Decluttering Before you Sell: Pack the Treasures
Decluttering is one of the first things I recommend when preparing a home for the market—but I’m not asking you to get rid of everything that makes your house feel like home.
Instead, think of it as packing up some of your treasures a little early.
You may love Elvis. You may have an entire collection dedicated to The King. And that rhinestone suit may be one of your favorite things.
The next owner may not feel quite as enthusiastically about Elvis as you do.
We don't want buyers standing in your closet thinking about the rhinestone suit when they should be thinking, Wow, look at all this closet space.
That's really the goal of decluttering. We aren't trying to erase you from your home. We're removing some of the distractions so buyers can pay attention to the house itself.
Pack the Treasures
Collections, décor, memorabilia, and some of the things you've accumulated over the years can start making their way into boxes.
You don't have to get rid of them. You're moving anyway, so we're simply getting a head start.
As you're packing, leave enough behind for the house to still feel warm and lived in. We're not trying to make it empty. We're trying to give the home—and its best features—a little more breathing room.
If You Don't Want to Move It, Don't Move It Twice
Decluttering is also a good opportunity to decide what isn't coming with you.
If you already know you don't want something in your next home, this may be the time to donate it, sell it, give it away, or toss it. (Hello Facebook Marketplace!)
Why move it twice?
There will be plenty of decisions to make once you're under contract and preparing for your move. Making some of the easy ones now means fewer boxes to pack, fewer things to move, and fewer decisions later.
Put Away Photos and Private Items
Before professional photography, I recommend packing away most family photos and personal items.
There's a practical reason for this beyond staging: we're about to take pictures of your home and put them online for the world to see.
Take a walk through the house and look for anything you don't want photographed or publicly visible. That includes family photos, paperwork, medications, valuables, children's information, calendars, or anything else you'd rather keep private.
Those things should have a safe place before photography—and before showings begin.
Find a Home for the Everyday Stuff
You still have to live here.
The coffee maker, toothbrushes, mail, school papers, pet supplies, chargers, and everything else you use every day aren't going to magically disappear because there's a For Sale sign in the yard.
Instead, let's figure out where those things can quickly go.
A basket, drawer, cabinet, or designated bin can make it much easier to clear the counters before a showing without feeling like you're staging the entire house every time someone wants to see it.
If we create the system before photos, it's much easier to maintain once showings begin.
Don't Forget Outside—or the Garage
Decluttering doesn't stop at the back door.
Take a look at the porch and side yard. Pick up the things that have accumulated over time, straighten what stays, and yes—let's finally do something about last year's bags of mulch rotting in the weeds.
The garage is a little different.
If you have a photogenic garage with great selling features, let's make an effort to have it clean and organized so we can show those features off.
If your garage is currently holding half of your house because you're getting ready to move?
I completely understand.
We may not need perfection there. I'd rather have neatly stacked moving boxes in the garage than those same boxes filling the rooms we're trying to photograph and show.
We're Making Room for Buyers to See the House
Decluttering isn't about making your home look like nobody lives there.
It's about deciding what we want buyers to notice.
We want them looking at the size of the closet—not Elvis.
We want them noticing the counter space—not the things sitting on it.
And we want them imagining how they could live in the home, while making the eventual move a little easier on you at the same time.
Pack the treasures. Clear the distractions. Give buyers room to notice what makes your home special.
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