Staging is a vital part of the listing process, and decluttering is the first step to staging in many homes. After all, the way we live in a house is not the same way we sell it. There’s nothing wrong with a little mess when you’re living your best life in your home, but when it comes to selling it, you want to put your best foot forward and make the whole place shine. Think of it this way-- you don’t walk into an interview in your cozy sweats. The home selling process works the same way.

1. Kitchen countertops should be cleared of all but essentials. We know we love your crockpot. We love ours, too. But, when it comes to photographing your home and having it show well, you should take as many items off the counter as possible. According to this article , if you have a large kitchen, plan to leave two appliances on your counters (think the most attractive ones like your espresso machine and your Kitchen Aid Mixer), but if you have a small one, you want to do all you can to emphasize counter space and should have no appliances on your counters at all. Another thing to note is that when people walk in the kitchen, they expect it to be a showstopper, which for most people means granite countertops and a good layout. If you have granite counter tops, don’t waste your moment to show them off by covering them up, and even if you don’t have this upgrade, don’t make your kitchen seem smaller by plinig too many accent pictures on the countertops. Less is more. 
2. Mess is not best. Cleaning may not excite most people, but a clean house gives off a far better impression than a messy one. One of our favorite tricks when we work with families is to promise kids gift cards to their favorite store if they manage to keep their rooms and playrooms clean every time there is a showing at their house. While that may take care of the kids, that doesn’t necessarily stop the every day mess from piling up, however, so on the days you have showings, pay specific attention to these things: your entryway and living room, clean countertops, clean toilets, and a nice smell throughout the house. Your house doesn’t have to be perfect for it to sell, but it should certainly be fit for company!
3. Wall art should be cohesive and neutral. With wall art, we as real estate agents have seen all sides of the spectrum—from the barren walls of vacant homes to the super cluttered, over decorated walls of the overly-enthusiastic Pinterest lovers. While you should love the home you live in and make it your own, when we sell it, the goal is to always be as neutrally beautiful as possible, using pieces that accentuate the beauty of the home itself instead of distracting away from it. When a potential buyer walks into a room, you want there to be a strong visual focal point that draws them in and gives the room cohesion. If you have too many visual distractors, buyers may not know where to look and will lose the sense of comfort and home that comes will a well-designed room. 
4. Start packing!  One of the best things you can do before listing your home, especially in a quickly-moving market like this one, is to go ahead and pack away non-essentials. Do you really need all five of those extension outlets you have in your living room? Are those 20 magazines on the coffee table really accentuating the space best? The answer is probably no, so set aside two full days before listing your home to start packing up boxes and decluttering your space. If you don’t have a specific space to store these boxes (think garage or attic), then you may want to wait, but if you have any sort of storage space in your home, this tip will save you a ton of time on the back end and can make your house feel brand new again. 
5. Bathrooms follow the same rules as kitchens. Just like with kitchens, clear countertops are king in bathrooms. With the exception of maybe one or two cute accent pieces—a cute hand soap holder and a small décor piece—your bathroom countertops should be entirely clean. Is this inconvenient while you are waiting for your home to sell? Absolutely? Does it make a difference? Also yes! Imagine the mental image of walking to to see someone’s tooth brush, toothpaste, and makeup all scattered around on an otherwise very nice bathroom countertop. Then, compare that image in your mind with a nicely staged/decluttered countertop with just a couple of neutral accent pieces. Which one can you picture yourself moving into tomorrow? Another way to look at it is that you want your house to almost feel like a hotel when people are inside of it. Appealing to many and ready for people to move in right away! 

We hope this article has helped you learn what it takes to set your offer apart in a competitive market like this one. Please reach out and ask us any other questions you have, and we’ll be happy to help any time. You can reach us at (678) 242-9981 or submit any questions through our contact us question form. We hope to talk to you soon!