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Lauren Taranto, a Royal Shell Real Estate luxury home specialist, was recently pleased by the way a professional organizer transformed a homeowner’s property she was involved in.
“It was fabulous. It made a world of difference to the home to have a professional come in and organize,” Taranto, who is based in Naples, says.
It’s hugely important for sellers to have not only a clean home, but an organized home, Taranto adds, as it can make a home appear more inviting. Taranto recommends sellers employ a professional organizer to help purge excess belongings to make the rearranging process a bit easier. If a professional organizer isn’t in the budget, it’s important not to skip the process, as it can possibly deter otherwise interested buyers from the home.
“Being organized gives the appearance of space and makes a home look like it has a place for everything, and people who are searching for a home want to know that it has adequate storage space,” says Jamie Gates, a Fort Myers-based Royal Shell Real Estate Realtor. “If you have closets that are stuffed or disorganized, it’s not going to convey this.”
Gates recommends tidying up the kitchen with drawer dividers or pull-out cabinets, eliminating coats and randomly hung accessories from front entrances, storing “like things with like things” when it comes to children’s toys, and making room in the garage.
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“People forget about the garage, but it’s so important because in Florida we don’t really have use of attics or basements, so garages oftentimes get very full and don’t even accommodate cars because they’re so full,” Gates says. “It’s really important to make sure there’s room to have a vehicle in there, because buyers are going to want to see that there’s a spacious garage as well.”
Gates also says sellers should start the de-cluttering process before putting a home on the market.
“Many people wait until their home sells to start getting rid of things because they know they have to move,” she says. “I would suggest they start de-cluttering before their house even starts to be shown—that way the organizational part is not so overwhelming.”