If you are even remotely interested in interior design or optimizing your home’s storage, then the name “Marie Kondo” is probably familiar to you. While her method and her books have been around for quite some time, she became a household name after Netflix produced the series, Tidying Up With Marie Kondo, where the queen of organization shares her methods with those who live in chaotic homes.

While we may not have Marie Kondo’s tidying clout, here at Karen Cannon, Realtors we have picked up a few tips about organizing your home when you are preparing to sell and show it off to buyers.

Here are three tips from our team for tidying up before selling:

Half-way Empty Your Closets

This tip may sound strange, but when you’re looking for a home, what is one thing you are subconsciously searching for? Storage! Storage is a huge draw for buyers, and one of the best ways you can prepare your home is removing half of the items from your closet and organizing the other half. This shows potential buyers that there is plenty of room for everything they need to store, plus more. Also, remember buyers may snoop around, so chose what you display – in and out of your closets – carefully.

De-personalize Your Home

Although this process may seem a bit premature, removing your personal items from your home allows those looking to envision their family and lifestyle fitting into your home. A great rule of thumb for this is for every three pictures/ personal keepsakes, keep one out and pack away two. This will allow you to get a head start on packing and will allow prospects to imagine calling your house their “home.”

The First Impression is the Only Impression

In order to sell to a buyer, you need to think like one. What is the first thing a buyer sees when they pull up to your property? It’s not the kitchen or the awesome living room – it’s the exterior of the house! Your curb appeal matters, so take the time to tidy up your porch, garden, and yard by pulling those ugly weeds, sweeping mulch off and pressure washing your sidewalk, trimming those shrubs, and fixing or replacing anything with peeled paint. The front door of your home is an extremely important space as the buyer will be analyzing this area while their agent is opening the lockbox/unlocking the front door. Knock down the cobwebs, clean the sidelight windows/porch lights, plant fresh flowers, and provide touch up the paint where needed as these few simple and easy chores will make all the difference when a potential buyer first sees your home.

Tidying up in these three areas are just one way you can fast track selling your home and finding your next one. If selling your home seems overwhelming, the team at Karen Cannon, Realtors is here to walk with you through each stage of the home selling and buying process.

Click here to contact us by phone, or fill out the form at the bottom of the page and someone from our team will contact you shortly!