Is Clutter Preventing You From Selling Your Katy Home?
By Janine Godwin, CPO®, Guest Author
You signed the contract with your Realtor, the ‘For Sale’ sign is in the yard and it’s been weeks since you’ve had any action on selling your home. Could it be due to excessive clutter? If you have taken a look around your home, and the answer is ‘yes’, it’s time to get serious about making an investment in making your home more appealing. This investment could be the time that you put into cleaning it up yourself, or financial by hiring a professional to assist you. In either case, if clutter exists in your home and you want to sell it, that For Sale sign may sit in your yard longer than necessary.
Buyers consider many things when looking for a home – location, neighborhood, amenities, etc, but they are also looking at how a home is presented. Think about it. No one wants to walk in to a home that is messy. People are attracted to cleanliness and order. For example, when buyers walk into a new model home, they are wowed not only by the decorative scheme that the model presents, but they don’t see clutter. It’s attractive. It’s welcoming and they can see all the details the builder wants to showcase. Granted, it may be a bit sterile, but it still looks inviting. Buyers can easily envision how they can make that home theirs.
On the flip side, if a buyer walks in to a home that is full of clutter, it could possibly block their sense of ‘vision’. People by nature are visual, and they need all the help they can get when you are selling your home. Buyers are always looking for good storage in a home, and they will open closets, cabinets and drawers and check out the garage to get an idea of what storage options are available. Storage can be a deciding factor in their decision, and if these areas are filled to the brim with ‘stuff’, they may not be able to figuratively or literally ‘see’ the potential an area possesses.
If your Realtor suggests that you ‘tame the clutter’ in order to list your home for sale – listen to their advice. Your Realtor wants to assist you in every way possible for your home to sell. If clutter is preventing the sale of your home (or low-ball offers are more prevalent than not) invest in fixing the problem so your Realtor can proudly show your home. If you are not sure how to go about solving the problem, ask your Realtor, as they will have resources available to get your home in shape.
Janine Godwin is a Certified Professional Organizer®, providing business and residential organizing services in Katy and surrounding areas since 2003. She is a member of NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers), NSGCD (National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization) and the Katy Area Chamber of Commerce. For more information on Janine and her Katy professional organizing services, visit Nooks-and-Crannies.com.
For information about Katy area homes, you can search the entire Houston MLS from this blog. For questions or to tour any area homes, contact me directly at 713-818-2404. I have specialized in Katy real estate for over 20 years. Experience does count!
Copyright © 2007 The Katy Texas Blog That Never Runs Dry
When my wife and I were looking for a new home five years ago, I can remember the impression when we saw all of these kids’ toys all over the floors. We ended up buying a home with the exact same floor plan, but the toy house caused us to turn around and leave. Staging really does make a difference.
Frank, I completely feel your pain, and yes clutter can make or break a sale in some circumstances. However, clearing clutter, is completely different than staging a home for sale, although they do compliment one another.
Thanks to everyone for their comments and emails. Very grateful to Janine for her guess article!
Hi, great article. Where is RSS feed? thanks
If is clutter problem for you, you should make some research over internet. There are many good shelving systems.