How To Organize Your Closets To Sell Your Home
When you have guests coming, where do you stuff all your extra’s? Are you like me and place it in the closet? The typical American household contains 300,000 things. So, it is safe to say that most homes have overfilled closets.
Why is closet organization important when you’re getting ready to sell your home?
You need to sell buyers on every inch of closet space your home has to offer. Ask any Realtor, and they will tell you that they have had buyers walk away from a great home because they did not think it had enough closet space.
Most sellers realize that you have to stage their home. But guess where they put all their extra stuff? In the closet or garage. This doesn’t help sell the spaciousness of your home!
Whether you have shallow reach-in closets or large walk-ins, here is how to organize your closet to help you stage it for showings:
Give your closets a deep cleaning so they look & smell fresh. A dirty home can knock thousands off your asking price, & buyers WILL look behind every closet door. You need those spaces clean and not smelling like a gym bag.
Remove everything from the closet; not all at once, but a few pieces at a time. While removing the items, sort them into keep, toss or donate piles.
If your closet walls are a dark color, lighten them up with a light neutral color like beige or white. Dark colors tend to make a space appear smaller.
Once the closet is empty, clean the entire closet from top to bottom. Get all of those cobwebs!
Wipe down all surfaces. To tackle odors, use an all-purpose cleaner with a pleasant scent like Mrs. Meyers.
Tackle any moldy spots with a mild warm water & bleach spray solution.
Vacuum or dust mop the floors - don’t forget the corners.
Let the closet air out, empty. Make sure all cleaning solutions are dry before putting anything back.
Leave scented dryer sheets in closet drawers, shelves, etc. to keep your whole closet smelling fresh.
Cut your closet clutter IN HALF to make it look bigger. 45% of first-time Buyers say a master walk-in is essential. Space is a premium.
Be ruthless in your decluttering. Strive for 50% of the items in your closet to be either boxed up, donated, or sold.
Remove enough sweaters or towels from their stacks so that there is open space above each stack. No cramming! If so, the space looks crowded.
Let hanging clothes breathe, with about 1 fingertip space between hangers. You want to be able to see the back of the closet wall as you look inside.
Closet floors should look as clear as possible. No shoes, totes, or gear.
At the end of the organizing, about 20-30% of your closet should be open space.
Store any boxes that you plan to keep at a friend’s or storage unit if possible. You want to avoid moving clutter from one space to another.
Stage the closet like a display:
All hangers in your closet should match in color & style. Mismatched hangers create a sense of chaos & disorganization. If you go with the plastic-type, pick a neutral color.
For coat closets, solid wood hangers show best.
Make sure all the hangers are pointing the same way & clothing is facing the same direction.
Sort & arrange your items by color (light to dark), & within each color, organize by style (i.e. Blazers, long sleeves, short sleeves, dresses, etc.).
Get the shoes off the floor. If needed, find a nice hanging organizer or mesh shelves.
Replace clear plastic bins or bright boxes for kids with classic options, like storage baskets.
Put away belts, jewelry, etc., into drawers, baskets, or bins.
Light!! If there is no electrical outlet in your closet, hardware stores offer all sorts of battery-operated lights. Make sure the lights are on for photographs & showings. You want every inch of your closet to show.