Sense of Spaciousness Enhances Home’s Salability

Be honest. Do you trip over or dodge at least a dozen things when negotiating your way from the bedroom to the refrigerator door? Has your garage and/or basement taken on thatnuclear-holocaust-preparation look with object after object beingstored there? Is your attic cluttered to the point where even a dormouse would have a problem setting a foot down securely on the floor, let alone walking?

Ifyou answered yes to any of these questions, you definitely have somework to do as you make preparations to sell your home. Realtorsstrongly advise that home sellers should take the time to eliminate, orat the least, reduce your home’s clutter as much as possible beforeshowing your home to potential home buyers.

And why isthat, you may ask. Two significant reasons come to mind. According to real estate insiders, your home will project a feeling andlook of spaciousness when clutter is eliminated. It gives theillusion that your home is quite a bit larger than it really is. Have no doubt -- buyers will like that.

Another reason is how atidy, roomy-looking home appears to be cleaner and more inviting. Psychologically, perhaps, a cluttered home brings to mind feelings ofdisorganization, uncleanliness, and, to some degree,claustrophobia. In addition, it can put homeowners in a negativelight – it makes it look as if they’ve been apathetic in taking care oftheir homes -- even if, in reality, they’ve acted very responsibly inthe area of maintenance and repairs.

In order to create that spacious-feel ambiance, try following these tips:

Removelarge and/or excessive pieces of furniture, statues or otherstand-alone art pieces, especially from the living room.
Remaining furniture should be positioned as closely to walls as possible.
Makesure all counter tops, closets, cupboards, and pantries – especially inthe kitchen -- appear clutter-free. Don’t forget dresser andchest drawers in the bedroom, as well.
Remove excessive items from bookcases, coffee tables, end tables, and shelves – remember, less is best.
Createan illusion of space by adjusting the lighting to eliminate shadows –shadows tend to break up a room into smaller entities
Roomswith darker colors can be made to appear larger just by painting thewalls. Beige and pastel colors are particularly good to achievethis effect. Likewise, smooth textures tend to reflect light,further augmenting the desired effect.
Waxing hard-surface floors will also allow them to reflect more light.
Clever positioning of mirrors can yield an impression of extra space.
Clear out excessive items from the garage, attic, and basement.

Aboveall, make sure (for those of you with children) that Junior or Princesshas picked up all of their toys and neatly stored them away, preferablyin an inconspicuous closet corner. Better yet, if your littleones have accumulated a considerable number of toys – to the pointwhere their room could be mistaken for a Toys-R-Us franchise, hidingthem in a storage rental unit (during the home-showing period) would bea wise investment. This goes for the bulky-looking furniture andother excessive articles gathered from the rest of the home, as well.

Good news is – for the most part, reducing clutter and creating the illusion of more space is free– most likely the only expenses being the cost of a rental unit for ashort time, paint, and maybe some floor wax. This sacrifice,however, is insignificant when you consider the benefits to behad. In fact, you may very well be amazed when your tidy,roomy-looking home fetches you a quick sale.