Preparing to Sell Your New Orleans House? Declutter First, Then Pack the Rest
Preparing a proper packing plan allows for expediency and efficiency as you decide what to keep and what to sell or donate before your New Orleans home sells.
When getting ready to sell your New Orleans house, you might begin by employing a “Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” type of cleaning.
This book by Japanese organizing consultant Marie Kondo lays out a two-pronged approach to decluttering your home:
- Take a look at everything you own.
- If it sparks joy, keep it. If it doesn’t, get rid of it.
While you might not find tidying up to be that simple, if you’re serious about selling your New Orleans home, the less cluttered it appears, the more likely it will be that you will find a buyer.
Decluttering to Sell
Even if you don’t want to spend money staging a home, consider this: the main reason people want to move is lack of space in their current house. So if prospective buyers view your home and see that you too are running out of space, do you think they are going to be interested in putting in an offer to buy it?
But some basic decluttering can make all the difference. When you get rid of your excess stuff, potential buyers can see the condition of the walls, floor, and evaluate the space, giving them a chance to imagine themselves living there.
Packing to Move
Once your house has been sold, it’s time to pack up all your belongings and move. If you were never taught how to pack properly and efficiently in preparation for your household move, this is the ideal timeline for you:
- A month or two before the move. Start purging. Moving forces you to take stock of your home and possessions that you no longer use or need. Start your move by determining what to keep, what to sell, and what to give away.
- Several weeks before the move. Make a plan. If you’ve decided to move by yourself, make a day-to-day plan that will help ensure that you get the job done efficiently. Once you have your plan, make a detailed list, room by room, of what you will be moving, how you will be moving it, and the supplies you will need to do so – g., boxes, packing paper, and lots of tape.
- The week before the move. Sell what you’ve decided to sell, and haul away what you’ve decided to get rid of. This will lighten your load and give you a clear picture of what you’ll need to pack in each room. Then get your boxes – new or used, your preference. Used are cheaper, but you need to know where to get them. Try Craigslist or nearby electronics stores.
- The week of the move. Start packing, working at it for four or five hours each day. The first box you should pack is a box of essentials that you’ll need before you move and during the first few nights in your new home. This could include clothes and toiletries for three days for each family member, paper plates and plastic eating utensils, bottled water, toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning supplies, dish towels, and a toolkit. After that, focus completely on packing and nothing else; work one room at a time and don’t leave a room until everything in it is packed.
If you’re getting ready to put your New Orleans house up for sale and need some expert advice to help close the deal, contact the real estate professionals at Satsuma today.