Top 10 Personal Items to Pack Before Selling Your House
Being home can make you realize how cozy home feels with all of your favorite stuff around. You burst with pride when you have a chance to add anything significant to your home.
You’re proud of the larger than life photo of your dog. You’re proud of your children’s awards and artwork. You’re proud of the trips you took to exotic countries. You love how your possessions reflect who you are, how you’ve advanced and who you love.
Generally, friends and family have no qualms about your personal items around the house. They create a home that feels like “you”, the person they care about. But, your personal things may be a sensitive topic for strangers entering your house with the purpose of a possible purchase.
Think about this. What if you walked into a house that you planned to buy and the owners displayed a giant insect collection on the dining room wall? What if the home owners hung a banner of the worse sports team in the world in the living room?
Would you feel unsettled? Would you feel like running out of the house?
The first impression of a house might cause you to feel a little icky inside. However, the homeowner feels the greatest pride about his collection and his favorite sports team.
If you could look past those things, great. Not all homebuyers have the power to see the potential in a house listed for sale. Therefore, it’s the job of everyone involved in the home’s sale to market it in a way that creates a strong enough connection for the homebuyer to place their best offer.
That starts with depersonalization.
Once you pack the items that helped create the coziness of “home”, you’re on track to establishing the house as a marketable product for homebuyers.
Personal items to pack early before selling your house:
1. Family photographs
2. Trophies and awards
3. Religious artifacts and symbols
4. Political paraphernalia
5. Favorite sports team memorabilia
6. Provocative, personal items
7. Home office documents, i.e. bills and mail
8. Kids artwork, toys, etc.
9. Personal care products, i.e. makeup and medications.
10. Souvenirs from travel/amusement parks.
It’s fun to show the stuff you love and feel like people will admire it as much as you do. Unfortunately, buyers need a gorgeously generic house to find appealing enough to place an offer.
Are you planning to live in your house during the sale and struggling with plans on how and where to start? You’re invited to reach out for a 15-minute discovery call to see if a home staging consultation works for you. Schedule a time to chat with me.
