The success of a home sale depends on a couple of factors – the current situation on the market, the position of the property, but also the way you prepare it for sale. Staging can help accentuate all the great features of your home, making sure potential buyers notice them first. Also, staging helps buyers visualize your property as their potential home, which can turn into a faster and more successful sale. One of the main steps of staging is surely depersonalization. In other words, removing personal items from the house and neutralizing space for the prospective buyers. Let’s learn some tips and tricks to depersonalize your home before selling and ensure closing time comes sooner than you think.
Why depersonalize your home before selling?
Inexperienced sellers might think this step is rather unnecessary. They look at their home and see all the great things about it, remembering the memories they made while living there. However, sellers need to understand that buyers don’t feel the same – they have a more objective attitude toward the properties they see on the market. With too many personal items, buyers may feel like strangers going through other people’s belongings rather than looking at a home for sale. Neutralizing the space will remove that personal factor, letting buyers imagine their own life in the property without other people’s memories or personal items getting in their way. With proper depersonalizing techniques, you remove your family’s personality from home but leave the homey atmosphere. This is why it’s important not to go overboard, as leaving only empty walls and furniture will seem cold and uninviting.
Start with decluttering
Firstly, remove all unnecessary items from your home. This step will make the home visually clean and tidy, but it can also help you with packing later on. Clutter such as old receipts, flyers, old toys and toy parts, too many clothes in your wardrobe, old CDs, and similar knick-knacks should be out of the space before buyers come to see the property. With too many things on every shelf and closet, buyers won’t be able to imagine their belongings in this home, so try to clear the way as much as possible.
After removing excess items, it’s time to deep clean the space. Whether you do it yourself or hire a professional, make sure your home is spotless before buyers arrive.
Family photos – should you remove all of them?
This one is a tricky point of depersonalization. Removing family photos from the home you want to sell is important, yet you want to leave some to make the space a bit homey. If families with kids are your target buyers, leave a family portrait or two or a photo of your kids from a football match. Family pictures should be here and there, but pack the majority of them for your new home. Also, you can leave the frames for a homey feeling they give, but fill them with neutral pictures or magazine cut-outs.
Kids’ possessions and artwork
Again, this is something you don’t want to completely remove if your home is suitable for buyers with kids. You can leave one piece of artwork on the fridge – as long as it’s free from all the magnets, flyers, and to-do lists. Toys should stay out of the way, but you can leave a kids’ trophy or a couple of books. Remove their school items. And be sure to get rid of all the broken toys or any other damaged pieces in your kids’ rooms.
Pet items – don’t let them be the pet peeves
It’s great to have a pet, and you might be the biggest animal lover ever – yet your potential buyers might not be. Remove all the things associated with your dog, cat, or other pet you might have. Beds, food and water bowls, leash, toys – seeing those may lead buyers to think the home is not sanitary enough or that there’s damage to the floors, etc.
Collection items – keep your collectibles to yourself
Your precious collection of figurines, lawn gnomes, or Harry Potter toys is something to remove to depersonalize your home before selling. Collectibles are a sign of personal interest and can be a distraction for buyers. Therefore, maximize the safety of your possessions by keeping your collection or hobby items safe until your new home is ready. This way, you’ll keep them away from the buyers but still not risk their condition in a dusty basement or a friend’s garage.
Eccentric décor
To make the space neutral, you should avoid décor pieces that show your personal style. And don’t take it personally. Your style may be unique and modern, but this may not be something all the buyers want to see. They want to enter a home that allows them to bring their own style, but at the same time, that property shouldn’t be sterile and lifeless. Firstly, choose neutral colors. A bold statement wallpaper or accent walls are things to avoid. Choose subtle accent colors to use on the pillowcases or similar details – just a pop of color here and there. Avoid too many patterns, eccentric artwork, and religious items. Anything that can be provocative or even potentially offensive to the buyers should go out.
Ask a professional to help you out
Staging as a whole process may be confusing and overwhelming. And when you have to depersonalize your home, it can become even harder. You need to remove your belongings but still make the home inviting and cozy. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, experts from statetostatemove.com suggest seeking an opinion from a third party. There are many outstanding home-staging experts that can help you easily prepare your home for sale. When selling and moving out, reliable assistance is the key. You can get the support you need to move your home to any long-distance location but also get help with the home selling process. Trusting experienced pros will certainly save you time and energy and ensure you’ve got the best results.
Final words
One more thing you should know before you depersonalize your home is that this project can be emotionally challenging. Leaving the home you loved for a long time and preparing it for someone else can shake up your emotions. So it’s important to mentally prepare and give yourself time to adapt to all the changes coming your way. And what’s most important. Look forward to the new life chapter and giving a personal touch to a new home soon.
About Gerardo Zavala, Realtor
There is a true passion for connecting people with real estate that makes me fall in love with my career over and over again. While my title says, REALTOR® I think I am much more than that. For example, I am present and actively listening to my client’s needs, on the spot when things are urgent, and by your side to say “congratulations.” Most of my clients will say that I am a connection away from support no matter the situation, day, or time. In my opinion, customer service, educating the client on progress and next steps, and overall satisfaction are my top priorities. How can I help you?
