Decluttering Your Home for a Quicker Sale
We surveyed major property experts in the UK for a consolidated look into the impact clutter has on the home selling process, which rooms are the most important, and what you can do to save time and money during the sale of your property.
Decluttering Your Property
According to industry experts, decluttering your home before putting it on the market can help sell your property faster.
Estate Agents agree that decluttering:
- Allows buyers to visualise the home as “theirs”
- Eliminates suspicions of larger problems within the house
- Contributes to de-personalising a home, which adds value
- Makes the property look bigger, with the impression of more storage space
Important factors relating to the house when decluttering:
- Size
- Space
- Storage
- Condition
“About 70% of our clients take the advice to declutter their homes before selling. Most viewers cannot see beyond what is offered in front of them and find it hard to see anything other than clutter”, shares Vivienne Harris from Heathgate.
Important areas in the house:
- Lounge
- Kitchen
- Bathroom
- Master bedroom
- Garden
For many, these rooms, mainly the kitchen and lounge, are the hub of the home and a space for families to congregate and entertain.
Where to start:
- Get rid of all old furniture, appliances, gym equipment, boxes and other unused bulky items
- Sort through piles of paper, unworn clothing and more
- Clear kitchen counters and cupboards (including pantry)
- Sort through the garage and spare rooms
- De-junk the kid’s room of old toys
Average Time on Market by Type in London (days) according to Home.co.uk:
| Nov 2015 | Nov 2016 | |||||
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Detached | 145 days | 166 days | |||
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Semi | 108 days | 113 days | |||
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Terraced | 104 days | 115 days | |||
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Flat | 128 days | 157 days | |||
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All | 126 days | 146 days | |||
What the Experts Say
Linda Jeffcoat, regional director of Stacks Property Search & Acquisition, the oldest and most experienced independent buying agency in the UK, says purchasers form an almost immediate opinion about a house, so kerbside appearance is crucial. “Be sure to remove any toys and hose pipes from the garden, and keep the entrance to the house clear. Clean all visible drains and pipes from leaves, etc. Anything to aid the buyer in visualising the space as their own. Cleaning windows is equally important; the first thing a buyer will do is go to the window and look out, so make sure the glass is clean”.
“Garages tend to gather lots of rubbish as they’re used as an extra storage space out of the way”, says Alex Gosling, CEO of award-winning online estate agents HouseSimple.
Marina Filichkina, head of sales at international property broker Tranio.com concurs: “Decluttering is always recommended. Usually, cluttered homes are harder to sell to buyers that would like to move in right away.”
“Overly cluttered houses can create the impression that a home will require repairs and renovation, even if that’s not the case”, says the head of sales at Tranio.com, Marina Filichkina. “Some houses can be newly renovated and still look like they need work simply because of all the stuff lying around.“
According to the surveyed property experts, what this means is that buyers are likely to be less satisfied with the house, its condition and space, and are more likely to ask for a price decrease, as well as the house being sold a lot slower, due to the buyer being unable to visualise themselves in the property.
The size or type of the house, whether a flat, detached or terraced, doesn’t dictate whether a house will be cluttered or not; this is dependent on the homeowner.
With over ten years’ experience, AnyJunk promises next day clearance and eco-friendly disposal of anything too big for the bin.
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