Frequently seller clients ask me how many things they ought to be removing in order to maximize their sales price. It varies, but as a rule of thumb, most people should remove about half to two thirds of whatever is visible on counter tops, book shelves, dressers, etc.
The look you want is as if someone is barely living there. Keep that in mind.
Of course, you also want to depersonalize. If Silicon Valley home buyers visit your property and see your sports trophies (or your kids’), your college diploma, your religious decor, photos from your wedding and so on, they will find it irresistible. Instead of looking at the house that is for sale, they look at your personal items – which aren’t! They’ll try to figure out who you are instead of whether your current home should be their next one.
By clearing out a lot of your accessories and excess furniture, but leaving enough in to show how a room can be used, you’ll enable your potential home buyer to “mentally move in”. Removing distractions can help your house or condo to sell itself. This can be tough when you’re still living there, but if you can decide that now it’s a place you’re selling. Home will be where you go next, so let go of this current residence as home and you’ll have an easier time with the depersonalizing of your residence.
Often this is the most important step in staging a home for sale: making the space needed for buyers to mentally play out how they would use the space for themselves.
Interested in selling your home? I’d love to hear from you!
To read more about prepping your home for the market, check out a few of the related posts in the links below:
In a hurry? How to quickly get your Silicon Valley home ready to sell
Home selling? Small fixes that make a big, positive difference.
How to Prepare for Your Open House
Selling Your Silicon Valley Home: Staging & Color
Creating a cheerful, sunny, welcoming environment for selling a Silicon Valley home
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