantry and linens should be in the linen closet. Whether out of convenience or necessity, people often have items stored in the wrong places. To a buyer, this conveys the idea that there is not sufficient room to store things where they belong. If they see a pantry full of small appliances and cleaning supplies, they will assume there must be a lack of cabinet space and an insufficient utility closet.
As well as showing things in the right places, you must also be sure to leave enough space to imply the ability to add more. That means reducing what’s in your closets to about 50% to 60% of full. There should be room on the shelves, space between the hangers, and as few items as possible on the floor. Pack up and remove any unnecessary items, such as out-of-season items and clothing. You may need to consider renting off-site storage for the duration of your listing, but it will be well worth it for the impression clean, de-cluttered storage areas will make on buyers.
You can really go the extra mile by organizing your closets well and adding details that create a great impression. Add a light fixture in a dark closet; install a second bar halfway down to double the hanging space; replace cheap wire hangers with wooden ones; group like items and clothing together. If buyers see closets that are immaculately organized, they will believe you have taken the same meticulous care with the rest of the home. Just imagine what Martha Stewart’s closets must looks like. Also, don’t forget to get rid of any “skeletons” in your closets; anything considered private, embarrassing or potentially offensive to others should be removed.
Closets and storage may seem like a low priority in the midst of trying to prepare the more visible, first-impression areas of the house for showing. But every little detail contributes to the overall impression your home makes in a buyer’s mind, and the closets are no exception. By paying due attention to these areas, you can greatly increase the home’s attractiveness to potential buyers.
