As I’ve mentioned many times before, your home’s presentation to potential buyers is crucial to a fast and easy sale. One of the best things you can do to not only improve the appearance of your rooms but also make your move easier when you sell is declutter. In this post, How to Declutter Your Home Before You Sell, I’m going to give you a step by step guide to clearing out your rooms and preparing for your next adventure as a homeowner. 

Why It’s Important to Declutter Before You Sell 

I went into detail on the importance of decluttering your home before you sell here: “Why It’s Important to Declutter Before You List Your Home”. But if you’re new to NJ Real Estate Geek or just starting to think about selling your home, here are the basics of why it’s important to declutter before you sell your home! 

The idea of clearing out your clutter before you put your home on the market comes from one of the most important things of any home sale: First Impressions! That’s right, first impressions are so important in real estate. In fact, did you know that a buyer decides within10 seconds of seeing your home if they’re interested in it? That means you have 10 seconds to make a potential buyer say “I can see myself living here”! That’s not a lot of time. 

When a buyer walks into a home that’s overrun with personal items, crowded surfaces, and cramped spaces it does two big things: 1.) It makes your home feel small and cramped and 2.) it makes it very difficult for buyers to picture themselves living in the space. 

This isn’t the only reason why it’s important to declutter your home before you put it on the market. 

It Will Help You Prepare Emotionally to Move

Homes are for memories. If you’ve lived in the same place for a while, it can be very difficult to move on to somewhere new even if you’re upgrading your current situation. The gradual process of decluttering the unnecessary things that you’ve collected over the years reminds you that all of the important things will be coming with you to your new home and ready for the new adventure that awaits you. 

You’ll Be More Ready to Move

Throwing things away and decluttering your space means fewer things to pack! If you have any experience with packing and moving you’ll know that it can be a tremendous undertaking. The more you can do before you list, the less you’ll have to do later on in the selling process! 

Buyers Can Focus on What’s Important 

With fewer things around your home, buyers are able to hone in on the really important things about your home. Things like the flow, natural light, feel of the space, size of the rooms and closets are able to shine through. Those features will be the selling points for your home and will not only bring in more buyers to view your property but also increase the value buyers see. 

Your Home Will Be Seen as More Move-In Ready

With less personal items and more neutral spaces, buyers will view your home in a different way. Your home will serve as the template or blank slate for buyers to envision their own personal touches when they make the home their own. That will make your home much more appealing when buyers come to view it.  

Some Things to Keep in Mind 

So, now that we know why decluttering is important, here are some reminders as you start the process: 

• Decluttering Doesn’t Mean Minimalism 

The purpose of decluttering (to sell or to live) is to give you space and free you of things that interfere with your life. It’s not meant for you to get rid of everything except for your essentials. Sometimes when people think of decluttering, they think they need to throw away everything and that simply is not the case. 

• Do What You Can & Give Yourself Time

You might not have the time frame to declutter your entire home before you list. That’s okay! Give yourself a time frame and do what you can. I always tell my clients that something will forever be better than nothing. Decluttering is a process. (And not just a physical one! Decluttering can be a very emotional process too!) Give it time and embrace the process. 

• Start Small

If you’re looking at your house right now like “Crap, where do I start?”, you’re not alone! Start small. Pick a drawer, a surface, a box, or a cabinet. Pick anything that feels simple and attainable. If you bite off more than you can chew when you first start out, you’ll likely get discouraged and not want to continue. 

• Change Your Mindset 

Change the way you think about decluttering! If you think of it as a chore or a tedious task, you’ll get overwhelmed and not want to continue. If you do it right, you’ll only have to do it once! Plus, throwing away unused things and getting rid of excess items is a very liberating feeling.

• Hold Yourself Accountable 

Be your own accountability coach. Set yourself to a task and follow it through. I know sometimes this can be challenging (especially if you’ve got little ones, pets, etc…) but do your best to put time aside each day to dedicate to this project. I’ve found that it helps to actually set attainable goals and write them down which leads perfectly into our next subject! 

Set Yourself Up for Success 

Just as with any undertaking, how you prepare will set you up for success. Here are some things that you can do to set yourself up for success when decluttering your home. 

Set Realistic Goals

If you’re decluttering to sell your home, you probably have an end date in mind. While this is great because it gives you a concrete “finish line”, if you have no plan or no direction, you’re much more likely to manage that time ineffectively. 

Start With Your End Date 

What is your target end date? If you’re getting ready to list your home, your end date might be the date that your agent has scheduled for a professional photographer to take pictures for your listing. Or, maybe it’s the date that your staging company is scheduled for a consultation. 

Whatever the date, be it two weeks or a month from now, put it in your calendar. Write it down and put it on your fridge. Put the date somewhere that you can see it so you can keep it in front of you. 

Set Daily Goals 

Each day in your time frame set yourself a goal. This can be a time-oriented goal or a task-oriented goal. Depending on your timeframe, you can pick whichever is best for you. For example: If you’re decluttering your entire home in two weeks, giving yourself a goal of one hour a day is probably not realistic. However, if you have a month or two, an hour a day might be a perfectly reasonable goal. 

Whatever your goal, write it down, work it into your daily schedule and stick to it. Make it a part of your daily routine like eating breakfast or working out. 

If you’re working with a shorter timeline (like a week or two) start at your target date and work backward, tackling one task each day.

Do It Together 

Many hands make light work! Getting the family involved is a great way to make the workload of decluttering a little less daunting. Not only is it a good idea because it means that no personal items will be thrown out by mistake, but it’s also great for making the process a little less overwhelming. 

Depending on how old your children are, you could give them a small task to complete while you’re working on something else. The task could be to ask them to go through a pile of their things that you’ve gathered or try on some shoes to see if they still fit or if they still like them. Or, go through your home and find any items that don’t belong and put them in a laundry basket! Make it fun and turn it into a game! See who can find more misplaced items! Whatever the task, getting kids and spouses involved in the decluttering process is a great way to alleviate some of the pressure of feeling as though you’re climbing this giant mountain on your own. 

Save Sentimental Items Until the End 

When you come across a sentimental item in your decluttering journey, put it to the side (especially if you’re on the fence about keeping an item). When everything trivial is sorted through and decluttered, you’ll be in a better mindset to know what you really want to keep and what you’re able to part with. 

Let’s Get Started! 

Now that we’ve set the stage with some important things to keep in mind, let’s get ready to ruuuummmbllle!! Ahem- sorry. I couldn’t resist. (Anyone else feel like they’re in the Thunderdome when they’re about to organize stuff? No? Just me?) In all seriousness, let’s get to it! 

1. Get Your Essentials 

Before you touch a shelf or a cabinet, start smart. Get your Decluttering Essentials. Here are some of the best things to have on hand with you when you’re decluttering: 

• • • Trash Bag: Small or big, it’s up to you! Pick a size that’s fitting to your task. If you’re cleaning out a kitchen or desk drawer, a small trash bag will do the trick. If you’re aiming for a bigger task (like a closet), you’ll probably want a larger trash bag. 
    • Laundry Basket(s): A small laundry basket is essential to decluttering. Why? When you declutter you find things that don’t belong where they are. Having an easy-to-carry basket where you can put all of the things that don’t belong will save you from making an unnecessary amount of trips. It will also help you keep those items organized and keep them out of your way! 

• • • Discard Box: A cardboard box is a good thing to keep with you for the purpose of storing your discarded items before you sort through them. 

• • • Vacuum: It’s a pain in the butt to carry around but if you want to really declutter right, you’ll want to keep your vacuum on hand. You’d be amazed what kinds of crumbs and other things you’ll find in those drawers, closets, or cabinets. 
    • Spray & Paper Towel: Same idea as having your vacuum accessible, if you come across something that needs a quick wipe up or dusting, you’ll want to have these around as well. 

2. Pick a Room

Once you’ve gathered your essentials, it’s time to pick a room and get started. If this is your first go at decluttering you’ll want to start with a room that isn’t so daunting (ex: a room that doesn’t have a lot of closets or shelves.) Some specialists actually suggest you start in your car! Wherever you choose to start, keep your goal in mind. I usually suggest that my clients start in one of the least used rooms in your house. That way, if you don’t finish going through everything in one day, the mess is less intrusive on your day to day life. 

3. Remove Misplaced Items 

At this point in the process, it’s time to get moving. Start by removing any misplaced items from the room or space in question. For example things like cups, clothing, books, hair ties. This also includes trash (like wrappers, scraps of paper, napkins, old magazines, receipts, etc…). Throw the trash into your trash bag and put the misplaced items into the laundry basket to place in their rightful “home” later. 

4. Go Through the Space & Group Like Items Together 

Once all of the misplaced items have been removed from the space, you can start sorting through the rest of the items. Start with anything that’s on the surface. Sort like items into piles together to get an inventory of everything you have. For example, if you’re starting with your bedroom closet, put all sweaters in one pile, jeans in another, short sleeve tops in another, etc… 

NOTE: Make sure you’re not putting the piles in your own way! It’s important to keep your space movable so you can easily get in and out of your area. 

5. Once Everything is Clear, Ask Yourself Some Questions 

After you’ve sorted everything out, it’s time to decide what stays and what goes. 

First, pick a pile! Right from the start, if there’s anything in the pile that you know for sure you’re going to keep, take it out of the pile and put it in a designated “safe zone”. Likewise, if there’s anything in the pile that you know you’re going to discard, throw it your designated “discard box”. (Not the trash just yet! We’ll get to that later in this post.) 

NOTE: Keep your discard box separate from your trash and “safe zone”!

Once you sort through the definite “Keeps” and “Discards”, you’re left with all of the items that fall in the “Gray Area”. This is where it helps to ask some questions! 

• • • Is the item broken, damaged, or overworn? 
    • Does this item bring you value or joy?
    • Have you used this item in the last 12 months? 
    • Does this item fit your current needs? 
    • Does the item have sentimental value to you or a loved one? 

Check out the infographic below to guide your process of keeping and discarding items!  

Keep up this process until you’ve successfully sorted through all of your piles! 

Seller Tips: 

If you’re decluttering your home before you put it on the market, there are some additional things you might want to consider during this step of the process! One of those things is to store items that aren’t great for selling your home. Things like: 

• • • Too many personal items 
    • Big furniture that makes a room feel small or cramped 
    • Home Decor that’s unique or eclectic 
    • Extra Items that you can temporarily live without 

Things you know you’re going to keep or need for your next home but just don’t fit or appeal to buyers, you should consider storing. Rent a storage unit or ask a friend/ family member with an extra-large garage if they mind helping you out in the meantime while your home is on the market. There are actually some moving companies that will help you pack up some of your belongings and store them for you before you move. 

6. Organize 

Once you’ve sorted through all of your piles it’s time to reassemble the space! Here are some tips to help you when putting things back in their places! 

• • Make sure “Frequent Use Items” are easily accessible: Items that will be used every day or frequently should be stored in a place that is easy to get to (but still out of the way). When you’re reassembling your space, keep frequent use items in the front. Don’t bury them behind other things or make it so you need to move things to get to them. This will just resort to needing to organize again. 
  • Store “Like Items” together: Keep similar items together. This will keep you from needing to hunt around for something you need in a moment. 
  • Use the space you have. Then, re-evaluate: Before you go out buying a bunch of new baskets, boxes, or organizing thingamajiggies, start by using what you have. Once you’ve used the space as best as you can, decide what you’ll need to supplement your organizational system. Do you need some jars for paper clips? Baskets for deep closets? Hangers? Over the door organizers? Use what you have to determine what you’ll need. Trust me, you’ll save money this way. 

What to Do Next? 

You sorted everything into piles, decided what’s staying and what’s going, and organized your space. What do you do next? 

Now it’s time to decide what to do with your decluttered items! Yup, all those things you put into your “discard box”. Firstly, if you’re exhausted and not feeling up to going through another pile, take your box and put it in a space where it will be out of the way but still accessible. I usually suggest my clients put the box in their garage. 

When you’re ready to go through your discard box, here are some things you should consider with each item: 

1. Throw it out: If the item is really beat up and no longer usable, throw it away. 
2. Recycle: Is the item recyclable? Things like glass products, paper products, metal items, etc… If so, recycle! 
3. Repurpose: Can you use the item for another purpose? For example, shoe boxes, coffee cans, fabric (if you’re an artistic person). Just don’t go overboard saving things you might not repurpose. 
4. Donate: If your items are gently used (or like-new) donate them! There are soooo many charities that look for gently used clothes, shoes, home items, etc… to help people in need or less fortunate. (Plus it’s a great exercise to build altruism in kids to teach them to pay it forward!) 
5. Sell: If you come across something you think might be of value to another person, sell it! Craigslist, eBay, Facebook Marketplace- all great places to sell your unwanted stuff. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure! 

The Takeaway 

Decluttering is a HUGE project but well worth it if you’re getting your home ready to sell. Trust me, it will have a huge reward to you as a seller. I know it may seem overwhelming but take it one step at a time and follow this guide for How to Declutter Your Home Before You Sell! 

Thinking about selling? Contact Me or fill out our Home Valuation Form to find out how much your home is worth!

Do you have any of your own declutter tips? Share in the comments below!