It is typically the most overlooked, overcluttered area of your home. The kind of place you want to slam the door on and not have to deal with. It’s your garage, and like it or not, it is part of the package when selling your home. So here are a few tips to keep in mind to appeal to potential buyers:
Relax…..a garage does not typically break the sale of a home. As a professional Home Stager, I get asked all the time about garages and their impact when selling a home. A garage does not have to be pristine, but it should be somewhat organized and orderly. Otherwise, your buyers will think your home is not large enough for all their “stuff.”
Decluttering goes a long way. Is your garage stuffed to the doors with everything you don’t want in the house? Now is the time to get a head start on your packing and sort through all those items. Make three piles: Charity, Garbage and Must Keep. Be diligent and put all items in your garage into one of those three piles. Once you’ve donated to charity and disposed of the garbage items, you’re ready to organize what’s staying.
Organize your possessions. Now is the time to invest in storage for your garage possessions. Large, lidded containers are excellent for storing a multitude of items, and they can be stacked for neatness. If you want to hide the contents, purchase opaque containers. Alternatively, clear containers allow you to see what is in each bin for easy access. If you have shelves, use them to store items off the floor. Buyers want to see lots of floor space in which to park their cars. Garden tools are easily hung on the wall, and stackable plastic baskets work great as sports equipment organizers.
If need be, store your prized possessions somewhere else. If you just can’t part with your stuff, but you’d like potential buyers to be able to see the garage, consider renting a storage unit or movable storage pod. These can be invaluable for getting items out of sight and out of mind. And who knows? You may find you really can live without some of those items.
Remember what belongs in your garage–your vehicles! With your garage tidied up and cleaned out, consider parking at least one of your cars in the garage. Too many vehicles in the driveway blocks the view of your wonderful home, and you want your buyers focused on its many attributes…….not on what car you drive!
Following these simple steps can make your garage another positive element of your home. And remember: in today’s competitive housing market, every attribute of your home counts. Call the experts at Design Rewind today at (512)417-2876 for your Initial Consultation Home Analysis.
