The city of Ann Arbor real estate market is red hot. For those homeowners looking to take advantage of the demand and sell their home, it is important to ensure that the property is fully prepared before hitting the market — especially in today’s digital world, where an attractive online listing can make or break a sale.
That means clearing the space of all clutter and junk so that prospective buyers can see the home in the best light and envision a life there.
Charlene Bush, marketing manager, of the Ann Arbor moving and junk removal services company TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® , says several decluttering tips can help homeowners get their homes ready to sell.
To start, Bush says homeowners need to come up with a plan.
“Know what you want to get done around the house, and come up with a step-by-step plan to follow so you can stay on track and organized as you work through tasks,” she said.
One tip, Bush says, is to set up colored bins or tape a piece of colored paper to a box to keep everything organized. “You want to organize and label everything you have,” she said. “One box can be for items you want to pack, one can be for items you want to sell, one for items you want to donate and one for items you want to throw out.”
From there, Bush suggests starting with a category of items, not a room. “For example, books. Go to each room and collect all books to box together to donate, then find all the books you want to keep,” she said. “Filling each box based on individual items instead of rooms will make the process more streamlined.”
When preparing for home tours and photoshoots, Bush says the kitchen and bathrooms are usually the rooms that prospective buyers pay the most attention to. “These rooms draw the most attention during walkthroughs,” she said. “Make sure to clear the counters of appliances and unnecessary knick-knacks before hosting an open house or giving a tour.”
Another area that homeowners often neglect is storage spaces like pantries, which can actually be major deal-breakers for buyers. “Thin out the pantry and cabinets,” said Bush. “The less that is in them, the bigger they look. Expired food and old Tupperware are easy culprits to making storage spaces look small.”
After going through the home and decluttering, there will likely be a lot of unwanted junk to get rid of or donate. That is why Bush recommends that homeowners arrange donations and junk
pickups before listing the house on the market.
In addition to moving services, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK offers ancillary services like junk removal and storage.
Overall, Bush says decluttering the home will likely take some time and work, but coming up with a plan and doing things the smart way will make the whole process much smoother and ensure the home is ready to hit the market.
