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Health & Fitness

A Note to Home Sellers

I know, you have probably heard it a million times before that when selling a home you need to put away your personal stuff.This advice is often repeated for one very good reason: it's true.

"De-personalize and de-clutter" must be one of the first recommendations from your Realtor when selling your home.

While having a clean house is indeed vitally important, the second most important thing you can do before putting your home on the market is to get rid of all the stuff that says "this house is mine, my kids grew up here, and hey, check out this photo of me with the President!"

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Yes, I have seen a few of those. And it is really cool that you met the President and your kids are brilliant and star athletes. But the point is that you want buyers (and Realtors who are previewing) to picture themselves living in your home. On today's broker tour of Mercer Island, I saw a couple of homes that, while very lovely, had a bit too much clutter and/or personal stuff in the closets and on the walls.

In cases like those, even though the house has many great features, it just felt like I was invading someone's personal space. Sort of like I was sneaking around, even though it was an open house. On other days, I've seen interesting things like a toilet seat extender sitting in a bathtub (ick) and a statement from the Social Security Administration with all the seller's personal information on it. (Hello, identity thieves!)

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I know, it's really, really tough to live in your home while it's on the market. After all, your stuff still has to be around for you to use it! But please, at least take out as much as you can. Get a storage unit. Move out half your stuff. Get some of those attractive little boxes with lids to put your personal bathroom stuff in.

Just think of it as "pre-packing." That includes the personal family photos on the wall. If you want to avoid filling in a bunch of holes, just swap in some beautiful landscape pictures from your last beach vacation.

Finally, please hide or get rid of all the things that make someone think of personal hygiene (yours), getting older, health problems, and how cluttered their own home is. It may not be conscious, but seeing your overstuffed cabinets and your toothbrush on the bathroom counter--and other personal hygiene products--just makes visitors picture you in the house. Brushing your teeth. Or sitting on that raised toilet seat. Plus, no one wants to be reminded of how cluttered their own house is or how many candles will be on the next birthday cake!

Think of it this way: How do you picture a nice hotel room? I envision a clean, fresh, uncluttered space. (Which I then proceed to clutter up with my own stuff.) For the moment, it's a peaceful, inviting place. A blank slate to make my own for a while. Keep that vision in mind when you list your house, and buyers will too. Especially when mentally comparing it to that last place they saw. The one that had all the family photos from the last four decades and a closet crammed full of random stuff.

If this all sounds familiar--you've heard it from your Realtor already--good for you! He or she is doing their job. Take that advice and do as much as you can. Still not sure where to start? Ask your Realtor to recommend an organization expert, stager, and/or cleaning service to help get your house looking its best.While it's not his or her job to clean your house, pack your things, or tidy up your yard, you can use them as a resource to point you to service providers.


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