De-cluttering – Southeastern Michigan home selling tips

De-cluttering your home is such a huge part of selling your South Eastern Michigan home.  What is great is that it costs so little to do.  It is just a little work and time involved in doing this.  So why should you de-clutter your home before you list it for sale?  Buyers are always worried about room.  Room sizes are important.  So if you have a room jammed with furniture and “stuff” then the room appears to be smaller than it is.  That may make the buyer feel the room is smaller than it is.  The buyer may feel your home is not big enough for them.  Then they won’t buy your home.  Do you want that?

Another reason you de-clutter your home before you put it up for sale is about the buyer’s attention.  You do not want the buyer to be staring at your Star Wars collection.  You want the buyer to focus on your house.  You want them to see the house not your “stuff”.  If you get them off track of what you have in the house they are not making a decision on whether the house is right for them.  We want to sell your home!

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The other reason you should be de-cluttering your house is that too much “stuff” on counter tops and around the house may make the buyer feel the home is not taken care of.  If you have piles of stuff in a corner of room it may look disorganized or unkept to the buyer.  Buyers want that warm cozy feeling that you are a “GREAT SELLER” that HAS TAKEN CARE OF THE HOUSE.  A dirty or cluttered house usually takes longer to sell.

Another benefit of a de-cluttered home is that you are not turning a buyer off.  Sometimes items you have may not be what the seller likes or understands.  We are trying to have the buyer identify with the house and how they can live there.  You may love your deer heads and be proud of them, but there is a large number of people that are against hunting.  So why turn off that one buyer that may buy your home if it wasn’t for the deer heads.  I have had buyers walk out of a home because of the animal trophies.   We want them to identify with the house and not be turned off.

You should think of de-cluttering as pre-packing.  You are moving anyway so why not start packing and purging.  Get rid of the items, and pieces of furniture that you do not want.  Pack away the animal trophies, the collections, the religious shrines.  You are going to be moving in the next few months….let’s get ready for it.

So how do you de-clutter?  Let’s start with shelves and counter tops.  My rule is no more than 1-3 items on any shelf, dresser, table, or counter top.  Box the excess away.  Label it and pack it for the next house.  Go through your closets and basement too.    If you have lots of “stuff” in the basement our goal is to consolidate it.  Stack it up and put it against the walls.  Try to put it in one area.  You want the basement to appear large.  It is better to have it stacked to the ceiling than have it coming out away from the walls 4 or 5 feet.  When selling your home it is all about making it appear spacious.

If you are like so many other homeowners over the years you have filled up your house.  Some home owners have filled up every wall space.  They may have inherited furniture from Aunt Mabel or Mom and Dad.  Our goal is to remove the excess unneeded furniture so you can see walls.  Let’s talk about the family room.  A well used room that is made for comfort.  There may be a couch and two “favorite” chairs that you both call your own.  Then there is a end table next to each one.  Can you do without one or both of the favorite chairs?  Let’s eliminate some of the end tables.   It is the same way in bedrooms.  If you can get the room down to one bed, one night stand, and one dresser then the room is going to appear large.

I use simple tricks of only having 4 chairs in the dining room instead of 6 or eight.  So what can you do with all this extra furniture?  Rent a pod, stack it in the garage, or take it to a friend’s house for a short while.  If you stack it in the garage that is fine.  Home buyers understand that you are moving.   So a garage that is full of furniture is not going to deter the buyer.

I hope this ideas of what and how to de-clutter your home before you put it up for sale helps you.  With all of my clients I walk through and give them a guide of what to do to de-clutter their home.  So give me a call today to schedule your free consultation.  (248) 310-6239 or yesmyrealtor@gmail.com

Would you like to get top dollar for your  your Oakland County lakefront home?  If so give me a call 

Past client testimonials

A year ago my husband and I started looking for a house with the help of Russ Ravary.  We thought this search would take a long time.  With the technology we had available we were successful after 3 months.  It took us over a year to find the house the last house we bought.  We know what we wanted exactly.  Russ used the Internet and e-mail to keep us up to date on the houses that had just gone on the market, the length of time they were on the market, and all the public record data.  I never thought I would have a house on a lake with all these features.

My biggest obstacle was putting our house up for sale.  When we put the bid on the new house and it was accepted, Russ said it was time to put the old “For Sale” sign up.  I wasn’t ready!  First we hadn’t told any of our neighbors, second we weren’t quite done putting the finishing touches on the house and third we were going on vacation and I didn’t want people in the house while we were gone.

It took over a week for me to be convinced that this was the right thing to do.  After several talks at our kitchen table I said yes.  Russ knew the faster we got the house up for sale in the spring the better our chances were to sell it.  The sign went up the day after we left for vacation.  I was worried on Sunday because that was the first (and only) Open House.  On Saturday we were on our way to the airport to come home, Russ called us with the news…there was a bid on the house!  I couldn’t believe it the house was sold in a week!!!!   Homes in our market were taking over six months to sell.

People always ask what we did to sell the house so quickly.  My answer is to trust your Sales Agent. He/she is in this business and deals with it every day so you need to trust his/her expertise.  Some of the advice we got was to get rid of the clutter, make it less personal and the big one remove the flowered wallpaper.  Russ was forthright in giving advice on how to make the home more saleable.  Sometimes I did not like what Russ had to say about the house, but we did what he said.  And it worked.  We sold it in 7 days for 97% of the selling price.  It was a combination of luck and doing the rights things to get the home ready for sale.  Russ came through 3 times telling us what to do.

Luckily, I (we) listened to what Russ say.  I’m so grateful for everything he did for us, we are now enjoying our new home…sorry Russ for making you a little crazy!

I was a young single woman that had never bought a home before. One of my co-workers who has bought and sold homes with Russ recommended him. I wanted an updated home in a good community that did not have a lot of problems or that was going to be a money pit. I wanted to stay in a specific price range too. Russ never pushed me to buy any home. He knew I could afford a higher price home, but he never tried to get me to buy a more expensive home even though it would have been easier to find the updated home I wanted. We found the home that fits me and I love it. If you need a realtor that will look out for you I say call Russ.

Ms Paul

Dear Russ,

My Husband and I have been in our new home for about a year now and we both feel that it would not have been possible without your help.  We wanted to write and let you know that we appreciate everything you have done for us.  I want to thank you for showing us around and negotiating to help us get an excellent home that meets all of my needs.  I was impressed with your knowledge of the neighborhoods, schools, businesses, parks, recreation, restaurants and home prices.  You are my #1 Realtor and I will recommend you to my family, friends and any one else who need to buy or sell real estate.

Best Regards

Nabila & Joe

Russ is the best real state agent you can find in this area. He has helped me twice to buy a home. For my first home we spent almost 6 months looking for something me and my family liked. Russ kept showing us as many properties we liked without getting PUSHY. He never tried to influence our decision to buy a particular property but was always there to help us make a right decision. He showed professionalism, expertise and excellent knowledge of the area – Bloomfield Hills, West Bloomfield, Troy, Rochester Hills and everywhere else. For my second house as well he quickly became available and helped us search our new home. Russ also helped us sell the first house and walked us through the entire process really well. He did all the advertisement, photos, write-up and everything it takes to sell a house. He even mopped my floor and helped us in getting it painted. Did I mention, I wasn’t even in Michigan when Russ helped us sell the house? Like I said, if you are in the area looking for your next house or planning to sell, give a call to Russ…without any doubts.

Anarag Bansal

My husband and I chose Russ to be our real estate agent after a friend highly recommended him.  We were moving here from Canada and only had a few days to look at homes.  When we came in to town, Russ went far above the call of duty.  He had thoroughly planned our 2 days and had numerous homes lined up for us to view.  After talking to us briefly and asking us a few questions before our arrival, he new exactly what types of homes would be ideal for us.  After searching for a short time he found the perfect home for us.

After the sale, Russ even met our painters, carpet cleaners and home inspector at our new home since we were still out of town.  He also gave us detailed lists of available utility companies, schools, cable services, cleaning companies, house cleaners, fun things to do and wonderful restaurants in the area.  Russ made the entire experience enjoyable and easy.  He has a laid back, genuine personality and my entire family felt comfortable with him immediately.  He feels like a friend not just our real estate agent.

I would HIGHLY recommend Russ to anyone with complete confidence.

Lindsay Gourneau

“I was looking for a realtor and not knowing anyone in the business, I looked online. He help me sell my house with so little frustration.   I heard from several people, but it was Russ with his no-nonsense approach that sold me. After I sold my house I asked what my first step should be and Russ stated immediately that I needed to get pre-qualified before looking at any properties. Great advice! After receiving my pre-qualification letter, Russ and I looked at many properties. As a first-time home buyer my knowledge was very limited, but Russ was more than willing to advise me on my best plan of action. We looked at many properties together and Russ was always on time; most of the time early for our appointments. He made my first experience of buying a home stress-free. If anyone asks me “Can you recommend a good realtor?” My answer would be, “Yes. Russ Ravary.”

Russ was kind and helpful. We had not bought a house in over 40 years so we had no idea what was in store for us.

After reading the testimonials on Russ’s website, we gave him a call.  We’d had a bad experience with a previous realtor, so we were cautious.  But it turned out to be one of the best decisions we ever made.

He answered all our questions and even worked around our schedules to show us houses.  As busy as Russ can be, he always returned our calls.

Even when we decided to put the search on hold for almost a year, Russ waited patiently for us to be ready. He told us that when we were ready again, he’d be ready to help.

Bottom line, Russ is a very good realtor who goes above and beyond what you expect. Thank you Russ for everything! We and our dogs love our new home!                                                                        Frank and Maria Botello

Find the latest and best bargain Northville Michigan Homes for Sale HERE!  Or you may wonder what a house that a very wealthy person would buy.  What do they have to offer?  View these 5 Most Expensive Homes for sale in Salem Township Michigan  Novi is very close to Northville and has excellent schools.  You may want to check out Novi Michigan homes for sale To consider moving to!

Wonder what an Earnest money deposit – Metro Detroit home buyer tips  Some many more home buyer articles on the right side.  Click on the link that says buyers tips.  I even can tell you about some of the local subdivisions like  Deer Creek Subdivision Plymouth MI find your dream home here.

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