Declutter Your Fairbanks Home Before Selling

You’ve made all the necessary home repairs, enhanced your curb appeal, and scoped out a Fairbanks real estate agent. You’re well on your way to selling your home! In today’s market, you may receive your first phone call from an interested buyer in a matter of days, or even hours. Are you ready to show off your property in the Alaskan real estate market? If your first instinct is to throw all of your belongings in boxes and sort them after you move, think again. One of the first steps to a successful showing or open house is to clear out the clutter – for good! Heed these tips for decluttering your home before you list and you’ll be fully prepared to take on this new chapter in your life.

Create a strategy
The first thing you’ll want to do is sit down with your calendar and block off one or two days per week over the next several months. Don’t try to cram all of your decluttering into one weekend! Focus your efforts room-by-room as to not overwhelm yourself. Also, tackle the biggest problem area first. Once you see the payoff, you’ll stay motivated to keep going!

Start sorting
Once you’ve narrowed your focus on one particular room, start sorting your belongings into three separate piles: keep, donate, and trash. When deciding what to hold onto, pretend like you’re packing for a vacation. You only want to take your most valuable and essential items. Everything else can be donated to a shelter or thrift store, and trash gets put on the curb.

Get organized
Gather all of your supplies in a centralized area in the room you’re working on. Scissors, a shredder, trash bags, recycling bins, boxes, packing tape, and a marker should be sufficient. You shouldn’t have to leave the space until you’re done sorting. The key is to not lose focus. It’s easy to get distracted when there are a million other things to do!

Remove the discards
Once you’ve determined what you’re going to donate or throw away, remove these items from your home as soon as possible. Take the trash outside and load your car with the belongings you plan to donate. If you can’t see them, you won’t be tempted to change your mind and rummage through the clutter.

The bottom line is that you only want things you absolutely love and need when you move into your new home. Not only will you start with a clean slate, you’ll also save quite a bit of money on your moving truck and packing supplies. Though the decluttering process seems overwhelming on paper, the relief you’ll feel when you start shedding unwanted belongings is liberating.

If you’re still in the planning stages of selling your home in Fairbanks, don’t rush the process unless it’s absolutely necessary. Giving yourself the time you need to declutter your home before listing it for sale will decrease your stress level and increase your chances of a successful sale right off the bat. When you are ready to list your home in the Alaskan real estate market, please give us a call!

Wes Madden, CEO/Broker
Madden Real Estate
(907) 452-3000
Wes@WesMadden.com 

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