Our Guide to Declutter and Prepare your Home For Sale

One of the biggest steps to prepare your home for sale is always to declutter.

When potential buyers walk onto your property, they need to be able to see themselves living there. It can be hard for buyers to do this if the home is messy or full of your things.

A home filled with sentimental knick-knacks and family portraits too clearly belongs to someone else, making it hard for buyers to project themselves into it. 

By decluttering your home, you turn it into a blank slate for buyers. They can easily picture themselves living there and they will be more motivated to put in an offer. 

What to get rid of as you prepare to sell your Rockhampton home

When it’s time to sell, you have a couple of options: 

You can do a ‘speed declutter’ and throw everything into the back of a vehicle and then into a storage unit, or you can use the opportunity to spend some time sorting through your belongings and getting rid of what you don’t need so you have a fresh start in your next place. 

Either way, a lot of things will need to be out of sight for the photographer’s visit and open home days. 

If you’re doing a quick job, gather up family photos and ornaments, toys and smaller pieces of furniture that take up a lot of space. You might even want to remove chests of drawers so your bedrooms look bigger. 

Spend some time looking through real estate listings in your area to see how homes are displayed and which ads have the most appeal. You will easily be able to feel the difference between a home that has been decluttered and one that has been photographed as is.

It may even be worth going to a home open or two yourself so you are inspired to take action. 

What happens to the things you are decluttering?

The problem with decluttering is what to do with the things you don’t want any more. It can also be hard to decide what to keep and what to get rid of for good. 

Experts recommend you declutter by category and split things into three piles or boxes: throw away, pass on and keep. For example, start by going through your shoes, then move on to your sporting equipment, then tackle the items in your kitchen. 

The throw-away pile is for rubbish. Inevitably, there will be things that can go. These things should be thrown in the bin or a skip, taken to the tip or recycled if possible. You can find information about Rockhampton waste facilities here or visit the Community Recycling Centre.

The pass on pile is for things that you can do without but that you would rather not throw away. For these items, there are a lot of options:

Gift them: There is often someone among your friends or family who could do with a side table, some baby clothes or a kettle. Give them the opportunity to take a look at what you are getting rid of, and they may take a few things off your hands. Pop some photos on Facebook and you might find you get some takers. 

Sell them: There are many ways to sell used goods in 2024. Whether you use Gumtree, Facebook Marketplace or Etsy, many online platforms exist, especially for selling your old things. The Rockhampton Buy, Swap and Sell Facebook group is an excellent place to offload old stuff and pick up something for your new home as well. 

When it comes to selling things online, there are two things to be aware of. One is that people are on the lookout for bargains, so keep the price low. The second is to be aware of scammers; they will often tell you a relative will come and collect the item, then try to pay you via PayPal but have some issues with your account that you haven’t encountered before. Be very wary before you click on any links. 

You can also always hold a good old-fashioned garage sale. These options can also help you raise some money for the move. 

Donate: Op shops and other charities are always looking for second-hand goods that are in good condition. Locally, the Lifeline Rockhampton Bookfest is always keen for donations.

Of course the keep pile is things you will hold onto when you move. 

Need help to declutter before you sell? 

If all this still sounds like too much work, you can always call in outside help, along with friends and family and advice from your agent. You can also bring in a professional who can support you when you start to get ‘decision fatigue’.

The Great Organised Space, based in Gracemere, is a business you can try reaching out to for some help with decluttering and cleaning. 

The benefit of decluttering is that you can have a fresh start in your new place, with a lot fewer belongings to deal with. You may even find a few things you have been looking for for a while!

Need help to prepare your Rockhampton home for sale in 2024? Contact The Agency CQ for advice.