If you’re thinking about selling your home, a recent New York Times article cited studies from Realtor.com that April is the best month of the year to list a home for sale. If you’re listing your home for sale in Oakland, or anywhere really, you want it to look the best it can for buyers and photos, and a de-junked, de-cluttered home is the way to go. Clean out these five areas of your Oakland home before listing photos or your open house to get the most from your listing, and have less to move later!
Depersonalize and DeClutter
You may know that homebuyers respond to a well-styled house, but did you know that less is more in this case? When staging a house for sale, it’s best to remove the personal items, and any clutter you may have. The Young House Love blog has tips for staging to sell, focusing heavily on simplifying every space you see. They even suggests packing things you can’t get rid of up in your car to keep them out of the house during photos, and showings, but the first step? Get rid of what you can!
Clean out closets and drawers before listing your Oakland, CA home – Call West Coast Junk today!
Simplify Cabinets and Closets
Simplify spaces by getting rid of clutter and junk. Empty out cabinets to show how much storage they are. If a cabinet or drawer is overflowing, it looks like there isn’t enough room inside it. Clean out all of your drawers and cabinets – bonus, the more you get rid of now, the less stuff you have to pack up and move with you! Do you have a messy attic? Let potential buyers see that it’s a bountiful storage space by clearing it out and showing off the flat “floor” area.
Clear Out Your Yard or Patio
Backyard entertaining is dreamy in the Bay Area. Oakland’s temperate climate means the weather is warm in the summer when it’s chilly in San Francisco, and not as hot as Walnut Creek or further East Bay – perfect for outdoor entertaining! West Coast Junk can help you clear out old or unsafe decking lumber (as long as it’s not pressure-treated wood), your old unworking hot tub, or pile of construction or yard debris, and make way for a patio or deck that will help sell the dream of outdoor space and sell your house along with it.
Clean out the Garage
If you are lucky enough to have a garage in Oakland, CA, then show that puppy off to potential buyers! Whether your new possible occupants have a car or not, that garage needs to look like it can house one, or at least act as storage or project space. Get rid of old hazardous chemicals, haul away old furniture and clothes, and get rid of nanna’s nicknacks once and for all. Old garden tools and fertilizers you don’t use? They aren’t selling the dream. Organize sporting equipment and tools so they maximize the space and tip your buyer in the direction of understanding how they can also store those things here, ready to use when ski season comes back around again. Maybe even throw a coat of paint on the walls and ceiling after the clean out!
Clean Out Your Home Office
Organize, organize, organize. A home office can be a big pro, anything to save a trip over the Bay Bridge during rush hour traffic, and don’t we know it! Like all the other spaces we’ve mentioned, the key here is to declutter, and make the office look like a place where stuff. Gets. Done! Ensure craft and art supplies are neat, and papers and folders are filed. Is there art on the wall? Tidy it up too! Dust spaces that don’t get touched often, book shelves, behind the computer, under the printer. Add a plant or two to the desktop or shelf, and ensure the calendar is flipped to the current date to remind people that room is full of life!
If you or someone you know is selling a home in Oakland, CA, chances are they have junk to get rid of! Whether you’re cleaning out a lot or a little, West Coast Junk can help with that. Check out what folks are saying about us, and why we have over 100 5-star reviews on Yelp, then call us (510) 421-1730 to see for yourself!