Decluttering
This is the fun part! We are going to get your home ready to show because we all know…first impressions are everything!
Showcasing your home in the best light is a key step in getting it market-ready and getting the best price for your property. Decluttering and organizing your space makes it more appealing to potential buyers. When a home is clutter-free, buyers can focus on the actual home instead of on the overstuffed junk drawers and overflowing closets.
Take a look at these 8 tips for decluttering and getting your property market-ready:
Chunk it out
Start clearing and packing as soon as you can. We recommend scheduling an hour each day on rooms or house projects (tasks like closets, storage spaces etc.). By working in smaller chunks, you’ll give yourself time to purge and pack only what you need/want!
Boxed in
Bring four boxes into each room you tackle and label them with – keep, purge, donate and relocate. Put everything from the room in one of the four boxes.
Be practical
If you haven’t worn something in a year, you probably won’t wear it again. Also, while it’s nice to have multiples of items, now is the time to downsize and purge.
Reduce the supply
Stop buying in bulk and stocking the pantry. Dispose of expired items and use up supplies of paper goods and cleaning supplies so that you don’t have to pack them. You can restock when you’ve settled into your new digs.
Less is more
Taking on a minimalist approach to living is important during the sales of your home. It means living with the essentials and parting with the things you don’t require on a day-to-day basis. This could mean asking a friend if you can store some boxes of non-essentials until you store them in a rented locker for a few months.
We can provide reusable moving bins for you to use. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you need them!
Thanks for the memories
It’s easier to purge the towels you got from Aunt Doris than it is to part with your treasured belongings. To stay on task, leave the unused and sentimental gifts to the end of your decluttering project.
Be prepared
Pack a box of the essentials you’ll need upon arrival in your new space – toilet paper, soap, screwdrivers, hammer, and nails.
It makes cents to donate
Once you’ve hit every room in your home, you can donate or sell the items you’ve designated to help offset your moving costs. But best of all, you’ll be rid of the clutter and ready to pack and move into your new space.
Here are some places you can donate to in Toronto:
Habitat For Humanity Re-Store (tax receipt available)
If you have items you would like to sell rather than donate, we recommend listing them at least 6 weeks before moving. If you can start that process now that is even better!
Benefits to simply having less stuff
An easier and less stressful move is a big one
Reduces stress that comes during the sales process
Helps you get a jump on packing
Reduces clutter you’ll move into your new space with
Avoids paying hired movers to move junk (which keeps moving day as inexpensive and stress-free as possible!)
All of this work to declutter will be worth it because it allows us to be in the best position as we get ready to list. Here are some activities that will be taking place during that phase.
Getting Ready To List
STAGING
You have been working hard to declutter and pack and we are going to continue to make your house shine by bringing in our secret weapon…Re: Creative. Meet Renee…our property styling extraordinaire (check out @recreativeworks and you’ll see what we mean!). She and her team will bring in everything needed to enhance your home through staging to get it ready for showings. We have been working with her for a while now and she never fails to bring our listings to a new level!
PROFESSIONAL PHOTOS/VIDEO
After the staging is complete, we bring in a professional photographer to take the stunning photos that appear in the listing and on our social media. We also have them put together a video to show off your home in the best way and capture all the hard work that has been put into getting it ready!
SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN
When we get closer to listing, we will also begin launching a social media campaign composed of sneak peaks, behind-the-scenes videos, and paid advertisements. By showing off your home to a targeted audience we make sure that as many people can see your home as possible! We use Instagram and Facebook as our primary social media channels as we have found we get the most engagement on these platforms.
General Costs
We want to be upfront about costs that can arise throughout this process so I’ve listed some that can come up at this stage.
Professional Packers
Based off the staging plan, once we decide what will be staying in your home and what should be moved out it may help to hire professional packers. This can be advantageous when there is a tight moving schedule. Professional packers are efficient, and the time saved can allow you to focus on other things, but on the other hand, not everyone likes strangers touching their things and the cost depends on the size of your home.
We recommend Sparkly Solutions, who will do an in-person walk-through to see what they are dealing with and then put together a quote. They bill by the hour and a team of two is $100/hr typically working a 6-hour day, plus materials.
They offer decluttering, organizing, packing, and moving coordination services which may also include unpacking and setup. They work with Bumblebee Moving & Storage as their movers but are also willing to accommodate your preference if you prefer a specific company. Check out their website to learn more!
If this is something you decide to move forward with let us know and we can help you set things up!
Off-site storage
If there are a lot of items you need to move out before staging and you need a place to store them, an off-site storage locker may make sense. This can cost around $200 per month. This does not include the costs of renting a truck or hiring movers to come and pick up these items.
Junk removal
If you decide you no longer want to keep some items and don’t want to sell or donate them you may have to use junk removal services. These companies generally charge by the size of the truck needed. Please let us know if this is something you are interested in and we can help to arrange it!