Currently, my husband and I are selling our first home and buying our second. And while it was a long and arduous task to get offers accepted due to instability in the housing market, the feedback on our house was always the same: viewers loved it and thought it was in perfect, clutter-free condition.
This wasn’t just a fluke, though. Before putting our house on the market, we spent a great deal of time researching how to declutter before selling a house and decided to go through it from top to bottom. We thought hard about what we wanted our new house to look like and what we wanted to take with us, and we decluttered anything we knew we definitely didn’t want.
This process was hugely beneficial to us, not only in cutting moving costs but also in adding some extra cash to our pockets during one of the biggest financial commitments we’ve ever made. After all, every penny helps and turning your clutter into cash is an easy way to do just that.
1. Books
One thing to know about me? I’m a big reader. I’ve also dreamed of having a huge library in my home (I blame Beauty and the Beast for that), so I’ve happily hoarded books for decades. But the sad reality is that I’ll never have the space for what I want, which is why they’ve been piled up in my office or stored in the loft since we moved in.
As it’s not wise to store books in the loft, I knew I had to start decluttering the ones I definitely wouldn't read again, and those that didn't have any sentimental value. I then sold many of them via World of Books, which lets you recycle books for cash quickly and easily through the app.
All in all, I've made about £80 selling my unwanted books, and not having piles everywhere made the space look so much more inviting during the valuation and subsequent viewings of my house. Just be warned that World of Books doesn’t accept every book, so I just donated my leftovers to my local charity shop.
2. Old clothes
It’s not a decision everyone would make, but I don’t have a single wardrobe in my house - and I never have. That’s because we have an (admittedly very small) dressing room off our master bedroom, and we’ve always used a combination of chests of drawers and a large hanging rail for our clothes. In fact, this SONGMICS Clothes Rack on Wheels (£34.99) has lasted us a few years now.
And while having clothes on display has always kept things relatively tidy, I’d known for a while that it was still full of clothes that no longer fit or weren’t quite my style. As I also rotate my clothes seasonally, some were stored in these Mixed Vacuum Storage Bags (£10 at Argos) in the loft too.
So, I went through everything and sold 90% on Vinted. The rest I offered up to friends and family, or donated to the local charity shop. Freeing up space instantly made the room look brighter and bigger, which is always a great selling point. Because of this, it was a win-win.
3. Unwanted furniture
When we moved into this house, the furniture came with us. But while we've we've since bought new stuff, we kept the older furniture just in case we needed it. We know we don't want to take this to our new house, though, so we decided to declutter it.
Thankfully, there are so many ways to get rid of items after a declutter, and while we donated some pieces of furniture to charity and even popped some outside our house for neighbours to grab for free, there were other pieces that seemed a little too nice to simply give away. So, we sold them instead.
My go-to choice when selling second-hand furniture is Facebook Marketplace, and we sold some spare dining room chairs, an office chair and desk, a bookcase, and even old freestanding lamps for around £200 in total. This meant that they weren’t stashed away in cupboards, either, which made the available storage space look so much better during viewings.
4. Garden and DIY tools
There are so many garden features that help sell a home, and I always think a large shed is a major selling point. This is something we have, but until recently, it was a dumping ground for all the outdoor ‘things’ we struggled to store. In fact, the whole shed was bursting at the seams and looked awful.
While I knew this wouldn’t be a dealbreaker for potential buyers, I still wanted to make it look presentable and clutter-free for viewings. So, we took some time to declutter the shed and go through everything that had been stashed there over the years. We uncovered an old lawnmower, an old BBQ, and lots of garden and DIY tools we no longer needed or wanted to take to the new house.
So, we decided to sell these on Facebook Marketplace, too. They didn’t fetch much compared to what we paid for them, but the shed honestly looks brand new. We then used these 5m Adjustable Cable Straps (£9.99 at Amazon) to bundle all the leftover garden tools for easy moving (a nice hack suggested by our removals company).
5. Everyday clutter
While a lot of my decluttering efforts before putting my house on the market revolved around actively removing things from my home and selling them, I didn’t get rid of every piece of clutter. After all, clutter can still be useful, and we all need to keep essentials and everyday items nearby.
That’s why I also focused on simply rehoming every day, visible clutter in the run-up to the professional photos being taken and the viewings taking place. It’s well-known that this can help to sell your home faster as it makes a home feel more inviting and allows the viewer to imagine themselves in the space.
Hiding clutter for house viewings can be difficult when cupboards are inspected by estate agents and viewers, but I found my DUSK Ascot Ottoman Bed (£299 at DUSK) to be the key to our success, as I could hide things like my dog’s toys, bathroom toiletries, smaller kitchen appliances and anything else that looked unsightly in there.
Decluttering these things has not only helped me turn clutter into cash, but it will also help us spend less on moving day. It really is the gift that keeps on giving...
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