When you’re getting ready to sell your home in Scottsdale, you know you’ll have to stage it. The first step in home staging is to completely declutter – and this guide will help you make the most of your time.
Check out 17 Home Staging Tips to Use When You Sell a Home in Scottsdale
5 Tips for Clearing Out Clutter So You Can Sell Your Home
Before you can deep-clean your home and get it ready to put on the market, you need to clear out the clutter – but that’s easier said than done. In fact, even if the clutter is minimal, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by it and put it off until the last minute. (The problem is that when you put it off until the last minute, you’re not going to get rid of things you shouldn’t be keeping – you’re just going to relocate them, and you’ll still be stuck with a mess that will work its way back.)
Use these five tips to clear out clutter effectively:
- Adopt the three questions rule
- Use a specific method
- Start small
- Divide and conquer
- Put things in your trunk
Check out 7 Packing Hacks and Tips That Can Improve Your Move
Adopt the “Three Questions” Rule
Every time you come across an item that you don’t use every day – or even every month, ask yourself these three questions:
- Do I need it?
- Do I love it?
- Do I want to move it?
Your answers to those questions will help you go through what you have and minimize your belongings, making it easier to stage your home and a lot easier to move.
Use a Specific Method
When you declutter, you need to carry three boxes from room to room. Mark them like this:
- Keep
- Donate/Trash
- Sell
Every item you encounter that isn’t something you need or love belongs in the Donate/Trash or Sell box. If there’s something you don’t want to move, it belongs in one of those boxes, too.
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Start Small
Getting rid of things so you can stage your home can be overwhelming, so it’s important to start small. Set a timer for 10 minutes to start – don’t commit to any more than that. That way, you can see how you feel (and in most homes, 10 minutes is enough to make a huge difference) and decide whether you want to keep going or throw in the towel for the day.
After your 10 minutes is up, skip ahead to putting things in your trunk (see below) or putting away items that you don’t intend to get rid of.
Divide and Conquer
Confine yourself to one room at a time. Start with the kitchen, because that’s where you’ll find appliances you don’t use (when’s the last time you pulled out that full-sized blender?) and old dishes, mismatched silverware and other items that you don’t particularly want to bring with you to your new home.
Put Things in Your Trunk
When you finish a 10-minute timer, or when you fill up a box (whichever comes first), take the box out to your car. Stick it in the trunk so you’re halfway done getting rid of it. Just don’t forget about it!
