Clean up the clutter
When listing your house and preparing for showings, it's best to organize your space. A good rule of thumb is to sort through all the items you don't use regularly into three piles: pack it, donate it and junk it.
Pack it
For the items you're packing, go online and search “portable storage and moving containers.” These convenient containers can be rented monthly and will save you a trip to a traditional storage unit. They are delivered to your house, and once you've packed it up, it's picked up and stored for you until you're ready to add more — or unload it at your new house.
Donate it
For the items you're donating, a number of charities offer scheduled donation pick-ups. Visit your favorite charity's website to learn when they'll be in your neighbourhood.
Junk it
For the items you're dumping, first make sure they can be dumped. Certain items need to be recycled or properly disposed of. Check with your municipality website to find a convenient and affordable way to properly dispose of certain materials. If what you have truly can be junked, consider renting a dumpster for large quantities.
Six staging suggestions
Not interested in hiring a professional stager? Consider these six staging suggestions to help enhance your home:
- Fix minor flaws and imperfections; buyers don't want deferred maintenance issues.
- Remove excess furniture from rooms and clutter from countertops to make spaces appear larger.
- Clean and organize everything including garages, closets, storage rooms and laundry rooms. Buyers look everywhere.
- Wash windows, pull back curtains and turn on lights in dim rooms to brighten areas and make rooms appear larger.
- Paint walls in light neutral tones and pack up family pictures so buyers can envision their décor preferences.
- Manage your yard; shovel the paths, mow the lawn, plant flowers and remove cobwebs from the door frames.
From the glossary
Staging
Preparing a home for sale to appeal to a wide range of homebuyers. The staging process often includes decluttering, depersonalizing, deep-cleaning and minor updates such as painting and rearranging furniture.
Curb appeal
The appeal of a home when viewed from the curb. Curb appeal includes the home's exterior, front yard and anything else that's visible from the street.
Each office independently owned and operated. The information contained in this guide is for informational and educational purposes only, and is not legal, business, or real estate advice. Even though we have taken every reasonable effort to attempt to make sure that the information presented is accurate, up-to-date, and useful, we can not guarantee that it is complete, correct, or current. This guide is not a substitute for professional advice. Real estate laws, regulations, and practices may vary from market to market. Consult with local professionals for specific advice.