Company's Coming: What's In Your Closet?

Company's Coming: What's In Your Closet?
05-27-08

A state closely resembling panic sets in when the real estate agent calls to say she is coming to show your house. You run around picking up the clutter, stuffing it here and there to make things look nice. So many things get piled in the hall closet that it is almost impossible to shut the door. The kids throw everything from the floor of the bedroom to the floor of the closet. One pushes it all in while the other one shuts the door. You take a look around and feel satisfied the place looks clean enough to show. Out the door you go without a thought about anything but an offer.

Enter the agent. This poor, unsuspecting soul has done her best to round up as many buyers as she can to help you sell your home. She is excited because this one seems like a great candidate. Your house is exactly what this buyer has been talking about for a week. They are about to take a private tour. The key word there is private.

These people who are going through your home are not going to just walk from room to room. They are going to open cupboard doors. They will peek inside the medicine chest. They will open every door and built in drawer there is in the house. After all, they will want to see what they are actually buying. They will want to know how much space is in the kitchen. They will want to know if their things will fit in the closets.

When you put your house on the market everything is an open book. People will be going through with a fine tooth comb to see what the house has to offer. This means looking in places a guest would not even go near. There are some things you should do to prepare your home for the people who will be coming in during the showings and open houses.

The first thing you should do is pack up anything in any of the closets which are not necessary. Put them in storage, whether it is in the garage, basement, or even a storage unit. You will want to get rid of anything you will not need. This will make the closets more roomy and appear larger.

You will also want to clear clutter from built in drawers. Again, box up what you do not need. There are some bedrooms which have the added convenience of built in drawers. Some people keep very personal items in these drawers. Anyone who is interested in buying your home will be looking in them. If you do not want things seen then move them to an appropriate place where they will not be discovered.

Many good real estate agents will tell you to prepare your home so that anyone walking in can visualize their possessions in the space. This means removing any personal items like family pictures. You will want to make the house appear as neutral as possible. This can allow the potential buyer to see the house and not the decorations. They can envision how the rooms will look when they are in the home.

By packing up what is not necessary will help you when it comes time to move. You will have many of the things in the closets and drawers already packed. This makes it so much easier to not leave anything behind. You can also avoid any embarrassment when people start looking behind closed doors.

Mark E. Moebius
Miljonair Homes
Custom home builder St. Louis
3451 St. Albans Rd.
St. Albans, MO 63073
636.300.9000