What ever the reason for your move, decluttering is often a critical step in getting your home ready to list. We were delighted to find the 40 Bags 40 Days blog challenge from White House Black Shutters. During the forty day period you fill at least a bag a day of things that are cluttering your home.
The rules are simple – focus on one small area each day, (she provides a great worksheet to plan the purging), the bags can be trash, donations, or even electronic clutter (like your overflowing email inbox). Some days you may have a lot of bags, some days it may be up clearing off the kitchen counters. The point of the exercise is to refresh your home and give you a new relationship with the house you’re living in.
You may be aware that you need to declutter and stage your home if you’re going to list it – but it is equally important to begin letting go of the home you’re living in. You’re going to have to accept that buyers may not like the veggie garden you lovingly planted in the backyard, or the living room paint color that brings you joy. You need to accept that once you move the buyer will probably make changes. One of the most difficult parts of listing your home is for you, the seller, to stop thinking about the house as your home. When sellers can grasp this they are often more incline to be open to offers and contingencies the buyers may give.
If you’re thinking about listing your home within the next two months this, 40 days 40 bags challenge, might be a great place to start.