If you could make thousands on the sale of your home, simply by packing away personal possessions for a few months, would it be worth it?

Committing to a move means sooner or later you will have to pack up all your belongings. Choosing sooner, will make moving easier and less stressful later.

No need to give up your prized possessions forever. Anything packed early, will be taken with you to your new home, and enjoyed there. Here’s a list of items to pack ahead of time and why.

Pack and store any items you feel you will not need over the next 6 months.

• Clothing is a great example. If you are selling in the spring or summer, pack away your winter clothes. Label clearly for an easy swap in the fall.

Pack nonessential furniture pieces and small accessories.

• Decluttering and editing furniture and accessories will make a space feel roomy and spacious.

Carefully wrap and store expensive, sentimental or personal items.

• Home buyers feel like intruders in homes with personal items like photos, awards, diplomas, and even monogrammed towels and doormats.
• Removing personal items will allow buyers to picture themselves living in your house.
• Buyers should be as comfortable in your house as they are in their own. The longer they linger, the better shot at a sale.
• Prevent expensive and one-of-a-kind collections from being stolen or broken.
• Pack away wedding photos and religious symbols to keep home buyers from knowing more about you than you intended.

Store items out of sight.

• Store packed items in an attic, rented storage unit or friends’ garage.

It takes objectivity to know which items to pack and remove. If you’re finding this process difficult, consider hiring a professional home stager.

Houses sell, even in a tough market. Packing up clutter is free and easy and will make your home stand out from the competition.

Read how these sellers successfully pack up their stuff instead of packing it in when at first they have difficultly selling.

Master Bedroom – After Home Staging
Excess furniture and accessories are put into storage, in this dramatic master bedroom makeover.

Home sellers are in mid-remodel when they decide to sell. Phase one – opening the main floor of this ranch in Thornwood, NY – is complete.

As a “temporary” measure, the walkout basement is converted to a spacious master bedroom (as shown above). The other basement bedroom is also converted to the ultimate walk-in closet (see next photo).

Forty days after listing, AtWell Staged Home is contacted. Two issues are addressed: (1) this home lists – and shows – only 2-bedrooms, and (2) the master bedroom is not separated by a wall or door. When you descend the stairs from the main living space you immediately enter the master bedroom.

It is a sacrifice, but client converts “walk-in closet” back to the third bedroom and a wall – with a pocket door – is erected to separate the master bedroom from the rest of the house. There’s even room for a walk-in closet in the “new” master bedroom. Ninety days later, this 3-bedroom home sells, with multiple offers.

After staging–every buyer’s dream–a large 3rd bedroom. Some shelving remains but most is removed. Decorative storage boxes add function and visual interest.

Here’s a view of the opposite side of this third bedroom. After removing all the storage except for the dressing table by the door, an air mattress and new bedding are added to define this space as the third bedroom.

Here’s what home owner Sharon has to say about the experience:

And, after moving to their new home in Danbury, CT, Sharon calls AtWell Staged Home for a productive move-in consultation.

Update…Exactly ten years after staging her Thornwood home, Sharon calls AtWell Staged Home once again to stage her Danbury home to sell so they can fully retire to North Carolina and a custom new-construction home.

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