Neat, clean, organised homes sell faster, and for better prices. Not necessarily because they're worth more than the messy alternative for sale down the road, but because they present a happy, orderly lifestyle vision.
Buyers like to visualise themselves living in an improved situation to the one they're in now. They usually want a home that seems easy to run, comfortable to live in, and one that won't stress them out trying to find places for all their belongings. Storage sells on all counts.
Using Vertical and Overlooked Space
While having too many possessions on show is never a good thing when you're trying to sell a house, you do need to keep the place looking homely and lived in.
The areas above head height are often ignored in the storage wars, but they're ripe for development.
Shelving can have a minimalist look if you paint them in colours that blend with the surrounding decor. Group displayed ornaments of collections in odd numbers for maximum impact rather than cramming shelves full.
Install shelves in alcoves, or over and around doorways for a fitted, designer appeal. Use lighting to create mood and highlight the items on display. Other unusual but stylish ways for using shelves include:
- Running a long shelf behind a sofa. Use it for reading lamps or as a bookshelf.
- Fitting shelves either side and above doorways. They create a recessed look to the doorway and make an usual feature.
- Fitting narrow shelves to the end of a run of kitchen cabinets. They make a handy place for recipe books or spice bottle storage.
Make Better Use of Existing Hidden Areas
Two overlooked areas in most homes are the awkward space under the stairs, and the hidden space beneath the kitchen cabinets.
If the space under the stairs is really small and cramped, consider opening it up and fitting custom-build cupboards and drawers. Alternatively, create a small home office here, or fit a padded seat and use it as a reading nook.
Under stair spaces that are large enough to walk in benefit from wall hooks and fitted shelves. Turn yours into a cloak room or organised area for cleaning materials or DIY tool storage.
Beneath the kitchen cabinets hides yards of hidden space that is ideal for storing all kinds of flatter items.
- Oversized baking or roasting trays.
- Summer garden games such as tennis or badminton racquets and cricket bats.
- Kids' toys like skateboards.
- Board games you don't use very often.
Remove the existing kick boards and fit hinged or sliding doors in their place.
Create a Storage Illusion
Sometimes, what we actually need is more space, not necessarily more storage.
Parting with possessions is tough though, so a creative way to downsize is to rent a self storage room in the short term. Pair down the possessions you're not currently using so existing storage goes further and is less cramped, and you automatically create more storage at home and can organise things more neatly.
For home sellers, an added bonus (as well as more storage space during the viewing stage of selling) is that many possessions are already packed up when the physical moving stage comes round.
Some people find self storage such a convenient way to keep the home tidy that they operate a permanent rotation system on their belongings, depending on the season and what they're currently using. You may not wish to go that far, but short term contracts mean you can be flexible on the length of time you keep possessions in self storage.
Selling a home is stressful enough without the added battle to keep the house permanently spic and span. Sort out your storage, and the battle is half won before you start.
