Declutter, Packers

Get into the storage cupboards and vanity and remove anything you won’t use in the next 30 days. This is a good opportunity to throw away any expired creams, medicine, or items that your family are no longer using. If you adult well, then you normally have a spare of everything from hand soaps to shampoos so these need to be packed up as well.

Pack up the kids toys. We know kids are not always happy with this idea so just keep the ones you think will pass in a show home. Also the extra towels etc. We always suggest using one bathroom and keeping the rest clean and tidy and always on display so the guest towels would be on display along with good smelling soaps or candles or plants etc.

The best rule in bedrooms is anything that is not a bed, bedside table or draws for clothes needs to go. So pack up all the other stuff, including personal photos, awards, drawings, bicycles, playstation etc. Think Ikea bedrooms. The bedside lamp and alarm clock can stay. Plants or artwork can stay. Everything else must go. Start packing up clothes that you won’t wear in the next 30 days. So if it’s summer, pack up your winter clothes visa versa. Just remember we don’t want boxes or suitcases in the bedroom either.

Walk in robes are a feature of a home so having it organised with clothes and shoes neatly on display is great. Make sure all the lighting in there is working as well.

This is the first impression of the home. So less is best when entering the home. Ideally you will just have great lighting, some artwork and a rug. If there is a foyer where you put your shoes and the kids school bags etc. Then let’s get it clean, tidy and organised. Show off the space as big and open. If you have a built in closet make sure it has as few items as possible in it. Storage is a feature of a home, so we want to show it as spacious and multi usage.

This is normally the hardest room to declutter as it is the most used space in the home. It is also the room buyers will judge the most. They want light, bright rooms and plenty of storage. They will open up drawers and check inside the oven and fridge, so yes, the fridge needs to be decluttered too. We use the rule of pack up anything you won’t use in the next 30 days, however, this is a good time to discard expired food. This also applies to plastic containers with no lids and pots that have been collecting dust all year. Do you really want to take all that to the next home? No. Also, decluttered cupboards look bigger, so remember the more you pack up the less you have to do when the home is sold.

We understand this is a well-loved space but you always have to think show-home ready. All the DVDs, books, toys, photos and personal ornaments need to be packed up. Only the basics stay, couch, ottoman, coffee table, TV and artwork. Throw pillows and rugs are good to stay but everything else , including the Playstation, gets packed away.

If you have a dedicated office or study nook, then let’s highlight this feature and only have the essentials in this space. A desk, computer, chair and filing cabinet is okay, everything else goes.

While this can be a ‘man cave’ for hoarding, we need to declutter here as well. Tools that haven’t been used in the past 12 months need to find a new home and everything else needs to be packed up. If you are not going to use it in the next 30 days, it goes, and what stays is stored neatly.

We see a lot of open homes where the garage is packed with everything from the home. Please don’t do this. Buyers who want a double garage want to see a double garage. If the home is full of unwanted household items and boxes it makes the space small and uninviting. We use TAXIBOX as an easy and affordable mobile self-storage solution. They drop the box off, you load it and they collect it and put it in their storage facility or anywhere you choose. It’s a great way to get the home moved without breakages.